Data from: Study of helminth eggs (Ascaris suum) inactivation by anaerobic digestion and electrochemical treatment

The use of insufficiently treated wastewater or fecal sludge in
agriculture raises concerns because of the pathogen content. Helminth eggs
are one of the most crucial pathogens for ensuring public health and
safety. Widely used disinfection treatment methods do not guarantee the
complete inactivation of helminth eggs. The current study evaluated the
effectiveness of anaerobic digestion and electrochemical process for
helminth (Ascaris suum) egg inactivation. Lab-scale biochemical methane
potential (BMP) assay was conducted by spiking A. suum eggs in a serum
bottle. Total solid (TS), volatile solid (VS), pH, biogas production and
its composition, and volatile fatty acids (VFA) were analyzed along with
A. suum inactivation, every 3rd day for the initial 15 days and 5th day
till 45 days. The results documented 98% inactivation of A. suum eggs
(0.15 eggs/ml) in 35 days and remained at 0.14 eggs/ml till the 45th day.
Correlation analysis revealed positive relation of non-viable eggs with pH
and a negative relationship with all the other parameters. In the second
set of experiments, a hypochlorite (4700ppm) solution was generated by
electrolysis of aqueous NaCl solution in a membrane-less electrochemical
cell. The hypochlorite was diluted (940, 470, 235, and 156ppm) in
wastewater, spiked with A. suum eggs and then examined for
inactivation at regular intervals. 10% inactivation was achieved at 940ppm
concentration in 24h. This study revealed that the inactivation of A. suum
eggs by anaerobic digestion or electrochemical treatment is a combined
effect of more than one parameter.