Replicable simulation of distal hot water premise plumbing using convectively-mixed pipe reactors

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dc.contributor.authorSpencer, M. Stormeen
dc.contributor.authorCullom, Abraham C.en
dc.contributor.authorRhoads, William J.en
dc.contributor.authorPruden, Amyen
dc.contributor.authorEdwards, Marc A.en
dc.contributor.departmentCivil and Environmental Engineeringen
dc.date.accessioned2021-02-08T15:46:23Zen
dc.date.available2021-02-08T15:46:23Zen
dc.date.issued2020-09-16en
dc.description.abstractA lack of replicable test systems that realistically simulate hot water premise plumbing conditions at the laboratory-scale is an obstacle to identifying key factors that support growth of opportunistic pathogens (OPs) and opportunities to stem disease transmission. Here we developed the convectively-mixed pipe reactor (CMPR) as a simple reproducible system, consisting of off-the-shelf plumbing materials, that self-mixes through natural convective currents and enables testing of multiple, replicated, and realistic premise plumbing conditions in parallel. A 10-week validation study was conducted, comparing three pipe materials (PVC, PVC-copper, and PVC-iron; n = 18 each) to stagnant control pipes without convective mixing (n = 3 each). Replicate CMPRs were found to yield consistent water chemistry as a function of pipe material, with differences becoming less discernable by week 9. Temperature, an overarching factor known to control OP growth, was consistently maintained across all 54 CMPRs, with a coefficient of variation <2%. Dissolved oxygen (DO) remained lower in PVC-iron (1.96 +/- 0.29 mg/L) than in PVC (5.71 +/- 0.22 mg/L) or PVC-copper (5.90 +/- 0.38 mg/L) CMPRs as expected due to corrosion. Further, DO in PVC-iron CMPRs was 33% of that observed in corresponding stagnant pipes (6.03 +/- 0.33 mg/L), demonstrating the important role of internal convective mixing in stimulating corrosion and microbiological respiration. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing indicated that both bulk water (P-adonis= 0.001, R-2= 0.222, P-betadis= 0.785) and biofilm (P-adonis= 0.001, R-2= 0.119, P-betadis= 0.827) microbial communities differed between CMPR versus stagnant pipes, consistent with creation of a distinct ecological niche. Overall, CMPRs can provide a more realistic simulation of certain aspects of premise plumbing than reactors commonly applied in prior research, at a fraction of the cost, space, and water demand of large pilot-scale rigs.en
dc.description.notesThis work was supported by the National Science Foundation (CBET award number 1706733, nsf.gov) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (contract number 75D30118C02905, cdc.gov), and a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship to Abraham Cullom. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.en
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Science Foundation (CBET)National Science Foundation (NSF) [1706733]; Center for Disease Control and Prevention [75D30118C02905]; National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation (NSF)en
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238385en
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203en
dc.identifier.issue9en
dc.identifier.othere0238385en
dc.identifier.pmid32936810en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/102303en
dc.identifier.volume15en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.titleReplicable simulation of distal hot water premise plumbing using convectively-mixed pipe reactorsen
dc.title.serialPlos Oneen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
dc.type.dcmitypeStillImageen

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