Drinking Water Disinfection Using Nutritional Level Zinc Assisted with Electric Field Treatment

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Water Treatment Technology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Next-generation drinking water treatment requires effective disinfection without harmful byproducts.
• A new approach is needed to enhance water safety and human health.
• Zinc (Zn) offers potential antimicrobial properties at safe concentrations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a combined electric field treatment and zinc (EFT-Zn) process for water disinfection.
• To investigate the synergistic effect of electric fields and low zinc concentrations on microbial inactivation.
• To establish EFT-Zn as a scalable and health-promoting water treatment technology.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a lab-on-a-chip device to visualize and quantify the synergistic effects.
• Validated the mechanism in a bench-scale continuous-flow reactor.
• Developed and tested a scaled-up system for natural surface water disinfection.

Main Results:

• Achieved synergistic microbial inactivation using electric fields and Zn concentrations below 5 mg/L.
• Demonstrated approximately 3-log inactivation of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli at 1.5 V and 3 mg/L Zn.
• Successfully disinfected natural surface waters at a practical flow rate of 420 mL/min in a scaled-up system.

Conclusions:

• The EFT-Zn process is a scalable and efficient method for water disinfection.
• EFT-Zn integrates microbial safety with micronutrient fortification, promoting human health.
• This technology provides a foundation for sustainable next-generation drinking water solutions.