What question did this study set out to answer?

To assess the biological stability of reverse osmosis-treated drinking water and evaluate bacterial regrowth in a model distribution system without disinfectants.

May 28, 2010Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A

Assessment of the extent of bacterial growth in reverse osmosis system for improving drinking water quality

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

To assess the biological stability of reverse osmosis-treated drinking water and evaluate bacterial regrowth in a model distribution system without disinfectants.
Tested two flat-sheet reverse osmosis (RO) membranes for their ability to remove inorganic, organic, and microbial contaminants from tap water.
Monitored biofilm formation and bulk phase bacterial growth in a model drinking water distribution system receiving RO permeate under controlled, disinfectant-free conditions.
RO membranes retained >99% of bacterial cells, reducing counts to <50 cells/mL in permeate water.
In quasi-steady state, total cell counts reached ~10³ cells/cm² in biofilms and ~10³ cells/mL in bulk water (about two orders of magnitude lower than conventional tap water).
Culturable heterotrophic bacteria comprised 20.7%–32.1% of biofilm cells and 21.3%–46.3% of bulk water cells, exhibiting an overall specific growth rate of 0.07–0.08 day⁻¹ with a doubling time of 9.1–10.1 days.

Discussion

No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.

Implication

Bench-scale study reveals significant bacterial and biofilm growth in disinfectant-free reverse osmosis permeate, highlighting the need for post-treatment disinfection.

Cite This Study

Park et al. (2010) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a99dec6a31980b89c1d7220 https://doi.org/10.1080/10934521003772386

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Implication

Bench-scale study reveals significant bacterial and biofilm growth in disinfectant-free reverse osmosis permeate, highlighting the need for post-treatment disinfection.

Assessment of the extent of bacterial growth in reverse osmosis system for improving drinking water quality

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Assessment of the extent of bacterial growth in reverse osmosis system for improving drinking water quality

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Also Consider

Also Consider