Influence of DOC on MS-2 Bacteriophage Transport in a Sandy Soil

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on MS-2 bacteriophage transport in a sandy soil. Miscible-displacement experiments were conducted to examine the retention and transport of MS-2, at two influent concentrations, in the absence and presence of DOC. Effluent recoveries of MS-2 were similar for both sets of experiments. The results of the experiments were analyzed with a mathematical model that incorporated inactivation and rate-limited attachment/detachment. The optimized attachment rate coefficients were similar for all experiments. These results indicate that DOC had no significant influence on the transport of MS-2 in this soil. A mass-balance analysis based on the mathematical-modeling results revealed that attachment was significant during the early stages of the experiments, and that the majority of attached MS-2 became inactivated by the time the experiments were completed.