Assimilable organic carbon cycling within drinking water distribution systems

Effects of Assimilable Organic Carbon and Free Chlorine on Bacterial Growth in Drinking Water

Assimilable organic carbon (AOC) is one of the most important factors affecting the re-growth of microorganisms in drinking water. High AOC concentrations result in biological instability, but disinfection kills microbes to ensure the safety of drinking water. Free chlorine is an important oxidizing agent used during the disinfection process. Therefore, we explored the combined effects of AOC a...

Evaluation and simplification of the assimilable organic carbon nutrient bioassay for bacterial growth in drinking water.

A modified assimilable organic carbon (AOC) bioassay is proposed. We evaluated all aspects of the AOC bioassay technique, including inoculum, incubation water, bioassay vessel, and enumeration technique. Other concerns included eliminating the need to prepare organic carbon-free glassware and minimizing the risks of bacterial and organic carbon contamination. Borosilicate vials (40 ml) with Tef...

Biofilms in drinking water distribution systems

Removal of assimilable organic carbon and biodegradable dissolved organic carbon by reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF), under various solution chemistries, on bacterial regrowth potential as quantified by assimilable organic carbon (AOC) and biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC). The bench-scale experiments, using tap groundwater spiked with acetate as organic carbon, revealed that AOC remo...

Linking discolouration modelling and biofilm behaviour within drinking water distribution systems

High quality drinking water exits modern treatment works, yet water quality degradation such as discolouration continues to occur within drinking water distribution systems (DWDS). Discolouration is observed globally, suggesting a common process despite variations in source, treatment, disinfection and network configurations. The primary cause of discolouration has been identified as mobilisati...