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ISSN: 1553-345X (Print)
ISSN: 1558-3910 (Online)
Research Article Open Access

Increasing the Critical Micellar Concentration (CMC) of Surfactants Enhances the Removal of Pathogenic Bacteria, P. Aeruginosa, and S. Aureus from Wastewater

Imen Laadouze1,2, Emna Grami1,2, Rihab Hedhiri1,2, Kathleen Sullivan Sealey3 and Neila Saidi1
  • 1 Centre de Recherches et des Technologies des Eaux (CERTE) Laboratoire Eaux, Membranes et Biotechnologies de L’Environnement (LR15CERTE04), Centre de Recherche et des Technologies des Eaux, Route touristique de Soliman, P.O. Box 273, 8020 Soliman, Tunisia
  • 2 Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte, Université de Carthage, 7021, Zarzona, Bizerte, Tunisia
  • 3 Coastal Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, United States

Abstract

Antimicrobial effects of increasing Critical Micellar Concentration (CMCn) (n varying from 1-12) on Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 over time of 5-, 10, and 20-minute exposures were evaluated. Three types of surfactants (Cetyltrime Thylammonium Ammonium Bromide (CTAB), Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS), and TX-100) were evaluated. The results showed that CTAB had the greatest impact on both bacterial strains' reduction. The best yield discharge (9.4 U-log) for P aeruginosa was obtained with CTAB (1CMC); exposure time did not significantly improve the yield of bacteria removal. For S. aureus, CTAB yield discharge was optimised (9.4-Ulog) at 8CMC with time exposures of 20 minutes. The 12 CMC dose significantly impaired the antimicrobial activity of CTAB with S. aureus. Defining the effects of surfactant type, dose, and time exposure on P. aeruginosa and S. aureus discharge can improve advanced wastewater treatment when effluents are discharged into natural waterways. Methods of reducing the discharge of pathogenic bacteria using surfactants are valuable for environmental monitoring, food processing, or pharmaceutical manufacturing.

American Journal of Environmental Sciences
Volume 22 No. 1, 2026, 1-10

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3844/ajessp.2026.1.10

Submitted On: 31 March 2025 Published On: 8 May 2026

How to Cite: Laadouze, I., Grami, E., Hedhiri, R., Sealey, K. S. & Saidi, N. (2026). Increasing the Critical Micellar Concentration (CMC) of Surfactants Enhances the Removal of Pathogenic Bacteria, P. Aeruginosa, and S. Aureus from Wastewater. American Journal of Environmental Sciences, 22(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3844/ajessp.2026.1.10

Open AccessCopyright: © 2026 Imen Laadouze, Emna Grami, Rihab Hedhiri, Kathleen Sullivan Sealey and Neila Saidi. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Keywords

  • Surfactant
  • Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWWT)
  • Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
  • Staphylococcus Aureus
  • Critical Micellar Concentration (CMC)
  • Bacterial Pathogens