‫ המחלקה להנדסת כימיה‬Dept. of Chemical Engineering
‫ וביוטכנולוגיה‬and Biotechnology
Seminar Page
www.ariel.ac.il/ceb/seminar
Departmental Colloquium
‫דף סמינרים מחלקתי‬
‫סמינר מחלקתי‬
,11:45 ‫ בשעה‬5.6.2011 '‫יתקיים ביום א‬
'‫א' חדר ישיבות בקומה ג‬3 ‫בבניין‬
Antimicrobial Properties of Free and
Immobilized on Polystyrene Photosensitizers
against Wastewater Bacteria
Faina Nakonechny
Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
Ariel University Center of Samaria
Abstract:
The acute problems of water quality and quantity in Israel are caused by limited
conventional water resources. One of ways to overcome the low water resources
problem is to purify wastewater for reuse. To avoid health and ecological hazards
caused by using wastewater effluents in crop irrigation, the treatment of domestic
sewage should involve disinfection treatment. Disinfection of effluents can be achieved
by a variety of methods (mostly using chlorination).
As an alternative to chlorination a photochemical treatment previously was
shown to be effective in disinfection of wastewater using free photosensitizers (PhS)
and sunlight as an energy source. The disadvantage of such systems is the necessity to
remove the PhS from the water after the treatment. This problem can be solved by use
of solid phase immobilized PhS.
2
In this study the in vitro antimicrobial activity of free and immobilized PhS was
tested against wastewater bacteria. It was found that the antimicrobial efficacy of rose
bengal in a free form and polystyrene immobilized against S. aureus was almost equal.
The effect of immobilized rose bengal on S. aureus and E. coli depended on cell
concentrations and illumination conditions. A continuous flow system based on
polystyrene immobilized rose bengal and methylene blue was proved to be effective in
eradication of wastewater coliforms for a period from a week up to a month. PhS
immobilized in solid phase can be applied for disinfection of wastewater bacteria.