2134/38091 Alexander R.P. Wright Alexander R.P. Wright Bipin Uprety Bipin Uprety Alexander H. Shaw Alexander H. Shaw Gilbert Shama Gilbert Shama Felipe Iza Felipe Iza Hemaka Bandulasena Hemaka Bandulasena Effect of humic acid on E. coli disinfection in a microbubble-gas plasma reactor Loughborough University 2019 Microbubbles Gas plasma E. coli Disinfection Final wastewater effluents Chemical Engineering not elsewhere classified 2019-06-26 13:58:20 Journal contribution https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/Effect_of_humic_acid_on_E_coli_disinfection_in_a_microbubble-gas_plasma_reactor/9240851 Final effluent from wastewater treatment plants may contain bacteria that can pose a range of environmental and health threats. A microbubble-gas plasma reactor capable of producing a number of both reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species has been developed for inactivating bacteria in final effluents. At the optimum operating conditions, greater than 5-log reductions in E. coli viability was achieved in pure water after 30 min of operation with an energy consumption of 68 kJ/L. Addition of humic acid reduced the E. coli inactivation rate. At the highest concentration of humic acid tested (0.0015% w/w), E. coli inactivation was reduced by ˜50% compared to that achieved in pure water for a 30-minute treatment time. Longer treatment times may be required for waste streams having a high organic content, but the disinfection levels achieved with a low power consumption demonstrate the potential of this approach for industrial use.