Removal of pathogenic parasites using surfactant-modified zeolite barriers in a model aquifer

Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia intestinalis are parasites that are commonly found in sewage effluent and cause moderate to severe intestinal illness. In children, elderly, and immunodeficient persons the infection may result in death. Laboratory experiments by Schulze-Makuch et al. (2002) indicated that surfactant-modified zeolites (SMZ) removed all of the bacteria and most viruses from groundwater in laboratory experiments. In the proposed study, natural zeolite and two related media, cationic and hydrophobic SMZ, were tested as barriers to C. parvum and G. intestinalis movement in groundwater. The efficiency of removal was tested in a plexiglass model (109 x 40 x 2 cm) simulating natural conditions. Pathogen removal was measured by taking water samples from five strategically placed wells in the model aquifer. Since C. parvum and G. intestinalis are hazardous to humans and move primarily in spore state through groundwater, 4um and 10um polystyrene microspheres and Bacillus subtilis , a sporulating bacterium, were used as analogues for the protozoa. (Abstract shortened by UMI.