Increasing the Critical Micellar Concentration (CMC) of Surfactants Enhances the Removal of Pathogenic Bacteria, P. Aeruginosa, and S. Aureus from Wastewater

Antimicrobial effects of increasing Critical Micellar Concentration (CMCn) (n varying from 1-12) on Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 over time of 5-, 10, and 20-minute exposures were evaluated. Three types of surfactants (Cetyltrime Thylammonium Ammonium Bromide (CTAB), Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS), and TX-100) were evaluated. The results showed that CTAB had the greatest impact on both bacterial strains' reduction. The best yield discharge (9.4 U-log) for P aeruginosa was obtained with CTAB (1CMC); exposure time did not significantly improve the yield of bacteria removal. For S. aureus, CTAB yield discharge was optimised (9.4-Ulog) at 8CMC with time exposures of 20 minutes. The 12 CMC dose significantly impaired the antimicrobial activity of CTAB with S. aureus. Defining the effects of surfactant type, dose, and time exposure on P. aeruginosa and S. aureus discharge can improve advanced wastewater treatment when effluents are discharged into natural waterways. Methods of reducing the discharge of pathogenic bacteria using surfactants are valuable for environmental monitoring, food processing, or pharmaceutical manufacturing.