Abstract
The availability of clean water is a major problem facing the world. In particular, the cost and destruction caused by viruses in water remains an unresolved challenge and poses a major limitation on the use of recycled water. Here, we develop an environmentally friendly technology for sterilising water. The technology bubbles heated un-pressurised carbon dioxide or exhaust gases through wastewater in a bubble column, effectively destroying both bacteria and viruses. The process is extremely cost effective, with no concerning by-products, and has already been successfully scaled-up industrially.
Highlights
Wastewater usually contains human enteric viruses like hepatitis and rotavirus and bacteria like Escherichia coli
Chlorine and chlorine dioxide react with organic compounds and form reactive chlorinated organic compounds that are hazardous to humans
Rotavirus can be resistant to UV treatments and its efficiency is affected by the dissolved organic and inorganics in the wastewater, as well as its colour and turbidity.[2]
Summary
Wastewater usually contains human enteric viruses like hepatitis and rotavirus and bacteria like Escherichia coli If this water is to be reused it has to be disinfected. Collivignarelli et al.[1] found that ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and chemical treatments using chlorine, chlorine dioxide, peracetic acid or ozone were the most used technologies for wastewater disinfection. We report on one such candidate technology for sterilisation that seems to do the job It uses atmospheric pressure bubbles of CO2 in a new device (ABCD). If this process successfully inactivates MS2 virus (ATCC15597-B1) and E. coli C-3000 (ATCC15597), that are surrogates for enteric pathogens, this technology will be able to inactivate real waterborne viruses and bacteria for water reuse without the need for (high energy) boiling. The process has been patented by the University of New South Wales as Australian Patent Application No 2017904797
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