Water disinfection: a review of conventional and advanced treatments with chlorine and peracetic acid

Conventional water disinfection treatments have used chlorine and its derivatives to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms; however, its use generates toxic products. Pollution produced by industrialization and the growing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics has led to the search for new treatments that ensure an adequate physicochemical and microbiological quality of water, the elimination of emerging pollutants, and the prevention of by-products generation. This review compares the conventional disinfection treatments using chlorine and peracetic acid, and advanced one, among which the simultaneous disinfection using UV/Cl stand out as an alternative for wastewater treatment. The last one ensures a better quality of water, high efficiency, short process times, and low costs.