Bacteria and virus removal from infiltrating effluent in red mud columns

Ho, G.ORCID: 0000-0001-9190-8812, Gibbs, R., Mathew, K. and Newman, P. (1987) Bacteria and virus removal from infiltrating effluent in red mud columns. Environmental Science, Murdoch University

Abstract

Column experiments were conducted to determine the improvement in the removal of Escherichia coli, Salmonella adelaide and polivirus through sands of the Swan Coastal Plain in Perth, Western Australia, by amending the sands with bauxite refining residue.

The bauxite refining residue (red mud) was neutralized using 5% gypsum and incorporated to form 30% of the amended sands. In 65 cm long soil columns the removal of the three organisms in the amended sand columns was excellent, with seven to eight orders of magnitude reduction in the concentration of the organisms between the inlet and outlet of the columns.

An attempt was made to deduce the mechanism(s) of removal in the sand columns. Though obtaining reproducible breakthrough curves presented a problem, filtration, die-off and adsorption by the soil all appear to play a role in organism removal. The results also Show that E.coli can be used as an indicator for bacteria contamination, though S. adelaide was less efficiently removed than E.coli. Polivirus was on the other hand better removed than E.coli.

Item Type:	Report
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	School of Environmental Science
Publisher:	Environmental Science, Murdoch University
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/12017

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