Degradation of sulfonamides and formation of trihalomethanes by chlorination after pre-oxidation with Fe(VI)

Sulfonamides are used in human therapy, animal husbandry and agriculture but are not easily biodegradable, and are often detected in surface water. Sulfamethazine (SMZ) and sulfadiazine (SDZ) are two widely used sulfonamide antibiotics that are used heavily in agriculture. In this study, they were degraded in an aqueous system by chlorination after pre-oxidation with ferrate(VI) (Fe^VIO₄^2 ?, Fe(VI)), an environmentally friendly oxidation technique that has been shown to be effective in degrading various organics. The kinetics of the degradation were determined as a function of Fe(VI) (0–1.5 mg/L), free chlorine (0–1.8 mg/L) and temperature (15–35°C). According to the experimental results, SMZ chlorination followed second-order kinetics with increasing Fe(VI) dosage, and the effect of the initial free chlorine concentration on the reaction kinetics with pre-oxidation by Fe(VI) fitted a pseudo-first order model. The rate constants of SDZ and SMZ chlorination at different temperatures were related to the Arrhenius equation. Fe(VI) could reduce the levels of THMs formed and the toxicity of the sulfonamide degradation systems with Fe(VI) doses of 0.5–1.5 mg/L, which provides a reference for ensuring water quality in drinking water systems.     

Transformation of sulfamethazine during the chlorination disinfection process: Transformation, kinetics, and toxicology assessment

Various disinfection byproducts(DBPs) form during the process of chlorination disinfection,posing potential threats to drinking water safety and human health. Sulfamethazine(SMT),the most commonly used and frequently detected veterinary antibiotic, was investigated in detail with regard to its transformation and kinetics in reactions with free available chlorine(FAC). Using liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry, several DBPs were identified based on different confidence levels, and a variety of reaction types, including desulfonation, S–N cleavage, hydroxylation, and chlorine substitution, were proposed. The kinetic experiments indicated that the reaction rate was FAC-and pH-dependent, and SMT exhibits low reactivity toward FAC in alkaline conditions. The DBPs exhibited a much higher acute toxicity than SMT, as estimated by quantitative structure activity relationship models. More importantly, we observed that the FAC-treated SMT reaction solution might increase the genotoxic potential due to the generation of DBPs. This investigation provides substantial new details related to the transformation of SMT in the chlorination disinfection process.     

Influencing factors and degradation products of antipyrine chlorination in water with free chlorine

Owing to its low cost, free chlorine is one of the most common disinfectants for wastewater and drinking water treatment. However, the formation of disinfection byproducts has been found to occur after free chlorine disinfection in recent decades. Antipyrine (ANT), an anti-inflammatory analgesic, has been frequently detected in the aquatic environment. In this work, the removal efficiency of ANT by free chlorine oxidation in ultrapure water was investigated with batch experiments. The influencing factors on the removal of ANT were explored at initial concentrations of ANT from 0.04 to 0.64 mg/L, free chlorine dosage from 0.30 to 1.31 mg/L, and pH from 1.5 to 9.0. The main degradation products were identified by solid phase extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results showed that ANT reacted rapidly with free chlorine in ultrapure water systems and up to 90.6% removal efficiency of ANT was achieved after 25 sec (initial free chlorine 1 mg/L, ANT 0.5 mg/L, pH 7.0). Higher oxidant dosage, lower ANT initial concentration and low pH favor the ANT removal. The main degradation product in ANT chlorination was a monochlorine substitution product (4-chloro-1,2-dihydro- 1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-3H-pyrazol-3-one), which can be further chlorinated by free chlorine. In addition, the total organic carbon result indicated that ANT is difficult to be mineralized using chlorine.     

