Abstract
This study examined a novel reactive electrochemical membrane (REM) system with activated carbon fiber cloth (ACFC) serving simultaneously as the anode and the membrane to effectively disinfect water that was filtered through the device. An Escherichia coli strain was inoculated to water as a model pathogen. The influence of REM operation parameters, including the number of ACFC layers, voltage, flow rate and operation time, was evaluated. Up to 7.5 log unit reduction of E. coli concentration in water was achieved at the optimal treatment condition, while the energy consumption was 1.5 kWh/m3 per log unit reduction of E. coli. This makes it possible to use this ACFC-based REM technology for point-of-use water disinfection to provide clean water for underdeveloped regions. Further tests by free radical probing, Linear Scan Voltammetry (LSV) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) suggest that the disinfection involved the filtration/retention of bacteria on ACFC and attack by reactive oxygen species generated electrochemically on the anode.
Highlights
Recent data released by the World Health Organization show that close to one-third of the world population still lacks access to safely managed water in 2015 [1]
As the human population continues to grow, the availability of safe, clean water will become increasingly stringent, and new water disinfection technologies that are suitable for use in the developing and rural regions are in urgent demand [4,5]
The experiment was conducted by passing a solution inoculated with E. coli (ATCC 15597 obtained from American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, Virginia) through an reactive electrochemical membrane (REM) device with multiple layers of activated carbon fiber cloth (ACFC) as the anode to which voltage was applied
Summary
Recent data released by the World Health Organization show that close to one-third of the world population still lacks access to safely managed water in 2015 [1]. Methods available for disinfection in distributed point-of-use applications are limited. Chemical disinfection methods involve strong oxidative agents like ozone, chlorine, sodium hypochlorite, or chlorine dioxide that are hazardous to ship and handle, making them not feasible for distributed point-of-use applications at rural places, even those in developed countries [5]. Water 2019, 11, 430 associated with the concern of forming undesired disinfection by-products (DBPs) in treated water that might be carcinogenic [9,10,11] Regardless, these methods cannot be used in many regions of the world because of the lack of appropriate infrastructure [12]. The current work was conducted to verify and explore the effectiveness of ACFC as the membrane in REM treatment to disinfect pathogens in water using non-pathogenic E. coli as a model bacterium
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