Biomedical micro-refinery system for the enrichment of Giardia cysts in source water

This study presents the Biomedical Micro-Refining (BMR) system, as a novel approach for the continuous enrichment of Giardia lamblia cysts in large-volume source water samples. The BMR system was comprised by two refining levels with a variable number of counter-flow micro-concentration units. Concentration of 10-L and 100-L water to hundreds of milliliters was achieved employing no recirculation. Using spiked surface water, the system was able to recover 89.2% cysts without significant clogging. The recovery was consistent for a wide range of cyst concentrations and turbidity levels, as well as different sample volumes.