A review of common and alternative methods for disinfection of microorganisms in water

Abstract

Disinfection is the most essential and final treatment given to drinking water to render the water free from harmful pathogens. The most conventional and common form of disinfection involves the use of strong oxidants that have the potential to produce undesirable disinfection by-products (DBP). Therefore, many researchers have been trying to find alternative disinfection methods to reduce the adverse effects of conventional techniques. Hence, in this paper, these methods will be critically reviewed along with their advantages, disadvantages, and potential applications in specific circumstances. The most common methods that will be discussed in this paper are (i) chemical, (ii) thermal (iii) electrical and (iv) non-onventional technologies. The second part of this paper will focus on using ultrasound technology as a practical application of nonconventional technologies for disruption of the cell of microorganisms in water. The main objective of this paper is to illustrate the current non-conventional methods for water disinfection that captured the interest of research field.