{"id":1199,"date":"2019-08-01T01:40:56","date_gmt":"2019-08-01T01:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/legionella-growth-potential-of-drinking-water-produced-by-a-reverse-osmosis-pilot-plant\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T16:12:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T16:12:36","slug":"legionella-growth-potential-of-drinking-water-produced-by-a-reverse-osmosis-pilot-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/legionella-growth-potential-of-drinking-water-produced-by-a-reverse-osmosis-pilot-plant\/","title":{"rendered":"Legionella growth potential of drinking water produced by a reverse osmosis pilot plant"},"content":{"rendered":"

K.L.G.<\/span>Learbuch<\/span>a<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/a>M.C.<\/span>Lut<\/span>b<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/a>G.<\/span>Liu<\/span>b<\/sup><\/span>c<\/sup><\/span>d<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/a>H.<\/span>Smidt<\/span>e<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/a>P.W.J.J.<\/span>van der Wielen<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Abstract<\/h2>\n
\n

Treatment processes, such as membrane filtration with\u00a0reverse osmosis<\/a>\u00a0(RO), are used to produce\u00a0drinking water<\/a>\u00a0with a high degree of biostability. To our knowledge, the influence of RO water on\u00a0biofilm<\/a>\u00a0formation and growth of\u00a0L.\u00a0pneumophila<\/em>\u00a0has not yet been investigated. Therefore, this study aimed (i) to determine the\u00a0Legionella<\/em>\u00a0growth potential of (remineralised) RO-water produced by a pilot plant and to compare this to conventional treated\u00a0groundwater<\/a>, and (ii) to determine if different pipe materials, in contact with remineralised RO-water, can cause growth of\u00a0L.\u00a0pneumophila<\/em>. The\u00a0Legionella<\/em>\u00a0growth potential of water was determined with the\u00a0boiler<\/a>\u00a0biofilm monitor (BBM) that mimics the flow of water in a premise plumbing system. The\u00a0Legionella<\/em>\u00a0growth potential of materials in contact with remineralised RO-water was determined by using the\u00a0biomass<\/a>\u00a0production potential (BPP)-test.\u00a0ATP<\/a>\u00a0concentrations in the biofilm on the glass rings from the BBM fed with (remineralised) RO water fluctuated around 100\u202fpg ATP cm\u22122<\/sup>. In contrast, BBMs fed with conventionally treated water resulted in ten-fold higher ATP concentrations in the biofilm. Moreover, conventionally treated water had a\u00a0Legionella<\/em>\u00a0growth potential that was 1000-fold higher than that of (remineralised) RO-water. Furthermore, glass, copper and PVC-C had the lowest biofilm concentrations and\u00a0Legionella<\/em>\u00a0growth potential in the BPP-test, followed by PE-Xb, PE-Xc and PE-100. The highest biofilm concentration and\u00a0Legionella<\/em>\u00a0growth potential were with PVC-P. Hence, our study demonstrated that remineralised RO-water did not enhance growth of\u00a0L.\u00a0pneumophila<\/em>\u00a0in the BBM that mimics the premises plumbing system. However, when PE or PVC-P materials are used growth of\u00a0L.\u00a0pneumophila<\/em>\u00a0can still occur in the premises plumbing system despite the high quality of the supplied remineralised RO-water.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0043135419302568?via%3Dihub<\/a><\/p>\n

The post Legionella growth potential of drinking water produced by a reverse osmosis pilot plant<\/a> appeared first on Facts About Water<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Source: Water Feed<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n
\n

How quickly can an emergency water purification unit be deployed?<\/h3>\n
\n

AMPAC USA's EPRO and mobile RO units can be operational within 30\u201360 minutes of arrival on-site. Trailer-mounted and skid-mounted systems are pre-plumbed and pre-wired, requiring only connection to a power source and water source. Units treat river water, lake water, or brackish groundwater.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

What flow rates are available for emergency water treatment?<\/h3>\n
\n

AMPAC USA's emergency systems range from 1,500 GPD portable units to 50,000+ GPD trailer-mounted systems. Military-specification units are available for forward operating base deployment, producing potable water meeting EPA and WHO drinking water standards from virtually any source.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Are emergency RO systems suitable for disaster relief operations?<\/h3>\n
\n

Yes. AMPAC USA's emergency systems are used by FEMA, the U.S. military, and international NGOs for disaster relief. They treat flood water, contaminated groundwater, and brackish sources, removing bacteria, viruses, and chemical contaminants to produce safe drinking water on-site.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What power sources can emergency water purification systems use?<\/h3>\n
\n

AMPAC USA's emergency systems can run on generator power (120\/240V or 480V 3-phase), solar panels with battery backup, or vehicle power take-off (PTO). Low-power models consume as little as 0.5 kW, making them viable for off-grid deployment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

How durable are military-grade water purification systems?<\/h3>\n
\n

AMPAC USA's military systems are built to MIL-SPEC standards with stainless steel frames, powder-coated components, and UV-resistant materials. They are designed to operate in temperatures from -20\u00b0F to 120\u00b0F and are vibration-tested for transport in military vehicles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

This post highlighted how emergency and military-grade water purification systems provide safe drinking water rapidly in the most challenging field conditions. For organizations requiring deployable water treatment capability, AMPAC USA engineers portable and trailer-mounted systems built to perform wherever they are needed. Contact our team at info@ampac1.com or (909) 548-4900 to discuss your emergency water treatment requirements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Treatment processes, such as membrane filtration with\u00a0reverse osmosis\u00a0(RO), are used to produce\u00a0drinking water\u00a0with a high degree of biostability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":87980,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[22],"class_list":["post-1199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-water-filter","tag-ro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1199"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88258,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1199\/revisions\/88258"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}