Qi Zheng, Huang Zaihui, Liu Chunguang
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Laboratory of Marine Ecological Environment in Universities of Shandong, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China; Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control State Key Joint Laboratory, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Laboratory of Marine Ecological Environment in Universities of Shandong, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China.
J Environ Sci (China). 2025 Jun;152:389-400. doi: 10.1016/j.jes.2024.05.023. Epub 2024 May 22.
Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) exhibit significant potential for water disinfection due to their generation of large quantities of highly oxidizing free radicals. However, the neglect of viable but nonculturable (VBNC) cells obscures their true disinfection efficacy and potential environmental health risks. Therefore, the study evaluated the disinfection effectiveness and mechanisms of typical AOPs, including Fe/HO, Fe/persulfate (PS), and O, from the perspective of the production of VBNC bacteria. The results indicate that Fe/PS exhibits the strongest bacterial inactivation rate (99.94%), and the cells lose their ability to reactivate. Fe/HO and O induce more cells to enter the VBNC state compared to Fe/PS. Moreover, different AOPs result in varying levels of free radical production and utilization efficiency, with SO and O exhibiting greater selectivity in deactivating bacteria compared to HO. The inhibition of VBNC bacteria production by Fe/PS treatment may be attributed to the combined action of HO and SO on microorganisms, leading to oxidative stress and metabolic disruption in bacteria through the inhibition of biofilm formation and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis (p < 0.05), thereby causing direct bacterial death rather than entry into the VBNC state. In contrast, Fe/HO and O result in the upregulation of the metabolism of alanine, aspartate, and glutamate, as well as styrene degradation capacity by the bacteria, leading to the production of more VBNC bacteria. Overall, the study offers insights into mitigating potential biological risks in water disinfection and developing environmentally friendly and efficient disinfection technologies.
高级氧化工艺（AOPs）因其能产生大量高氧化性自由基而在水消毒方面具有显著潜力。然而，对活的但不可培养（VBNC）细胞的忽视掩盖了其真正的消毒效果和潜在的环境健康风险。因此，本研究从VBNC细菌产生的角度评估了典型AOPs（包括Fe/HO、Fe/过硫酸盐（PS）和O）的消毒效果及机制。结果表明，Fe/PS表现出最强的细菌灭活率（99.94%），且细胞失去重新激活的能力。与Fe/PS相比，Fe/HO和O诱导更多细胞进入VBNC状态。此外，不同的AOPs导致自由基产生水平和利用效率各异，与HO相比，SO和O在使细菌失活方面表现出更高的选择性。Fe/PS处理对VBNC细菌产生的抑制作用可能归因于HO和SO对微生物的联合作用，通过抑制生物膜形成和氨酰基 - tRNA生物合成导致细菌氧化应激和代谢紊乱（p < 0.05），从而直接导致细菌死亡而非进入VBNC状态。相比之下，Fe/HO和O导致细菌中丙氨酸、天冬氨酸和谷氨酸的代谢上调以及苯乙烯降解能力增强，从而产生更多的VBNC细菌。总体而言，该研究为减轻水消毒中的潜在生物风险以及开发环境友好且高效的消毒技术提供了见解。
