Adsorption of bacteriophage MS2 to colloids: Kinetics and particle interactions

Virus adsorption to colloidal particles is an important issue in the water quality community. Namely, if viruses can quickly and strongly associate to colloids, this can potentially lead to significant implications for the management of biohazardous wastes at water reclamation facilities. This research evaluated the adsorption of bacteriophage MS2 to colloidal suspensions of kaolinite (KAO) and fiberglass (FG). Observed pseudo first-order MS2 removal rate constants were between 0.53 and 5.1 min(-1) and between 2.4 and 3.5 min(-1) for KAO and FG, respectively. These kinetics were at least an order of magnitude faster than previously reported values when compared to data retrieved at similar colloid concentrations. Fluorescent and bright field microscopic images showed clusters of MS2 on and around the edges of the colloids, and the majority of the bound MS2 was not readily removed during a vigorous wash step, suggesting comparatively strong, operationally relevant adsorption. MS2 aggregation was observed experimentally and predicted on the basis of interaction energies calculated with XDLVO models. When virus-containing biohazardous wastes are introduced into wastewater treatment plants, removing colloids is essential.