Ultraviolet and ionizing radiation for microorganism inactivation

The impacts of UV irradiation, gamma irradiation, and a combination of both on Escherichia coli inactivation in primary and secondary wastewater effluents were investigated. UV doses of 35 and 62 J/m2 were required for a 1-log inactivation of E. coli in the primary and secondary wastewater samples, respectively. A gamma dose of 170 Gy (J/kg) was required for a 1-log inactivation of E. coli in both wastewater samples. Variation in gamma radiation dose rates did not have a significant impact on the extent of inactivation at a given total dose. Gamma irradiation of previously UV-irradiated samples indicated that particle-associated microorganisms, which are protected from UV, can be inactivated by ionizing radiation at a rate similar to that for free microorganism inactivation. An estimation of the energy required for disinfection indicated that, in general, the required energy and the energy cost for E. coli inactivation using ionizing radiation are considerably higher than those for UV radiation.