Correlation of Bacteria Growth and Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy in Stored Raw Ground Water

This paper focuses on correlating bacteria growth in a raw ground water during storage with electrical impedance and FTIR spectroscopy with an intention to understand the electrochemical changes of ground water. The water sample was taken from the geographical location - Trichy, Tamilnadu, India (10.7905 N, 78.7047 E). The water sample was stored in an air tight container for a period of five days and the bacteria growth is observed every 24 hours time interval. A standard plate count method was used to count the number of bacteria present in the water sample. Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) was measured using a standard impedance analyzer by injecting a low sinusoidal voltage into the water sample placed in an electroporation cuvette. In addition, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), pH value, electrical conductivity and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) value were measured every 24 hours. It was found that TDS value of water sample increases with increase in storage time whereas the pH and electrical conductivity remains within the standard range during the considered storage time. Similarly, the bacteria growth rate is high with increase in storage time and on the other hand, the bacteria growth in water results in reduction of electrical impedance and transmittance level according to EIS and FTIR measurements. Therefore, the correlation of aforesaid parameters will be helpful in understanding the electrochemical changes occurring in water sample as well as quality of stored water.