The influence of water quality upon the concentration of virus on location was assessed in field studies conducted in the Houston ship channel, Galveston Bay, and Houston waste treatment plants. Clarification of polluted surface waters was accomplished with minimal loss of virus. Virus from clarified sewage effluents and saline waters was then adsorbed and concentrated on textile and membrane filter surfaces. Direct measurements of virus from large volumes of polluted surface waters under existing field conditions were then made using the virus concentrator equipment.

Adsorption↗

PubMed1974

Development of methods for detecting viruses in solid waste landfill leachates.

Methods were developed for detecting and concentrating enteric viruses in municipal solid waste landfill leachates. Poliovirus added to a leachate was not readily detectable, possibly because the virus was adsorbed to the leachate particulates. The masking effects associated with suspended solids in the leachate were overcome by adding a final 0.1 M sodium (tetra)ethylenediaminetetraacetate concentration to the leachate. A sodium (tetra)ethylenediaminetetraacetate-treated leachate could be clarified by filtration at pH 8.0 without a loss of virus. The clarified and sodium (tetra)ethylenediaminetetraacetate-treated leachate contained interfering materials of an anionic nature which prevented virus adsorption to epoxy-fiber glass filters. This interfering effect was overcome by treating the leachate with an anion-exchange resin. Viruses in the resin-treated leachate were concentrated by adjusting the leachate to pH 3.5, adding AlCl(3) to a final 0.005 M concentration, adsorbing the viruses to an epoxy-fiber glass virus adsorbent, and eluting the adsorbed viruses in a small volume. When this method was used to concentrate poliovirus 100-fold in a variety of leachates, the average virus recovery efficiency was 37%. With the methods described in this study, it should be possible to efficiently monitor solid waste disposal site leachates for enteric viruses.

Adsorption↗

PubMed1974

Chemical disinfection of holding-tank sewage.

A number of chemical disinfectants were evaluated for their bactericidal and virucidal effectiveness in holding-tank sewage. It was found that the disinfection efficiencies of formaldehyde, benzalkonium chloride, cetylpyridinium chloride, and methylene blue were markedly improved if the pH of the sewage was raised from 8.0 to 10.5. When formaldehyde, benzalkonium chloride, and methylene blue were tested with either 2-week holding times with no sewage additions or 10-day holding times with daily sewage additions, disinfection effectiveness was maintained as long as the sewage pH was kept at 10.5 and the disinfectant concentration was kept at 100 mg/liter or more. Calcium hypochlorite, zinc sulfate, and phenol were found to be relatively ineffective disinfectants for holding-tank sewage.

Bacteria↗

PubMed1974