Resumen

ABRAMOVICH, B. et al. The action of different coagulants to remove Cryptosporidium during the process of water treatment. Rev. argent. microbiol. [online]. 2004, vol.36, n.2, pp. 92-96. ISSN 1851-7617.

Cryptosporidium is one of the microorganisms of main concern from the point of view of Public Health, being a priority problem for water treatment plants and water regulatory institutions. Due to its small size and resistance to chlorination, Cryptosporidium removal during the process of drinking water treatmentis a hard task. The effectiveness of different coagulants commonly used in the process of removal of oocysts was analyzed. Thetechnique used was the Jar Test. It was found that: 1) coagulants with the addition of polimeric coadjuvants produce over 2 logs of oocyst removal; 2) a low value in turbidity does not necessarily mean optimal parasite removal, and 3) the addition of polyelectrolites to ferric chloride diminishes variability, both in final turbidity and Cryptosporidium removal.

Palabras llave : Cryptosporidium; water; drinking water treatment; coagulants.