Peracetic Acid Disinfection of Secondary Effluents Discharged off Coastal Seawater

Abstract

Peracetic acid (PAA), a well known powerful antimicrobial agent in hospitals and in agribusiness (Fraser, 1986), has recently been used to disinfect urban effluents. It appears to be highly competitive against chlorine (Audic, 1990; Baldry, French, Slater and Desprez, 1990; Giodani, Iacoponi, Polidori, 1989), the most widely used disinfectant for sewage disposal. As PAA is a new biocide, not much quantitative data is available on its action against the faecal indicator bacteria and viruses. An on-site experimental study investigated the disinfectant action of PAA against these indicator bacteria and viruses as well as against Salmonella and enterovirus. To complete this study we will test its action on suspended solids to find out whether there is regrowth of the microorganisms after treatment. Multi-factor analysis in terms of criteria like inactivation efficiency, safety environmental impact, and cost will be used to compare PAA to chlorination and ozonation, the most commonly used techniques.

Genotoxicity of surface water treated with different disinfectants using in situ plant tests

“…The results show that PAA produced similar or even lower water genotoxic effects in comparison with the other disinfectants. This biocide, considered a good disinfectant for wastewater disinfection [Baldry et al, 1991[Baldry et al, , 1995Lefevre et al, 1992], showed lower bactericidal properties than those found for NaClO and ClO 2 in previous experiments carried out at a drinking water pilot plant [Monarca et al, 2002a]. Therefore, additional experiments with higher doses should be carried out to better evaluate the applicability of PAA for drinking water disinfection.…”

“…For this reason it is very important to test alternative disinfectants to chlorine in order to reduce these potential health risks. Among the new disinfectants, peracetic acid (CH 3 -CO-OOH, PAA) deserves to be studied for its application in drinking water disinfection, since it is a potent antimicrobial agent and has many applications in hospitals, laboratories, and factories [Baldry et al, 1991[Baldry et al, , 1995Lefevre et al, 1992]. More recently, PAA has been found to be an effective biocidal compound for wastewater disinfection, and previous research showed that disinfection of lake and river drinking water with PAA gave rise to a very low level of genotoxicity and produced only carboxylic acids [Monarca et al, 2002a], which are not recognized as mutagenic.…”

Perturbation of cytochrome P450, generation of oxidative stress and induction of DNA damage in Cyprinus carpio exposed in situ to potable surface water

“…One of the currently proposed alternative disinfectants that has received particular attention over the past few years is peracetic acid (CH 3 COO 2 H; PAA). This chemical is a potent antimicrobial agent with many applications in hospitals, laboratories and factories [21][22][23]. Disinfection of drinking water from lakes and rivers with PAA results in the production of carboxylic acids, which are known to be essentially non-mutagenic, with a very low level of genotoxicity in bacterial test systems [24,25].…”

Overview of the Main Disinfection Processes for Wastewater and Drinking Water Treatment Plants

“…The disinfecting action of PAA is due to the release of active oxygen or the production of reactive hydroxyl radicals that attack the bacterial cell causing cell wall and membrane destruction as well as certain enzymes and DNA [22][23][24].…”