Enhanced Inactivation of Escherichia coli and MS2 Coliphage by Cupric Ion in the Presence of Hydroxylamine: Dual Microbicidal Effects

The inactivation of Escherichia coli and MS2 coliphage by Cu(II) is found to be significantly enhanced in the presence of hydroxylamine (HA). The addition of a small amount of HA (i.e., 5-20 μM) increased the inactivation efficacies of E. coli and MS2 coliphage by 5- to 100-fold, depending on the conditions. Dual effects were anticipated to enhance the biocidal activity of Cu(II) by the addition of HA, viz. (i) the accelerated reduction of Cu(II) into Cu(I) (a stronger biocide) and (ii) the production of reactive oxidants from the reaction of Cu(I) with dissolved oxygen (evidenced by the oxidative transformation of methanol into formaldehyde). Deaeration enhanced the inactivation of E. coli but slightly decreased the inactivation efficacy of MS2 coliphage. The addition of 10 μM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) greatly enhanced the MS2 inactivation, whereas the same concentration of H2O2 did not …