Investigating the microbial inactivation efficiency of a 25 L batch solar disinfection (SODIS) reactor enhanced with a compound parabolic collector (CPC) for household use

Eunice Ubomba-Jaswa, P Fernandez Ibanez, Christian Navntoft, M. Inmaculada Polo-López, Kevin G. McGuigan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

73 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A simple point-of-use solar disinfection (SODIS) reactor was designed to treat 25 L of water and was constructed from a methacrylate tube placed along the linear focus of a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) and mounted at 37◦ inclination. Experiments were carried out over a 7 month period by seeding a 106 CFU mL−1 concentration of Escherichia coli K-12 in 25 L of well water or turbid water to mimic field conditions and determine the microbial effectiveness of the reactor.RESULTS: During periods of strong sunlight, complete inactivation of bacteria occurred in under 6 h, even with water temperatures 50 ◦ C. No regrowth of bacteria occurred within 24 h and 48 h following solar disinfection. The construction cost of this prototype reactor was approximately US$200 but with an expected lifetime of 10 years, the running cost of the reactor is expected to be US$0.002 L−1.CONCLUSION: This study confirms that significant water disinfection can be achieved using a low cost CPC-enhanced 25 L batch SODIS reactor.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1028-1037
JournalJournal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology
Volume85
Issue number8
Early online date26 Apr 2010
DOIs
Publication statusPublished online - 26 Apr 2010

Keywords

  • solar disinfection (SODIS)
  • household water treatment
  • Escherichia coli
  • compound parabolic concentrator (CPC)
  • enhanced batch reactor (EBR)

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