A kinetic model for microbial decontamination of water based on a modified Fenton reaction

In a water treatment process, microbial decontamination prevents the introduction of pathogenic microorganisms in natural water bodies. There are numerous processes used for microbial decontamination which are, however, technologically intensive. The need exists for simpler treatment processes that are cost effective and do not generate toxic by-products. We have recently proposed the use of a heterogeneous catalyst based treatment system for microbial decontamination of water. The system is based on the generation of hydroxyl radicals through reaction of resin-bound copper with hydrogen peroxide. This paper proposes and validates a mathematical model for the decontamination of Escherichia coli from wastewater. A reaction mechanism based on elementary steps is proposed and experimental data of E. coli concentration in the wastewater under different operating conditions were used. Rate parameters were estimated through nonlinear optimization techniques and the model was experimentally validated.