Disinfection

Objectives
 To introduce the main disinfectants used.

 To identify the factors that affect disinfection.

 To introduce breakpoint chlorination curves.

Outcomes
 To know how to distinguish the strong disinfectant.

 To know how to use the breakpoint chlorination curve to determine

chlorine demand and applied chlorine dose.
Purpose: To inactivate pathogens.

Common Methods

Free chlorine

Ozone

UV radiation
Video 9: UV disinfection
Advantages and disadvantages of disinfectants
Disadvantages Advantages Disinfectant

Formation of trihalomethanes Strong, cheap, Free chlorine

(THMs) residual

Very weak No THMs Chloramines

Expensive, Chlorate/Chlorite Very strong Chlorine dioxide

formation

Cost, no residual Very strong Ozone

Expensive, no residual Strong UV radiation

Factors Affecting Microorganism Inactivation
 Type of disinfectant

 Concentration (C): Higher inactivation is reached with higher C

 Contact time (t): Longer contact time results in higher inactivation

 Temperature: For each 10 oC increase in temperature, the inactivation

rate doubles

 pH: Increasing pH generally increases the required disinfectant

concentration or time that is needed to achieve the same inactivation

 Turbidity: Increasing turbidity reduces the inactivation rate

Units of Inactivation
Inactivation is usually expressed in terms of log units.
log inactivation is determined from the inactivation efficiency as:
Log inactivation = - log (1-inactivation efficiency)

Example 10,000 coli/100ml 10 coli/100ml

Disinfection
The concentration of coliform is reduced from 10,000 unit
to 10 coli/100 ml in a disinfection unit. Express the
level of inactivation in terms of log units.

Solution
Inactivation efficiency= (10,000-10)/10,000= 0.999
Log inactivation = - log (1-0.999) = 3
99.9% inactivation = 3-log inactivation
99% inactivation = 2-log inactivation
90% inactivation = 1-log inactivation
C.t product
Each disinfectant has distinctive characteristics that results in different C.t
values for the same microorganism and same conditions

C.t (mg.min/l) values for 1.0-log (90%) inactivation of Giardia lamblia cysts.
Water Temperature pH Disinfectant
20 oC 15 oC 10 oC 5 oC 0.5 oC
13 18 26 35 49 6 Free chlorine (based
18 25 37 50 70 7 on residual of 1 mg/l)
27 36 54 72 101 8
370 500 620 740 1300 6-9 Performed chloramine
5.0 6.3 7.7 8.7 21 6-9 Chlorine dioxide
0.24 0.32 0.48 0.63 0.97 6-9 Ozone

From the table, which disinfectant is Answer: Ozone, since it has the lowest C.t
the strongest? at a given temperature

What is C.t for free chlorine at pH 6 Answer: 6.5 mg.min/L, since for every 10
and 30 oC? o
C increase, C.t reduces by one-half
Example

To inactivate 99% of Giardia Lamblia cysts a free chlorine dose of 3.6

mg/l is needed for 10 minutes. What will be the time to reach the same
inactivation rate with a chlorine concentration of 2 mg/l?

Solution
Since the inactivation rate is the same, then C.t will be constant

Thus, C1.t1 = C2.t2

So, (3.6 mg/L) (10 min) = (2 mg/L) . (t2)

So, t2= 18 min

 Chlorination
Hypochlorous acid

Cl2(g)+H2O HOCl +H+ +Cl-

pH < 7
HOCl H+ +OCl-
pH > 8

HOCl OCl
Conc.

7.0 8.0 pH

HOCl and OCl- are called free available chlorine. OCl- is

weaker than HOCl.
Presence of ammonia (NH3) in water consumes chlorine and
forms chloramines

Cl2(g)+NH3 NH2Cl, NHCl2, or NCl3 (Chloramines)

Chloramines are called combined available chlorine and are

weaker than free available chlorine.

Increasing the chlorine dose results eventually in the oxidation

:of ammonia or chloramines as

3Cl2(g)+ 2NH3 N2(g) + 6HCl

 Breakpoint chlorination curve
• A breakpoint chlorination curve is a relationship between residual
chlorine and applied chlorine dose
• It is used by plant operators to find the chlorine dose needed to
maintain a certain chlorine residual.
No NH3
NH3
Slope = 1
Residual
chlorine With NH3
(mg/L)
Chlorine
demand Slope = 1

Combined Free available

available chlorine chlorine
Applied chlorine
Breakpoint chlorination dose (mg/L)
Example Chlorine dosage Residual chlorine
(mg/l) (mg/l)
Results of a chlorine demand test on a raw water 0 0
are shown in the table. 0.2 0.16
0.4 0.32
0.6 0.42
a. Sketch a chlorine demand curve. 0.8 0.52
b. What is the breakpoint chlorine dose? 1 0.36
c. What is the chlorine demand at a dose of 0.8 mg/l? 1.2 0.15
d. What chlorine dose is necessary to provide free 1.4 0.35
available residual chlorine of 0.4 mg/l? 1.6 0.55

Solution
a. The chlorine demand curve is drawn in blue.
Demand
b. Breakpoint chlorine dose = 1.2 mg/L

c. Demand = 0.8-0.52= 0.28 mg/l

d. Chlorine dose for a free available residual Breakpoint

of 0.4 mg/l = 1.43 mg/l
Conclusion
 The main water disinfectants are chlorine, chlorine dioxide, ozone and
UV light.

 Several factors affect disinfection.

 The applied chlorine dose is determined based on a constructed

breakpoint chlorination curve.