| Water is used in many aspects of poultry production. As potable water is becoming increasingly more difficult and more costly to obtain, there has been a growing interest in recycling and reusing of wastewater. The water recycling methods primarily used are filtration and chemical disinfection. One material that may be useful in this application are clays chemically amended with the antimicrobial agents known as quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs). Some clays, such as montmorillonites, are ideal adsorbents due to their large surface areas, cation exchange capacities, and the ability to “swell” in aqueous environments. QACs, such as cetylpyridinium (CP), are effective antibacterial agents without the potential toxicity, corrosiveness, or carcinogenic potential of other disinfectants. Montmorillonites exchanged with QACs exhibit enhanced attraction to bacteria as well as bacteriocidal activity.; In this research, bulk and filtration antibacterial activity assays were developed to test the ability of parent clays and organoclays to reduce the amount of bacteria in aqueous suspension. Both assays showed that exchanging parent clay with QACs enhanced their antimicrobial activity. Electron microscopy of parent clays and organoclays treated with bacterial suspensions showed the enhanced binding of bacteria bound onto the surface of the organoclay particles. However, data from studies comparing the reductions of bacterial counts by both plate count and liquid turbidity methods suggest that the antibacterial activity of the QACs also contribute significantly to the observed reductions in bacterial counts.; In order to increase the hydraulic conductivity of the organoclays for use in filtration beds, the organoclays were immobilized onto sand. Antibacterial assays performed with these immobilized organoclays showed that the materials retained their antibacterial activity after processing. In some of the filtration column studies, the organoclays produced reductions in bacterial counts and suspension turbidity that met the standards set by federal regulations for reconditioned water, indicating that further research on the use of organoclays for the remediation of waste water in poultry processing is warranted. |
