Disinfection of Water with Quaternary Ammonium Salts Insolubilized on a Porous Glass Surface

Abstract

Insoluble quaternary ammonium salts bound to porous glass showed antibacterial activity. An agent designated as G 12 , which had a dodecyl alkyl chain, was selected for some antibacterial tests on comparison of it with the agent reported previously. The antibacterial activity of G 12 toward Escherichia coli was mainly due to the adsorption of cells and therefore gradually decreased during continuous treatment of a cell suspension. The lost G 12 activity was completely recovered by washing with ethanol, and the activity of refreshed G 12 decreased in the same manner as that of fresh G 12 . The lost activity was, however, always recovered only by ethanol treatment. This indicated that G 12 might interact with cells more strongly by means of a hydrophobic force than an electrostatic one. The antimicrobial spectrum showed that G 12 was effective against not only bacteria but also yeasts.