AWWA MTC53716

The control of persistent pathogens, such as Giardia lamblia cysts, Cryptosporidium parvumoocysts, and enteric viruses, in drinking water has been receiving increased attention fromregulatory authorities. Common methods of disinfection, both chemical and physical, are notalways effective in inactivating these pathogens. Studies have shown that reverse osmosis(RO) membranes may provide an effective barrier against pathogens, as long as the integrity ofthe membranes is not compromised. If a membrane element is defective or fails either duringinstallation or operation, integrity testing methods must be in place to detect potentialbreakthrough of microorganisms. This study investigated a new method of integrity assessmentfor RO membrane elements, consisting of challenge testing with polystyrene fluorescent-dyedmicrospheres as non-biological surrogate indicators of waterborne microorganisms. A biologicalsurrogate indicator, MS2 phage, was used simultaneously with microspheres of similar size.The main focus of this study was to establish a correlation between the passages of these twosurrogate indicators through the RO membranes. Includes reference, tables, figures.

Product Details

Edition:

Vol. - No.

Published:

05/01/2001

Number of Pages:

21

File Size:

1 file , 370 KB