AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND PERFORMANCE OF CHLORINE AS A DISINFECTANT FOR ENTAMOEBA DISPAR IN GROUNDWATER

Deep injection well technology is a reliable and cost-effective technique to manage hazardous wastewater. However, reduced injectivity is an issue for the performance of an injection well which can happen due to the occurrence of biogeochemical clogging. A class 1 deep injection well located at the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County has long suffered similar problems that occurred due to the formation of chemical precipitation and biofilm. In the case of the biofilm, the dominant microorganism detected in previous work was determined to be Entamoeba dispar. The prime source of the protozoan was identified as the local groundwater, which is employed for different purposes within the solid waste facility, such as cooling water and dilution water. Therefore, it is imperative to examine the effectiveness of the commonly used disinfectant chlorine to inactivate the protozoan to eliminate biofilms and clogging. This study conducted a laboratory-based chlorination of the groundwater sample to reveal the required dosages of chlorine needed for 3.0-log inactivation of E. dispar in various temperature (20°C, 25°C, 30°C, and 35°C) and pH (6.5, 7.0, 7.5) conditions.