Efficacy of copper-silver ionization for the disinfection of drinking water in Tumbes, Peru

High quality is recommended for drinking water to prevent the transportation of pathogenic bacteria. To ensure its quality, different technologies are applied, and copper-silver ionization is used to maintain the microbiological quality. However, considering that the characteristics of this source vary in different scenarios, it was proposed to evaluate the efficacy of copper-silver ionization for the disinfection of drinking water in Tumbes, Peru. For this evaluation, the physicochemical and microbiological parameters of drinking water were tested at different lengths of copper-silver ionization treatment (10, 20 and 30 minutes). Water samples were collected from 20 houses located in urban areas of Tumbes city where Cu-Ag ionizers (Necon GmbH) were installed. The application of Cu-Ag ionization reduced the microbiological load in the water samples, keeping them below the Peruvian permissible limits (mesophilic bacteria < 500 CFU/100 mL and coliforms < 0 CFU/100 mL). However, in samples with a high microbial load and high electrical conductivity, the microbial load was not completely diminished. Cu-Ag ionization considerably improved the microbiological quality of the water, but some physical parameters, such as pH and electrical conductivity, must be taken into account to further improve the results.