Abstract
Extensive application of reclaimed water alleviated water scarcity obviously. Bacterial proliferation in reclaimed water distribution systems (RWDSs) poses a threat to water safety. Disinfection is the most common method to control microbial growth. The present study investigated the efficiency and mechanisms of two widely used disinfectants: sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) and chlorine dioxide (ClO2) on the bacterial community and cell integrity in effluents of RWDSs through high-throughput sequencing (Hiseq) and flow cytometry, respectively. Results showed that a low disinfectant dose (1 mg/L) did not change the bacterial community basically, while an intermediate disinfectant dose (2 mg/L) reduced the biodiversity significantly. However, some tolerant species survived and multiplied in high disinfectant environments (4 mg/L). Additionally, the effect of disinfection on bacterial properties varied between effluents and biofilm, with changes in the abundance, bacterial community, and biodiversity. Results of flow cytometry showed that NaClO disturbed live bacterial cells rapidly, while ClO2 caused greater damage, stripping the bacterial membrane and exposing the cytoplasm. This research will provide valuable information for assessing the disinfection efficiency, biological stability control, and microbial risk management of reclaimed water supply systems.
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Acknowledgements
Special thanks are due to co-author Yarong Song for her technical services.
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The authors are thankful for the financial support from the National Key R&D Program of China (2016YFC0802400) and the Tianjin Postgraduate Research Innovation Project of China (No. 2021YJSB119).
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Shichao Jia: writing—original draft preparation and writing—review and editing and methodology. Yimei Tian: conceptualization and funding acquisition. Yarong Song: writing—reviewing and investigation. Haiya Zhang: validation, formal analysis, and project administration. Mengxin Kang: data curation. Hao Guo: supervision. Haolin Chen: visualization.
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Jia, S., Tian, Y., Song, Y. et al. Effect of NaClO and ClO2 on the bacterial properties in a reclaimed water distribution system: efficiency and mechanisms. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 72675–72689 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-27456-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-27456-6