Evaluation of the Solar Water Disinfection Process (SODIS) Against Cryptosporidium parvum Using a 25-L Static Solar Reactor Fitted with a Compound Parabolic Collector (CPC)

Water samples of 0, 5, and 30 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) spiked with Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts were exposed to natural sunlight using a 25-L static solar reactor fitted with a compound parabolic collector (CPC). The global oocyst viability was calculated by the evaluation of the inclusion/exclusion of the fluorogenic vital dye propidium iodide and the spontaneous excystation. After an exposure time of 8 hours, the global oocyst viabilities were 21.8 ` 3.1%, 31.3 ` 12.9%, and 45.0 ` 10.0% for turbidity levels of 0, 5, and 30 NTU, respectively, and these values were significantly lower (P <0.05) that the initial global viability of the isolate (92.1 ` 0.9%). The 25-L static solar reactor that was evaluated can be an alternative system to the conventional solar water disinfection process for improving the micro-biological quality of drinking water on a household level, (> 10 times).