Solar disinfection of fungal spores in water aided by low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide

Abstract

Our previous contribution showed that Fusarium solani spores are inactivated by low amounts of hydrogen peroxide (lower than 50 mg L⁻¹) together with solar irradiation in bottles. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of solar H₂O₂/UV-Vis in distilled water and simulated municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent (SE) contaminated with chlamydospores of Fusarium equiseti in a 60 L solar CPC photo-reactor under solar irradiation. This study showed that F. equiseti chlamydospores in distilled and simulated municipal wastewater effluent were inactivated with 10 mg L⁻¹ of H₂O₂ in a 60 L CPC photoreactor. F. equiseti chlamysdospore concentration decreased from 325 (±70) CFU mL⁻¹ to below the detection limit (DL = 2 CFU mL⁻¹) within five hours of solar exposure in a solar bottle reactor and from 180 (±53) CFU mL⁻¹ to below the detection limit in distilled water within two hours of solar irradiation in the solar CPC reactor. These results demonstrate that the use of low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and CPC systems may be a good alternative for disinfection of resistant microorganisms in water.