Products of methotrexate during chlorination

Methotrexate(MTX)is a cytotoxic drug widely used in the treatment of tumors,autoimmune diseases and severe asthma. jen00883 This drug has been frequently detected in the aquatic environment with concentrations up to μg/L levels. The MTX present in environmental water might be transformed and removed during chlorination disinfection treatment. In this work,the fate of MTX during aqueous chlorination was investigated in laboratory batch experiments,and the transformation products of MTX were identified. Aqueous solutions of MTX(1 mg/L)were chlorinated by sodium hypochlorite solution at room temperature under neutral p H conditions. Chlorinated products were pre-concentrated with solid-phase extraction(SPE)cartridges and determined by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry(LC–ESI–MS/MS). The reaction of MTX chlorination exhibited pseudo-first-order kinetics and the half-life time of MTX degradation was calculated to be 1.65 min,when the initial chlorine concentration was 2 mg/L. Two chlorinated MTX congeners,4-amino-3-chlorinated-N10-methylpteroylglutamic(monochloro-MTX)and 4-amino-3,5-dichloro-N10-methylpteroylglutamic(dichloro-MTX)were found in the chlorinated solution. Monochloro-MTX was successfully fractionated by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)and its structure was further identified using ~1H nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)analysis. The presence of the two products in real hospital wastewater was then examined and both compounds were detected. Finally,the effects of MTX and monochloro-MTX on the cell cycle progression in vitro were evaluated using zebrafish liver cell line. It was found that both compounds could inhibit the proliferation of zebrafish liver cells through S phase arrest and their effects on the cell cycle profile had no significant difference.     

Acute toxicity variation of hydroxyl benzophenone UV filters during photoinduction–chlorination disinfection processes

Benzophenones(BPs), a group of widely used UV filters, exert multiple, significant toxicity effects. The 11 BPs were selected as target compounds, and the photobacterium acute toxicity test and an index for acute toxicity formation potential(ATFP) were used to evaluate the toxicity variation of BPs before and after a photoinduction–chlorination disinfection process.Orthogonal experiments were performed at different pH values and chlorine dosages. The characteristics of ATFP values for 11 BPs after a photoinduction–chlorination process can be summarized as follows:(1) The ATFPs decreased as the hydroxyl group number increased in BPs molecules.(2) For those BPs with the same hydroxyl group number, the ATFPs were higher when the hydroxyl groups were located at the 3-or 4-position than those at the 2-position; the BPs with hydroxyl groups distributed on two benzene rings had higher ATFPs than those on one ring.(3) Introducing a methoxyl group and sulfonic acid group into BP molecules increased the ATFP values.(4) The ATFPs were p H-dependent, the values of which were lowest at the neutral condition and highest at the acid condition.(5) The ATFPs increased and then decreased as the chlorine dosage increased. The results can be used as a reference to scientifically evaluate the environmental fate and potential risk of BPs in photoinduction–chlorination disinfection processes.     

Modeling of residual chlorine in water distribution system

Water quality within water distribution system may vary with both location and time.Water quality models are used to predict the spatial and temporal variation of water quality throughout water system.A model of residual chlorine decay in water pipe has been developed, given the consumption of chlorine in reactions with chemicals in bulk water,bio-films on pipe wall, in corrosion process, and the mass transport of chlorine from bulk water to pipe wall.Analytical methods of the flow path from water sources to the observed point and the water age of every observed node were proposed .Model is used to predict the decay of residual chlorine in an actual distribution system.Good agreement between calculated and measured values was obtained.     

DBP formation from degradation of DEET and ibuprofen by UV/chlorine process and subsequent post-chlorination

