The Study of the Multilayer Filtration Process Efficiency on Giardia lamblia Elimination in Isfahan Water Treatment Plant

Giardia lamblia is a waterborne highly infectious protozoan parasite capable of causing gastrointestinal illness. The multilayer filtration is used in many applications such as turbidity removes from surface waters and Bacteria, Viruses and protozoan removes. This study was investigated in full-scale the efficiency of filtration process during water treatment that remove Giardia cyst in water at Isfahan province. We used Information Collection Rule method (ICR). In this method the polypropylene yarn-wound cartridge filter for isolation of these parasites was examined and followed by elution, sample concentration, flotation by percoll-sucrose solution and immunofluorescence antibody (IFA) staining to recognize them. Result showed that three layer filtration had a maximum 2.3 log10 for remove Giardia cyst. Cysts removal in water filtration is likely to be comparable to the efficiency of turbidity. Efficiency removal was 99.5% for Giardia and 92.7% for turbidity in filtration stage. We detected 0.2 cyst per 100 liter and per 100 liter in filtered water. This observation is according to U.S.EPA standards. The number of cysts were more in high pH samples. Discussion and Analysis of physical processes of treatment water in Isfahan plant configurations showed that granular filters (include sand, anthracite and garnet filter) were more likely to have effluence in removal cysts than dual filters.