Inactivation of two oyster pathogens by photocatalysis and monitoring of changes in the microbiota of seawater: A case study on Ostreid herpes virus 1 µVar and Vibrio harveyi.

The pollution of seawater by both biotic (bacteria, viruses) and abiotic contaminants (biocides, pharmaceutical residues) frequently leads to economic losses in aquaculture activities mostly mortality events caused by microbial infection. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) such as heterogeneous photocatalysis allow the removal of all organic contaminants present in water and therefore could reduce production losses in land-based farms. Oysters in land-based farms such as hatcheries and nurseries suffer from a large number of mortality events, resulting in significant losses. If photocatalysis has been widely studied for the decontamination, its application for disinfection is still overlooked, especially on seawater for viruses. We therefore studied seawater disinfection using the photocatalysis (UV365/TiO2) method in the context of Pacific oyster mortality syndrome (POMS). POMS has been defined as a polymicrobial disease involving an initial viral infection with Ostreid Herpes Virus 1, accompanied by multiple bacterial infections. We investigated the impact of treatment on Vibrio harveyi, a unique opportunistic pathogenic bacterium, and on a complex microbial community reflecting a natural POMS event. Viral inactivation was monitored using experimental infections to determine whether viral particles were still infectious after. Changes in the total bacterial community in seawater were studied by comparing UV365/TiO2 treatment with UV365-irradiated seawater and untreated seawater. In the case of OsHV-1, a 2-h photocatalytic treatment prevents POMS disease and oyster mortality. The same treatment also inactivates 80% of viable Vibrio harveyi culture (c.a. 1.5 log). Since OsHV-1 and Vibrio harveyi are effectively inactivated without long-term destabilization of the total bacterial microbiota in the seawater, photocatalysis appears to be a relevant alternative for disinfecting seawater in land-based oyster beds.

Combining micelle-clay sorption to solar photo-Fenton processes for domestic wastewater treatment.

A tertiary treatment of effluent from a biological domestic wastewater treatment plant was tested by combining filtration and solar photocatalysis. Adsorption was carried out by a sequence of two column filters, the first one filled with granular activated carbon (GAC) and the second one with granulated nano-composite of micelle-montmorillonite mixed with sand (20:100, w/w). The applied solar advanced oxidation process was homogeneous photo-Fenton photocatalysis using peroxymonosulfate (PMS) as oxidant agent. This combination of simple, robust, and low-cost technologies aimed to ensure water disinfection and emerging contaminants (ECs, mainly pharmaceuticals) removal. The filtration step showed good performances in removing dissolved organic matter and practically removing all bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis from the secondary treated water. Solar advanced oxidation processes were efficient in elimination of trace levels of ECs. The final effluent presented an improved sanitary level with acceptable chemical and biological characteristics for irrigation.

Biosensor-based real-time monitoring of paracetamol photocatalytic degradation.

This paper presents for the first time the integration of a biosensor for the on-line, real-time monitoring of a photocatalytic degradation process. Paracetamol was used as a model molecule due to its wide use and occurrence in environmental waters. The biosensor was developed based on tyrosinase immobilization in a polyvinylalcohol photocrosslinkable polymer. It was inserted in a computer-controlled flow system installed besides a photocatalytic reactor including titanium dioxide (TiO2) as photocatalyst. It was shown that the biosensor was able to accurately monitor the paracetamol degradation with time. Compared with conventional HPLC analysis, the described device provides a real-time information on the reaction advancement, allowing a better control of the photodegradation process.