Effect of odor treatment systems on bioaerosol microbial concentration and diversity from wastewater treatment plants

Abstract

Biofiltration, activated carbon and chemical scrubbing are technologies used for odor control in wastewater treatment plants. These systems may also influence the airborne microbial load in treated air. The study objectives were to 1) evaluate the capacity of three odor control system technologies to reduce the airborne concentration of total bacteria, Legionella, L. pneumophila, non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and Cladosporium in winter and summer seasons and 2) to describe the microbial ecology of the biofiltration system and evaluate its impact on treated air microbial diversity. A reduction of the total bacterial concentration up to 25 times was observed after odor treatment. Quantification by qPCR revealed the presence of Legionella spp. in all air samples ranging between 26 and 1140 GC/m3, while L. pneumophila was not detected except for three samples below the limit of quantification. A significant increase of up to 25-fold of Legionella spp. was noticed at the outlet of two of the three treatment systems. NTM were ubiquitously detected before air treatment (up to 2500 GC/m3) and were significantly reduced by all 3 systems (up to 13-fold). Cladosporium was measured at low concentrations for each system (< 190 GC/m3), with 68 % of the air samples below the limit of detection. Biodiversity results revealed that biofiltration system is an active process that adapts to air pollutants over time. Legionella spp. were detected in significant abundance in the air once treated in winter (up to 27 %). Nevertheless, the abundance of protozoan hosts is low and does not explain the multiplication of Legionella spp. The season remains the most influential factor shaping biodiversity. In summer only, air biofiltration caused a significant enrichment of the biodiversity. Although odor control technologies are not designed for bacterial mitigation, findings from this study suggest their potential to reduce the abundance of some genera harboring pathogenic species.