The formation of disinfection by-products(DBPs) from the degradation of N,N-diethyl-3-methyl benzoyl amide(DEET) and ibuprofen(IBP) by the ultraviolet irradiation(UV)/chlorine process and subsequent post-chlorination was investigated and compared with the UV/H_2O_2 process.The pseudo first-order rate constants of the degradation of DEET and IBP by the UV/chlorine process were 2 and 3.1 times higher than those by the UV/H_2O_2 process, respectively, under the tested conditions. This was due to the significant contributions of both reactive chlorine species U(RCS) and hydroxyl radicals(HO) in the UV/chlorine process. Trichloromethane, 1,1,1-trichloro-2-propanone and dichloroacetic acid were the major known DBPs formed after 90% of both DEET and IBP that were degraded by the UV/chlorine process. Their yields increased by over 50%after subsequent 1-day post-chlorination. The detected DBPs after the degradation of DEET and IBP comprised 13.5% and 19.8% of total organic chlorine(TOCl), respectively, and the proportions increased to 19.8% and 33.9% after subsequent chlorination, respectively. In comparison to the UV/H_2O_2 process accompanied with post-chlorination, the formation of DBPs and TOCl in the UV/chlorine process together with post-chlorination was 5%–63% higher,Ulikely due to the generation of more DBP precursors from the attack of RCS, in addition to HO.     

Bromate ion formation in dark chlorination and ultraviolet/chlorination processes for bromide-containing water

Bormate （BrO3^-） is a carcinogenic chemical produced in ozonation or chlorination of bromide-containing water. Although its formation in seawater with or without sunlight has been previously investigated, the formation of bromate in dilute solutions, particularly raw water for water treatment plant, is unknown. In this article, the results of bench scale tests to measure the formation rates of bromate formation in dilute solutions, including de-ionized water and raw water from Yangtze River, were presented in dark chlorination and ultraviolet （UV）/chlorination processes. And the effects of initial pH, initial concentration of NaOCl, and UV light intensity on bromate formation in UV/chlorination of the diluted solutions were investigated. Detectable bromate was formed in dark chlorination of the two water samples with a relatively slow production rate. Under routine disinfecting conditions, the amount of formed bromate is not likely to exceed the national standards （10 μg/L）. UV irradiation enhanced the decay of free chlorine, and, simultaneously, 6.6%-32% of Br^- was oxidized to BrO3^-. And the formation of bromate exhibited three stages： rapid stage, slow stage and plateau. Under the experimental conditions （pH = 4.41-11.07, CCl2= 1.23-4.50 mg/L）, low pH and high chlorine concentration favored the generation of bromate. High light intensity promoted the production rate of bromate, but decreased its total generation amount due to acceleration of chlorine decomposition.     

Dosing low-level ferrous iron in coagulation enhances the removal of micropollutants, chlorite and chlorate during advanced water treatment

Drinking water utilities are interested in upgrading their treatment facilities to enhance micropollutant removal and byproduct control. Pre-oxidation by chlorine dioxide (ClO₂) followed by coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) is one of the promising solutions. However, the chlorite (ClO₂^–) formed from the ClO₂ pre-oxidation stage cannot be removed by the conventional coagulation process using aluminum sulfate. ClO₂^– negatively affects the post-UV/chlorine process due to its strong radical scavenging effect, and it also enhances the formation of chlorate (ClO₃^–). In this study, dosing micromolar-level ferrous iron (Fe(II)) into aluminum-based coagulants was proposed to eliminate the ClO₂^– generated from ClO₂ pre-oxidation and benefit the post-UV/chlorine process in radical production and ClO₃^– reduction. Results showed that the addition of 52.1-µmol/L FeSO₄ effectively eliminated the ClO₂^– generated from the pre-oxidation using 1.0 mg/L (14.8 µmol/L) of ClO₂. Reduction of ClO₂^– increased the degradation rate constant of a model micropollutant (carbamazepine) by 55.0% in the post-UV/chlorine process. The enhanced degradation was verified to be attributed to the increased steady-state concentrations of HO^· and ClO^· by Fe(II) addition. Moreover, Fe(II) addition also decreased the ClO₃^– formation by 53.8% in the UV/chlorine process and its impact on the formation of chloro-organic byproducts was rather minor. The findings demonstrated a promising strategy to improve the drinking water quality and safety by adding low-level Fe(II) in coagulation in an advanced drinking water treatment train.     

