Author(s)

Djamel Ghernaout^1,2*, Noureddine Elboughdiri^1,3

¹Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Ha’il, Ha’il, Saudi Arabia.
²Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Blida, Blida, Algeria.
³Chemical Engineering Process Department, National School of Engineering, Zrig Gabes, University of Gabes, Gabes, Tunisia.

Recently, huge awareness has been accorded to potential circulation of SARS- CoV-2 through water systems. This work deals with this problem and researches the behavior of coronaviruses (CoVs) in water media, with specific interest on the new data on the fresh SARS-CoV-2. The examination of the natural persistence of CoVs and the performance of the disinfection technologies are also discussed. All CoVs have a restricted stability in water media: 2 - 5 days in tap water and 2 - 6 days in wastewater were judged enough for 2-log reduction of SARS-CoV-2 titer. SARS-CoV-2 is distinguished by a weak construction and is vulnerable to traditional disinfection technologies that have been demonstrated to be very efficient in their neutralization. Approximately 5 min of exposure to sodium hypochlorite (1%), ethanol (70%), iodine (7.5%), soap solution and additional usual disinfectants was enough for reaching 7 - 8-log of SARS-CoV-2 titer decrease. Thermal treatment is efficacious in SARS-CoV-2 demobilization: 30 min at 56 or 5 min at 70°C were enough for attaining the total depletion of the infectivity. Further, SARS-CoV-2 remains vulnerable to sunlight and quickly demobilized by UV radiation. UV-C at 254 nm and intensity of 2.2 mW/cm2 yields 3-log of SARS-CoV-2 titer decrease in less than 3 s of application. Consequently for SARS-CoV-2 disinfection, usual injections of killing agents remain required for sanitation and for wastewater treatment. Relating to controlling CoVs diffusion and applying disinfection technologies, vigilance remains essential.

Coronaviruses (CoVs), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), SARS-CoV-2 Stability, Disinfection, Microorganisms (MOs), Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs)

Ghernaout, D. and Elboughdiri, N. (2021) Exploring What Lies Ahead in the Field of Disinfecting Coronavirus. Open Access Library Journal, 8, 1-21. doi: 10.4236/oalib.1107487.