Water disinfection with the hydrogen peroxide-ascorbic acid-copper (II) system.

Treatment of secondary effluents with hydrogen peroxide (10 mg/liter)-ascorbic acid (10 mg/liter)-Cu2+ (0.5 mg/liter) for 60 min resulted in around 99% reduction of the initial plate count. Hydrogen peroxide could be replaced by other peroxygen compounds; ascorbic acid could be replaced by other reducing agents, of which sodium sulfite and ethanol were the most effective. Cu2+, however, could not be replaced by other metal ions without loss of bactericidal efficiency of the ternary combination. Enterobacteriaceae, total and fecal coliforms, staphylococci, and micrococci were reduced by 99.0 to 99.9%. Group D streptococci aerobic spores were reduced by 80 and 15%, respectively. Clostridium perfringens, yeasts, and molds were not killed by the disinfectant combinations. The effect of pH was only minor in the range from 6 to 7.5. At a higher pH value the bactericidal effects tended to decrease. The hydrogen peroxide-ascorbic acid-Cu2+ combination made it possible to obtain 99% reduction within 30 min. When using the hydrogen peroxide-sodium sulfite-Cu2+ or the hydrogen peroxide-ethanol-Cu2+ combinations, 60 min of contact time was necessary to obtain 99% reduction of the initial plate count. Cu2+ combined to an intermediate product of the ascorbic acid autoxidation is the toxic agent, and its penetration into the cell is promoted by hydrogen peroxide.