Deposition kinetics of bacteriophage MS2 on Microcystis aeruginosa and kaolin surface.

Waterborne virus contamination might easily adsorb on the organic or inorganic surface in the complex aquatic environment. A quartz crystal microbalance coupled with dissipation monitoring was used to investigate the effects of the ionic strength of monovalent cation and divalent cation and pH on the deposition kinetics of bacteriophage MS2 on silica surface coated with Microcystis aeruginosa or kaolin, which represents organic or inorganic particle, respectively. Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory was used to illustrate the deposition mechanisms of MS2. The increased concentration of Na+ significantly enhanced the deposition rates of MS2 on both coated silica surfaces due to the reduction of repulsive electrostatic interactions. However, the MS2 deposition rates decreased at higher ionic strength of Ca2+, which accounted for the steric and hydrophobic interactions. And the higher MS2 deposition rates on both surfaces occurred at pH 3. In addition, the deposition rates of MS2 on kaolin-coated silica surfaces were higher than on the Microcystis-coated surface under all studied conditions. Furthermore, the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory could elucidate the deposition mechanism in Na+ solution, whereas the steric and hydrophobic interactions should be considered for the presence of high concentration of Ca2+.

Effect of particulate matters on inactivation of bacteriophage MS2 under irradiation above 320 nm.

The inactivation of bacteriophage MS2 under irradiation above 320 nm was investigated, focusing on different solution pH, ionic strength, and Suwannee River natural organic matter (SRNOM) concentrations when solutions contained organic or inorganic particle matters. Inorganic and organic particles were modeled using kaolinite (KAO) and Microcystis aeruginosa (MA), respectively. The results showed that the two types of particles influenced on MS2 inactivation under different conditions. The lower pH contributed to the greater MS2 aggregation within pH range of 3.0 to 8.0, leading to an increasing inactivation rate. The presence of KAO induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) under the action of irradiation above 320 nm, which promoted the inactivation of MS2. By comparison, the [Formula: see text] produced by MA after irradiation promoted the inactivation at pH < 6, whereas when the pH is ≥ 6, the inactivation effect of MS2 was lower than that of particle-free solution because MS2 was no longer aggregated and MA has a shading effect. In the presence of Na+ or Ca2+ cation, irradiation above 320 nm could not effectively inactivate the MS2 under particle-free solution. By comparison, KAO increased the inactivation efficiency as a photosensitizer. With the increase of Ca2+ concentration, MS2 was more easily adsorbed to MA than aggregation. Until Ca2+ concentration reached 20 mM, the inactivation effect in MA solution was enhanced. In the presence of SRNOM, the inactivation effect increased with the increase of SRNOM concentration. When the SRNOM was 20 mM, the inactivation increased in the particle-free solution due to the greater production of [Formula: see text]. Compared with the particle-free solution, the KAO and MA inactivation efficiency was lower.

Comparison of the formation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) from algae organic matter by chlor(am)ination and UV irradiation.

Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa, blue-green algae) blooms frequently in drinking water reservoirs and subsequently causes the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) after disinfection, which may pose a potential health risk. In this study, the formation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) was evaluated from algal organic matter (AOM) including extracellular organic matter (EOM) and intracellular organic matter (IOM) during the disinfection process of chlorination, chloramination, or ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The effects of a variety of factors, including reaction times, disinfectant dosages and pH, on the NDMA formation by three different disinfection methods were investigated. Additionally, this study evaluated the nitrogen sources involved in NDMA formation during chloramination of EOM and IOM using 15N-labeled monochloramine. The results showed that the NDMA formation by three different disinfection methods were ranked in the order of chlorination > UV irradiation ≈ chloramination and the specific yield from EOM was greater than that from IOM regardless of disinfection method. The yields of NDMA firstly increased and then plateaued as time prolonged during the chlorination and chloramination of AOM. Similarly, the NDMA formation from EOM was firstly increased and then remained constant with the increase of the disinfectant dosage, while it was gradually increased for IOM. The solution pH highly influenced the NDMA formation during chlorination and chloramination, while exhibited a little impact under UV irradiation. Moreover, fluorescence excitation-emission (EEM) analysis confirmed that soluble microbial by-product-like (SMPs) in EOM and IOM were the major precursors in algal-derived organic matter that contributed to the NDMA formation. Chloramination of EOM and IOM using isotope 15N-labeled monochloramine indicated that the nitroso group of the formed NDMA originates mainly from EOM and IOM of algal cells.

The effect of polyethylene microplastics on the disinfection of Escherichia coli by sodium hypochlorite.