Full-scale study of removal effect on Cyclops of zooplankton with chlorine dioxide

Cyclops of zooplankton propagated excessively in eutrophic water body and could not be effectively inactivated by the conventional disinfections process like chlorination due to its stronger resistance to oxidation. In this paper, a full-scale study of chlorine dioxide preoxidation cooperating with routine clarification process for Cyclops removal was conducted in a waterworks. The experimental results were compared with that of the existing prechlorination process in several aspects: including the Cyclops removal efficiencies of water samples taken from the outlets of sedimentation tank and sand filter and the security of drinking water and so on. The results showed that chlorine dioxide might be more effective to inactivate Cyclops than chlorine and Cyclops could be thoroughly removed from water by pre-dosing chlorine dioxide process. The GC-MS examination and Ames test further showed that the sort and amount of organic substance in the treated water by chlorine dioxide preoxidation were evidently less than that of prechlorination and the mutagenicity of drinking water treated by pre-dosing chlorine dioxide was substantially reduced compared with prechlorination.     

Inactivation, reactivation and regrowth of indigenous bacteria in reclaimed water after chlorine disinfection of a municipal wastewater treatment plant

Disinfection of reclaimed water prior to reuse is important to prevent the transmission of pathogens. Chlorine is a widely utilized disinfectant and as such is a leading contender for disinfection of reclaimed water. To understand the risks of chlorination resulting from the potential selection of pathogenic bacteria, the inactivation, reactivation and regrowth rates of indigenous bacteria were investigated in reclaimed water after chlorine disinfection. Inactivation of total coliforms, Enterococcus and Salmonella showed linear correlations, with constants of 0.1384, 0.1624 and 0.057 L/(mg·min) and R² of 0.7617, 0.8316 and 0.845, respectively. However, inactivation of total viable cells by measurement of metabolic activity typically showed a linear correlation at lower chlorine dose (0-22 (mg·min)/L), and a trailing region with chlorine dose increasing from 22 to 69 (mg·min)/L. Reactivation and regrowth of bacteria were most likely to occur after exposure to lower chlorine doses, and extents of reactivation decreased gradually with increasing chlorine dose. In contrast to total coliforms and Enterococcus, Salmonella had a high level of regrowth and reactivation, and still had 2% regrowth even after chlorination of 69 (mg·min)/L and 24 hr storage. The bacterial compositions were also significantly altered by chlorination and storage of reclaimed water, and the ratio of Salmonella was significantly increased from 0.001% to 0.045% after chlorination of 69 (mg·min)/L and 24 hr storage. These trends indicated that chlorination contributes to the selection of chlorine-resistant pathogenic bacteria, and regrowth of pathogenic bacteria after chlorination in reclaimed water with a long retention time could threaten public health security during wastewater reuse.     

Effects of ultrasonication on the DBP formation and toxicity during chlorination of saline wastewater effluents

Chlorine disinfection of saline wastewater effluents rich in bromide and iodide forms relatively toxic brominated and iodinated disinfection byproducts (DBPs). Ultrasonication is a relatively new water treatment technology, and it is less sensitive to suspended solids in wastewaters. In this study, we examined the effects of ultrasonication (in terms of reactor type and combination mode with chlorination) on the DBP formation and toxicity in chlorinated primary and secondary saline wastewater effluents. Compared with the chlorinated wastewater effluent samples without ultrasonication, ultrasonic horn pretreatment of the wastewater effluent samples reduced the total organic halogen (TOX) levels in chlorination by ∼30%, but ultrasonic bath pretreatment of the wastewater samples did not significantly change the TOX levels in chlorination, which might be attributed to the higher energy utilization and decomposition extent of organic DBP precursors in the ultrasonic horn reactor. Moreover, the TOX levels in the chlorinated samples with ultrasonic horn pretreatment (USH–chlorination), simultaneous treatment (chlorination+USH) and subsequent treatment (chlorination–USH) were also significantly reduced, with the maximum TOX reductions occurring in the samples with ultrasonic horn pretreatment. A toxicity index was calculated by weighting and summing the levels of total organic chlorine, total organic bromine and total organic iodine in each treated sample. The calculated toxicity index values of the chlorinated wastewater effluent samples followed a descending rank order of “chlorination” > “chlorination+USH” > “chlorination–USH” > “USH–chlorination”, with the lowest toxicity occurring in the samples with ultrasonic horn pretreatment. Then, a developmental toxicity bioassay was conducted for each treated sample. The measured toxicity index values of the chlorinated wastewater samples followed the same descending rank order.     

