Virus removal vs. subsurface water velocity during slow sand filtration

• DOI: 10.2166/wh.2014.086
• Publication Date: 2015-06-08T08:14:04Z
• Authors: Halim Dizer; Bernhard Brackmann; M. Azizur Rahman; Regine Szewzyk; Christoph Sprenger; Ekkehard Holzbecher; Juan M. López-Pila
• Keywords: Infiltration (HVAC); Filtration (mathematics); Suspension

In an attempt to obtain a conservative estimate of virus removal during slow sand and river bank filtration, somatic phage was isolated with decay poor adsorption coarse sand. We continuously fed suspension 7-m infiltration path measured the removal. second set experiments, we 1-m long columns run at different pore water velocities. Using data obtained, mathematical model constructed describing vs. velocity (PWV), assuming statistical distributions coefficient λ. The bimodal distribution best fit results for PWVs higher than 1 m/d. It predicted approximately 4 log10 after 50 days At below m/d underestimated Sand-bound phages dissociated slowly into liquid phase, detachment constant kdet 2.6 × 10⁻⁵. This low suggests that filtration plants should be intermittently operated when viral overload is suspected, e.g. flooding events or high water-marks in rivers, order viruses become soil-associated periods standstill. Resuming will allow only very release from soil.