Phosphorus limitation on bacterial regrowth in drinking water

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Sang, Jun-qiang | Zhang, Xi-hui | Yu, Guo-zhong | Wang, Zhan-sheng

Affiliations: Research Center for Environmental Engineering and Management, Shenzhen Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518057, China | Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

Abstract: Assimilable organic carbon (AOC) test and bacterial regrowth potential (BRP) analysis were used to investigate the effect of phosphorus on bacterial regrowth in the drinking water that was made from some raw water taken from a reservoir located in northern China. It was shown that AOC of the drinking water samples increased by 43.9%–59.6% and BRP increased by 100%–235% when 50 µg/L PO3−4-P (as NaH2PO4) was added alone to the drinking water samples. This result was clear evidence of phosphorus limitation on bacteria regrowth in the drinking water. This investigation indicated the importance of phosphorus in ensuring biological stability of drinking water and offered a novel possible option to restrict microbial regrowth in drinking water distribution system by applying appropriate technologies to remove phosphorus efficiently from drinking water in China.

Keywords: drinking water, bacterial regrowth, phosphorus, AOC, biological stability

Journal: Journal of Environmental Sciences, vol. 15, no. 6, pp. 773-778, 2003