The effects of hydrogen peroxide pre-oxidation on ultrafiltration membrane biofouling alleviation in drinking water treatment

Pre-oxidation is widely used to reduce ultrafiltration membrane fouling.However,the variation in the composition of microbial communities and extracellular polymeric substances(EPSs) accompanying pre-oxidation in drinking water treatment has received little attention.In this study,hydrogen peroxide(H_2O_2) was used in a coagulationultrafiltration process with Al_2(SO_4)_3·18H_2O.A long-term reactor experiment(60 d) showed that pre-oxidation alleviated membrane fouling,mainly due to its inhibition of microbial growth,as observed by flow cytometry measurements of the membrane tank water.Further analysis of the formed cake layer demonstrated that the corresponding levels of EPS released from the microbes were lower with than without H_2O_2 treatment.In comparison to polysaccharides,proteins dominated the EPS.2 D-electrophoresis showed little difference(p 0.05,Student's t-test) in the composition of proteins in the cake layer between the treatments with and without H_2O_2.The molecular weights of proteins ranged from approximately 30–50 kDa and the majority of isoelectric points ranged from 6 to 8.Highthroughput sequencing showed that the predominant bacteria were Proteobacteria,Bacteroidetes,and Verrucomicrobia in both cake layers.However,the relative abundance of Planctomycetes was higher in the cake layer with H_2O_2 pre-oxidation,which was likely probably due to the strong oxidative resistance of its cell wall.Overall,our findings clarify the fundamental molecular mechanism in H_2O_2 pre-oxidation for ultrafiltration membrane bio-fouling alleviation in drinking water treatment.     

Application of ferrate（VI） in the treatment of industrial wastes containing metal-complexed cyanides ： A green treatment

Ferrate(VI) was employed for the oxidation of cyanide (CN) and simultaneous removal of copper or nickel in the mixed/complexed systems of CN-Cu, CN-Ni, or CN-Cu-Ni. The degradation of CN (1.00 mmol/L) and removal of Cu (0.095 mmol/L) were investigated as a function of Fe(VI) doses from 0.3–2.00 mmol/L at pH 10.0. It was found that Fe(VI) could readily oxidize CN and the reduction of Fe(VI) into Fe(III) might serve e ciently for the removal of free copper ions. The increase in Fe(VI) dose apparently favoured the CN oxidation as well as Cu removal. Moreover, the pH dependence study (pH 10.0–13.0) revealed that the oxidation of CN was almost una ected in the studied pH range (10.0–13.0), however, the maximum removal e ciency of Cu was obtained at pH 13.0. Similarly, treatment was carried out for CN-Ni system having the initial Ni concentration of 0.170 mmol/L and CN concentration of 1.00 mmol with Fe(VI) dose 2.00 mmol at various pH values (10.0–12.0). Results showed a partial oxidation of CN and partial removal of Ni. It can be observed that Fe(VI) can partially degrade the CN-Ni complex in this pH range. Further, Fe(VI) was applied for the treatment of simulated industrial waste/e uent waters treatment containing CN, Cu, and Ni.     

