AWWA WQTC60562

The drinking water industry is faced with microbial contaminants that are challenging to remove or inactivate with conventional treatment technologies. Pulsed arc electrohydraulic discharge (PAED) is a direct plasma technology that can treat water by several mechanisms concurrently. These include: shock waves, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, radical reactions, electron processes, ionic reactions, and thermal dissociation. Batch-scale experiments using a 0.7 L PAED reactor were conducted to evaluate Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis inactivation with PAED. Median E. coli reductions of 0.05, 1.3, and 2.4 log were observed after the approximately 15, 60, and 80 seconds of treatment with PAED; concurrently, B. subtilis reductions of 0.4, 3.1, and 4.6 log respectively were observed. PAED is an innovative technology because it offers concurrent treatment of chemical and microbial target compounds. The emergence of PAED as a viable treatment technology will offer another effective barrier for the protection of public health. Includes 8 references, figure.