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

<p>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 (<em>Ascaris</em> <em>suum</em>) egg inactivation. Lab-scale biochemical methane potential (BMP) assay was conducted by spiking <em>A. suum</em> 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 <em>A. suum</em> inactivation, every 3^rd day for the initial 15 days and 5^th day till 45 days. The results documented 98% inactivation of <em>A. suum</em> eggs (0.15 eggs/ml) in 35 days and remained at 0.14 eggs/ml till the 45^th 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 <em>A. suum</em> 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 <em>A. suum</em> eggs by anaerobic digestion or electrochemical treatment is a combined effect of more than one parameter.</p>