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Using Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO 1 to evaluate hydrogen peroxide as a biofouling control agent in membrane treatment systems
Author(s) -
Yang Y.,
Kitajima M.,
Pham T.P.T.,
Yu L.,
Ling R.,
Gin K.Y.H.,
Reinhard M.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
letters in applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.698
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1472-765X
pISSN - 0266-8254
DOI - 10.1111/lam.12674
Subject(s) - biofouling , biofilm , hydrogen peroxide , pseudomonas aeruginosa , bicarbonate , disinfectant , chemistry , membrane , extracellular polymeric substance , chlorine , bacterial growth , pseudomonas , chemical engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , chromatography , bacteria , biochemistry , organic chemistry , biology , engineering , genetics
Abstract Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is widely used in water treatment for biofouling control and, in conjunction with catalysts, as a powerful oxidant for contaminant destruction. H 2 O 2 could potentially serve as an antifouling agent in reverse osmosis systems in lieu of chlorine‐based disinfectants. The dependence of the biocidal efficiency of H 2 O 2 on cell density, temperature and H 2 O 2 concentration by determining the growth, attachment and viability of the model bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO 1 was studied. For controlling growth of planktonic PAO 1 cells, the minimally required H 2 O 2 concentration depends on the cell density and temperature. The effect of H 2 O 2 to remove the existing biofilm was found to be effective in the presence of a high concentration bicarbonate (8·4 g l −1 ), which forms peroxymonocarbonate, a strong oxidant and disinfectant. Treatment with H 2 O 2 –bicarbonate reduced the density of live PAO 1 cells, removed extracellular polymeric substances and lowered the average biofilm thickness while maintaining the integrity of the membrane, suggesting that this type of treatment may be a suitable ‘in‐place‐cleaning’ procedure for biofouled membranes. Significance and Impact of the Study H 2 O 2 is evaluated as a potential replacement for chlorine to control biofouling in membrane‐based water treatment systems. The biocidal efficacy of H 2 O 2 was evaluated as a function of H 2 O 2 concentration, cell density and temperature using the model organism Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO 1. Results demonstrated that at low temperatures and low cell densities, bacterial growth and membrane biofouling can be prevented by low H 2 O 2 concentrations, and existing biofilms could be removed by H 2 O 2 –bicarbonate mixtures. Findings suggested that H 2 O 2 could be used as a low cost agent for prevention and controlling biofouling in reverse osmosis applications.