Bright Singh, I S; Shibu, K Mani; Ranjit, Kanjur; Robert, Reed H(Elsevier, November 23, 2005)
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Abstract:
This study investigated the enhancement of solar disinfection using custom-made batch
reactors with reflective (foil-backed) or absorptive (black-backed) rear surfaces, under a
range of weather conditions in India. Plate counts of Escherichia coli ATCC11775 were made
under aerobic conditions and under conditions where reactive oxygen species (ROS) were
neutralised, i.e. in growth medium supplemented with 0.05% w/v sodium pyruvate plus
incubation under anaerobic conditions. While the addition of either an absorptive or a
reflective backing enhanced reactor performance under strong sunlight, the reflective
reactor was the only system to show consistent enhancement under low sunlight, where
the process was slowest. Counts performed under ROS-neutralised conditions were slightly
higher than those in air, indicating that a fraction of the cells become sub-lethally injured
during exposure to sunlight to the extent that they were unable to grow aerobically.
However, the influence of this phenomenon on the dynamics of inactivation was relatively
small