Inactivation of Heterotrophic Bacteria in Well Water Using ZVI, TiO2 and ZnO Nanoparticles

Background & Aims of the Study: The heterotrophic bacteria are widely used as a water microbial pollution index for drinking water. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of metallic nanoparticles such as Zero Valent Iron (ZVI), Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and Zinc oxide (ZnO) on Heterotrophic Bacteria inactivation in well water. Materials & Methods: We performed an experimental-laboratory study that the effect of nanoparticles type Zero valent iron (ZVI), Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) and Zinc oxide (ZnO)) in constant contact time (30 min) and nanoparticles dose (1 g/L) was investigated on heterotrophic bacteria inactivation. Results: The results showed that TiO2 was detected more effective than ZnO and ZVI. The HPC inactivation after 30 min of retention time by TiO2, ZnO and ZVI nanoparticles were 71.5, 50 and 36.4 as percent, respectively. The maximum bacteria inactivation was 98.82% in the presence of TiO2 nanoparticles. Conclusions: It is concluded that nanoparticles used in this study could be effectively used to increase the efficiency of removing heterotrophic bacteria from water and can be considered for microorganisms’ inactivation.