Eureka! Institutional Repository

In this study was examined the possibility of removing micro-organisms (total coliforms, Escherichia coli, enterococci), from Aliakmonas river water, at all stages of processing, at the EENTH, during the winter (November-December 2021) and summer season (July-August 2022), but also laboratory, in cultivation of standard strains, using quartz sand, zeolite and activated carbon. A total of 10 samplings were performed. Quantification of bacteria (cfus/100ml) was done based on the culture and membrane filtration method as described in ISO 9308-1 and 7899.02. Higher abundances of all three categories of microorganisms were recorded during the summer period, due to higher temperatures, while different percentages of their removal were recorded during the different stages of water treatment. As far as the various “filters” is concerned, active carbon showed greater efficiency in removing specific microorganisms, followed by zeolite and lastly sand. Additionally, the residence time of the water inside each filter (material) appeared to further enhance their removal. However, the essential removal of microorganisms from water took place during ozonation and chlorination, which are also the main methods of disinfecting water from microorganisms.