Toxicity of dodecylpyridinium and cetylpyridinium clorides against phosphate-accumulating bacterium

Abstract

Abstract The antibacterial effect of cationic surfactants against the pure culture of phosphate (P)-accumulating bacterium Acinetobacter junii was investigated. The estimated EC50 values of the N-dodecylpyridinium chloride (DPC) for growth inhibition was 1.4±0.5 × 10−6 mol L−1 and for the inhibition of the P-uptake rates 7.3±2.6 × 10−5 mol L−1. The estimated EC50 values of the N-cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) for growth inhibition was 4.9±1.3 × 10−7 mol L−1 and for the inhibition of the P-uptake rates 7.7±2.9 × 10−6 mol L−1. This suggests the importance of controlling the amounts of cationic surfactants in influent of the wastewater treatment systems in order to avoid the possible failure of the biological P removal from wastewaters.