title: The removal of bacteria by modified natural zeolites.
abstract: The removal effect of natural and modified zeolites containing different heavy metals (Ni2+, Zn2+, Fe3+ and Cu2+) on pure cultures of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in a solid medium was evaluated in this work. These experiments were carried out in a continuous mode treating municipal wastewater. Faecal coliform species and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were identified. The rate constants of heavy metal lixiviation were determined using a first order kinetic model. The removal effect of modified natural zeolites in both a solid medium and in continuous mode showed an increased elimination of the bacterial population. The results established a decreasing order of the removal effect as follows: Cu2+ > Fe3+ > Zn2+ > Ni2+. The best performance of columns was obtained for inlet bacterial concentrations below 10(6) cells/100 ml. Most of the identified bacterial species were affected by copper modified zeolites, although Serratia marcescens presented the highest sensitivity and Klebsiella pneumoniae the greatest resistance.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Estudios sobre Contaminación Ambiental (DECA), Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas (CNIC), P.O. Box 6990, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Milán
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Las Pozas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Borja
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ilangovan
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Espinosa
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Luna
mesh_terms: D004926:Escherichia coli; D005243:Feces; D007700:Kinetics; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000737:chemistry*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*; D017641:Zeolites
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D017641:Zeolites