Kinetics of Solvent Blue and Reactive Yellow removal using microwave radiation in combination with nanoscale zero-valent iron

We investigated the efficiency and kinetics of the degradation of soluble dyes over the p H range 5.0–9.0 using a method employing microwave radiation in combination with nanoscale zero-valent iron(MW–n ZVI). The n ZVI particles(40–70 nm in diameter) were prepared by a liquid-phase chemical reduction method employing starch as a dispersant.Compared to the removal of Solvent Blue 36 and Reactive Yellow K-RN using only n ZVI,more rapid and efficient dye removal and total organic carbon removal were achieved using MW–n ZVI. The dye removal efficiency increased significantly with decreasing p H, but was negligibly affected by variation in the microwave power. The kinetics of dye removal by MW–n ZVI followed both an empirical equation and the pseudo first-order model, while the kinetics of dye removal using n ZVI could only be described by an empirical equation. It was also concluded that microwave heating of the dye solutions as well as acceleration of corrosion of n ZVI and consumption of Fe(II) were possible reasons behind the enhanced dye degradation.     

Heterogeneous Fenton degradation of azo dyes catalyzed by modified polyacrylonitrile fiber Fe complexes：QSPR (quantitative structure peorperty relationship) study

The amidoximated polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fiber Fe complexes were prepared and used as the heterogeneous Fenton catalysts for the degradation of 28 anionic water soluble azo dyes in water under visible irradiation. The multiple linear regression (MLR) method was employed to develop the quantitative structure property relationship (QSPR) model equations for the decoloration and mineralization of azo dyes. Moreover, the predictive ability of the QSPR model equations was assessed using Leave-one-out (LOO) and cross-validation (CV) methods. Additionally, the effect of Fe content of catalyst and the sodium chloride in water on QSPR model equations were also investigated. The results indicated that the heterogeneous photo-Fenton degradation of the azo dyes with different structures was conducted in the presence of the amidoximated PAN fiber Fe complex. The QSPR model equations for the dye decoloration and mineralization were successfully developed using MLR technique. MW/S (molecular weight divided by the number of sulphonate groups) and NN=N (the number of azo linkage) are considered as the most important determining factor for the dye degradation and mineralization, and there is a significant negative correlation betweenMW/S or NN=N and degradation percentage or total organic carbon (TOC) removal. Moreover, LOO and CV analysis suggested that the obtained QSPR model equations have the better prediction ability. The variation in Fe content of catalyst and the addition of sodium chloride did not alter the nature of the QSPR model equations.     

Iron–doped bismuth oxybromides as visible-light-responsive Fenton catalysts for the degradation of atrazine in aqueous phases

Pesticides and its degradation products, being well–known residues in soil, have recently been detected in many water bodies as pollutants of emerging concerns, and thus there is a contemporary demand to develop viable and cost–effective techniques for the removal of related organic pollutants in aqueous phases. Herein, a visible-light-responsive Fenton system was constructed with iron–doped bismuth oxybromides(Fe–BiOBr) as the catalysts.Taking the advantage of sustainable Fe(Ⅲ)/Fe(Ⅱ) conversion...     

Body fluid analog chlorination: Application to the determination of disinfection byproduct formation kinetics in swimming pool water

Disinfection by-products(DBPs) are formed in swimming pools by the reactions of bather inputs with the disinfectant.Although a wide range of molecules has been identified within DBPs,only few kinetic rates have been reported.This study investigates the kinetics of chlorine consumption,chloroform formation and dichloroacetonitrile formation caused by human releases.Since the flux and main components of human inputs have been determined and formalized through Body Fluid Analogs(BFAs),it is possible to model the DBPs formation kinetics by studying a limited number of precursor molecules.For each parameter the individual contributions of BFA components have been quantified and kinetic rates have been determined,based on reaction mechanisms proposed in the literature.With a molar consumption of 4 mol Cl_2/mol,urea is confirmed as the major chlorine consumer in the BFA because of its high concentration in human releases.The higher reactivity of ammonia is however highlighted.Citric acid is responsible for most of the chloroform produced during BFA chlorination.Chloroform formation is relatively slow with a limiting rate constant determined at 5.50 × 10~(-3) L/mol/sec.L-histidine is the only precursor for dichloroacetonitrile in the BFA.This DBP is rapidly formed and its degradation by hydrolysis and by reaction with hypochlorite shortens its lifetime in the basin.Reaction rates of dichloroacetonitrile formation by L-histidine chlorination have been established based on the latest chlorination mechanisms proposed.Moreover,this study shows that the reactivity toward chlorine differs whether L-histidine is isolated or mixed with BFA components.     

