Dialysis as a new pre-treatment technique for online bacterial counting

Real-time bacteriological counting technology is capable of providing an online profile of bacterial removal during the wastewater treatment process, and can enhance the safety of recycled water for potable water reuse. However, autofluorescence emanating from dissolved organic compounds present in treated wastewater interferes with the analysis. In this study, a novel approach is adopted, viz., dialysis treatment for the removal of dissolved interfering substances from treated wastewater, and the efficiency of this treatment protocol is evaluated as a pre-treatment technique for real-time bacteriological counting. Dialysis using membranes having a molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of 1000 kDa and 6-8 kDa were found to successfully reduce the intensity of autofluorescence emitted from the interfering substances; whereas the courser dialysis membrane having a MWCO of 1000 kDa was found to be more effective in removing the interfering substances. Here we demonstrate for the first time that continuous online dialysis treatment aids in the direct determination of the bacterial counts in ultrafiltration- and membrane bioreactor-treated wastewaters. The results of the study indicate that the dialysis pre-treatment technique is effective for continuously reducing the concentration of interfering substances in treated wastewater, and thus allows for direct online counting of bacteria.