Investigating the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF) on Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria as an indicator of water contamination

Preserving the health of food resources, including drinking water, is considered one of the most important issues in human usability. Therefore, all efforts and research are based on finding and utilizing the best methods to safeguard the hygiene of water and municipal wastewater, aiming to protect human health and improve the quality of treated sanitary sewage. Hence, the objective of this study is to investigate water contaminated with Escherichia coli bacteria (E.coli) and the removal of this microorganism as an indicator of drinking water contamination and the degree of treatment of sanitary wastewater using a Pulsed Electric Field (PEF). In this research, the PEF device was utilized within the range of 1 to 13 kV/cm with a frequency of 500 Hz for some time of 3 to 60 min. The investigation was conducted using the Most Probable Number (MPN/100 mL) test in a 9-tube format. The results of this assessment at a temperature of 20 ºC showed that the minimum removal efficiency of total coliform bacteria was achieved at 1 kV voltage with a contact time of 1 min, yielding a 0% efficiency, while the highest removal efficiency was obtained at 13 kV voltage with a contact time of 30 min, resulting in a 99.8% efficiency.