Evaluation of the infectivity, gene and antigenicity persistence of rotaviruses by free chlorine disinfection

The effects of free chlorine disinfection of tap water and wastewater effluents on the infectivity, gene integrity and surface antigens of rotaviruses were evaluated by a bench-scale chlorine disinfection experiments. Plaque assays, integrated cell culture-quantitative RT-PCR (ICC-RT-qPCR), RT-qPCR, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), respectively, were used to assess the influence of the disinfectant on virus infectivity as well as genetic and antigenic integrity of simian rotavirus SA11 as a surrogate for human rotaviruses. The ICC-RT-qPCR was able to detect rotaviruses survival from chlorine disinfection at chlorine dose up to 20 mg/L (60 min contact), which suggested a required chlorine dose of 5 folds (from 1 to 5 mg/L) higher than that indicated by the plaque assay to achieve 1.8 log₁₀ reductions in tap water with 60 min exposing. The VP7 gene was more resistant than the infectivity and existed at chlorine dose up to 20 mg/L (60 min contact), while the antigencity was undetectable with chlorine dose more than 5 mg/L (60 min contact). The water quality also impacted the inactivation efficiencies, and rotaviruses have a relatively higher resistant in secondary effluents than in the tap water under the same chlorine disinfection treatments. This study indicated that rotaviruses have a higher infectivity, gene and antigencity resistance to chlorine than that previously indicated by plaque assay only, which seemed to underestimate the resistance of rotaviruses to chlorine and the risk of rotaviruses in environments. Present results also suggested that re-evaluation of resistance of other waterborne viruses after disinfections by more sensitive infectivity detection method (such as ICC-RT-qPCR) may be necessary, to determine the adequate disinfectant doses required for the inactivation of waterborne viruses.     

Electrochemical inactivation of cyanobacteria and microcystin degradation using a boron-doped diamond anode——A potential tool for cyanobacterial bloom control

Cyanobacterial blooms are global phenomena that can occur in calm and nutrient-rich(eutrophic) fresh and marine waters. Human exposure to cyanobacteria and their biologically active products is possible during water sports and various water activities, or by ingestion of contaminated water. Although the vast majority of harmful cyanobacterial products are confined to the interior of the cells, these are eventually released into the surrounding water following natural or artificially induced cell death. Electrochemical oxidation has been used here to damage cyanobacteria to halt their proliferation, and for microcystin degradation under in-vitro conditions. Partially spent Jaworski growth medium with no addition of supporting electrolytes was used. Electrochemical treatment resulted in the cyanobacterial loss of cell-buoyancy regulation, cell proliferation arrest, and eventual cell death. Microcystin degradation was studied separately in two basic modes of treatment: batch-wise flow, and constant flow, for electrolytic-cell exposure. Batch-wise exposure simulates treatment under environmental conditions, while constant flow is more appropriate for the study of boron-doped diamond electrode efficacy under laboratory conditions. The effectiveness of microcystin degradation was established using high-performance liquid chromatography–photodiode array detector analysis, while the biological activities of the products were estimated using a colorimetric protein phosphatase-1 inhibition assay. The results indicate potential for the application of electro-oxidation methods for the control of bloom events by taking advantage of specific intrinsic ecological characteristics of bloom-forming cyanobacteria. The applicability of the use of boron-doped diamond electrodes in remediation of water exposed to cyanobacteria bloom events is discussed.