Environmental and Economic Evaluation of Wastewater and Water Disinfection Technologies

This paper describes some of the common use of disinfectants and disinfection practices, along with most modern and emerging technologies that are proving to be more efficient in disinfecting varieties of microorganisms present in wastewater and drinking water. In rural areas of developing nations waterborne disease such as typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, and gastroenteritis, infect and kill many infants and children each day, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). With increasing emphasis on promoting a sustainable water ecological future and concern over introducing a toxic chemical in the water, the design of the disinfection process is increasingly leaning toward technologies that destroy the pathogens while balancing the effect of this disinfected wastewater on the population of aquatic biota or a drinking water supply.  Disinfection is the most important water treatment process for preventing the spread of infectious diseases.  For the past several decades, chlorine has been the disinfectant of choice.   The  discovery  and  subsequent regulation of some chemical by-products of chlorine (e.g., trihalomethanes) has increased the popularity of other disinfectants such as ozone, hydrogen peroxide, UV radiation, sonication, etc.  In this presentation, UV radiation will be used as the primary disinfection method, and will be tested in conjunction with chlorine , chlorine dioxide, sodium hypochlorite Fenton reagent and O₃ to enhance the germicidal effectiveness of protozoa, cryptosporidium parvum, giardia duodenalis cysts, and other microorganisms. The effectiveness of removing pathogens, odorous compounds/color and the environmental and economic impacts of wastewater and drinking water disinfection technologies will be assessed.