The effect of polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) on the disinfection of Escherichia coli (E. coli) by sodium hypochlorite was investigated in different pH value, ionic strength, and NOM concentration to illustrate the impact of MPs on the pathogenic bacteria disinfection efficiency in nature water environment. The results showed that PE-MPs tended to agglomerate rather than disperse due to their strong hydrophobicity in water. Within 30 s, about 1.5 log10 of E. coli was adsorbed on the surface of PE-MPs, forming subsequent protection for E. coli. Thus, the presence of PE-MPs reduced the inactivation rate of E. coli. As for the particle-free solutions, the higher solution pH, the presence of natural organic matter (NOM), and the higher concentrations of cations (monovalent Na+ and divalent Ca2+) were confirmed as the major influencing factors decreasing the E. coli disinfection efficiency. However, due to the adsorption and protection of PE-MPs on E. coli, the influences of complex chemistry factors on the inactivation of E. coli were reduced. The inactivation of E. coli in PE-MPs (20 NTU) solution was 1 log10 lower than that in particle-free solution under the same water quality conditions. Therefore, considering the complex water chemistry, the existence of MPs could be a potential challenge for disinfection efficiency in the water treatment plants.

Impact of chlorine on the cell integrity and toxin release and degradation of colonial Microcystis.

The occurrence of toxic cyanobacteria in drinking water sources is problematic for water authorities as they can impair drinking water quality. Chlorine as a commonly used oxidant in water treatment plants has shown the potential to lyse cyanobacterial cells, resulting in the release of secondary metabolites which are hard to be removed during conventional water treatment processes. The majority of cyanobacterial species such as Microcystis, often occur in colonial forms under natural conditions. However, previous studies have mainly focused on the influence of chlorination on individual cyanobacterial cells due to technique limitations. A syringe dispersion method combined with a fluorescence technique (SYTOX Green stain with flow cytometry), was successfully developed for the evaluation of cell integrity of colonial Microcystis. Chlorination of Microcystis-laden water was conducted at different chlorine dosages for different colonial sizes (<37, 37-270 and 270-550 µm). The results indicated that colonial Microcystis cells were more resistant to chlorine oxidation than individual cells, which may be attributed to protection from the cell-bound mucilage. There was a lag phase before cell rupture occurred and a Delayed Chick Watson Model describes the experimental data very well for the kinetics of cyanobacterial cell rupture. The growing colonial size caused increases in the lag phases but decreases in the cell lysis rates. Chlorination also induced the release of microcystins (MCs) from colonial Microcystis cells. In particular, increased levels of dissolved MCs were observed in Cheng Kung Lake (CKL) water. In summary, the reaction of chlorine with colonial cyanobacteria is more complicated than with individual cells. The efficiency of chlorine oxidation could be reduced by the cell-bound mucilage and natural water matrix. These observations may provide insights for water authorities to assess the risk to drinking water quality posed by chlorination under natural conditions.

[Seasonal Variation on Nutrient Limitation for Phytoplankton Growth in a Coastal River-Reservoir System, Southeast China].

A comprehensive analysis was conducted using a dataset obtained from October in 2013 to October in 2014 monitoring in 20 headwater streams of Jiulong River and four reservoirs, situated in such a coastal river-reservoir system in Southeast China suffering from intensive anthropogenic disturbance. In-situ monitoring, GIS and statistical analysis were coupled in this study to identify the spatiotemporal variations of nutrients & phytoplankton abundance and community structure, the differentiation of nitrogen & phosphorus limitation of phytoplankton growth, and the seasonal variations in nutrient limitation of phytoplankton growth. The results showed that there were obvious spatiotemporal variations in terms of nutrients & phytoplankton abundance and community structure in the 20 headwater streams and four reservoirs. The concentration of nitrogen was higher in winter and spring whereas lower in summer and autumn for both 20 headwater streams and four reservoirs. However, the concentration of phosphorus showed an opposite trend. The phytoplankton's abundance was the highest in summer for four reservoirs while it was higher in winter and spring, lower in summer and autumn in the 20 headwater streams. Meanwhile, the main trend in the succession of phytoplankton was from Bacillariophyta in autumn, winter and spring to Chlorophyta in summer in Tingxi reservoir, from Chlorophyta-Cryptophyta in winter and spring to Chlorophyta-Cyanophyta in summer and autumn in Jiangdong reservoir. No obvious trend exhibited in phytoplankton succession in Shidou-Bantou reservoir and 20 headwater streams. The Redundancy analysis (RDA) ordination plots well displayed the phytoplankton's community structure and its relationships with environmental factors. Besides, according to linear regression analysis there was a closer correlation between chlorophyll-a and nutrients in four reservoirs than in 20 headwater streams. In four reservoirs, N limitation was preliminarily observed in autumn whereas P limitation exhibited in winter.