Drinking Water Treatment Chapter 25

Class Objectives

Be able to define the possible components of a water

treatment train and their functions

Be able to differentiate between rapid and slow filtration

Identify the components of a water treatment train that

are best for a virus. A protozoa.

List the possible detrimental effects of microbial biofilms

in water distribution systems

Differentiate between dissolved organic carbon and

assimable organic carbon

Describe the AOC test

Where does drinking
water come from?
Rivers
Streams
Lakes
Aquifers

Drinking water treatment

processes
Water treatment processes provide barriers between the
consumer and waterborne disease
One or more of these treatment processes is called a
treatment process train
 Typical Water Treatment Process Trains
Chlorination
Filtration (sand or coal)
In-Line Filtration
involves a coagulation step (additive
that allows aggregation of
suspended solids, e.g., alum, ferric
sulfate, and ferric chloride,
polyelectrolytes)
Direct Filtration
involves a flocculation step where
the water is gently stirred to
increase particle collision thereby
forming larger particles
Conventional Treatment
involves a sedimentation step which
is the gravitational settling of
suspended particles
 Filtration Processes Used

Rapid filtration
used in United States
fast filtration rates through media (sand or anthracite)
backwashing needed
Slow sand filtration
common in United Kingdom and Europe
slow filtration rates through media (sand and gravel)
removal of biological layer needed
higher removal rates for all microorganisms
Coagulation, Sedimentation, Filtration: Typical Microbial Removal
Efficiencies and Effluent Quality

Coagulation and Slow sand

sedimentation Rapid filtration filtration
Organisms (% removal) (% removal) (% removal)
Total coliforms 7497 5098 >99.999
Fecal coliforms 7683 5098 >99.999
Enteric viruses 8895 1099 >99.999
Giardia 5899 9799.9 >99
Cryptosporidium 90 9999.9 99
Removal efficiency is dependent on microbial type:

Giardia and Cryptosporidium

filtration is best
large size
resistant cyst and oocyst
Enteric viruses
disinfection is ultimate barrier
filtration and coagulation also help via adsorption to particles
dependent on surface charge of virus
Water Distribution Systems
Treated drinking water may go through miles of pipe to reach
a consumer. The quality of the water is impacted by several
things:

Dissolved organic compounds in finished drinking water is

responsible for:
enhanced chlorine demand
trihalomethane production
bacterial colonization of water distribution systems
Increases resistance to disinfection, e.g., E. coli is 2400 X more resistant to
chlorine when attached to surfaces
Increases frictional resistance of fluids
Increases taste and odor problems, e.g., H2S production
Can result in colored water (iron and manganese oxidizing bacteria)
Can cause regrowth of coliform bacteria
Can cause growth of pathogenic bacteria, e.g., Legionella
Bacterial growth in distribution systems is influenced by:

Concentration of biodegradable organic matter

Water temperature
Nature of the pipes
Disinfectant residual
Detention time within distribution system
How do you determine biodegradable organic carbon in a water
distribution system?

One way is to determine Assimilable Organic Carbon (AOC)

This test is used to determine amount of organic carbon

capable of being oxidized by microbes
Measurements of bacterial activity in the test sample are
determined over time by plate counts, ATP, turbidity, or direct
cell counts
AOC Test
Performed with a single bacterial species, Spirillum NOX or Pseudomonas
fluorescens P-17
A water sample is pasteurized by heat to kill the indigenous microflora and then
inoculated with the test bacterium in stationary phase
Growth is monitored (7 to 9 days) until stationary phase is reached
Growth is determined and compared to standard growth on acetate (AOC
concentrations are then reported as acetate-carbon equivalents)

AOC can be calculated as follows:

AOC (g carbon/liter) = (Nmax x 1000)/Y where:
Nmax = CFU/ml
Y = yield coefficient in CFU/g carbon

When using P. fluorescens strain P-17, Y = 4.1 x 106 CFU/g acetate-carbon

Thus, if the final yield of the test organism is 5 x 106 CFU/ml after 9 days of
incubation:

AOC = 5 x 106 CFU/ml x 1000 ml/L = 1.22 g acetate-carbon equivalents/liter

4.1 x 106 CFU/g acetate carbon
Comparison of Concentrations of DOC and AOC in Various Water Samples
Dissolved organic
carbon Assimilable organic
Source of water (mg carbon/L) carbon (mg carbon/L)
River Lek 6.8 0.0620.085
River Meuse 4.7 0.1180.128
Brabantse Diesbosch 4.0 0.080.103
Lake Yssel, after open storage 5.6 0.480.53
River Lek, after bank filtration 1.6 0.71.2
Aerobic groundwater 0.3 <0.15