Animal Wastewater Research Articles

Longitudinal Chemical Gradients and the Functional Responses of Nutrients, Organic Matter, and Other Parameters to the Land Use Pattern and Monsoon Intensity

River water quality degradation is one of the hottest environmental issues worldwide. Therefore, monitoring water quality longitudinally and temporally is crucial for effective water management and contamination control. The main aim of this study was to assess the longitudinal variations in water quality in the mainstream of the Han River, Korea, from 2015 to 2019. The trophic state classification (TSC), microbial pollution indicator (MPI), and river pollution index (RPI) were calculated to characterize river water quality and revealed more serious pollution toward the downstream zone (Dz) due to agricultural and urban-dominated areas. The biodegradability index (BI) indicated that non-biodegradable organic pollutants are increasing in the water body from the urban and animal wastewater treatment plants. Nutrients, organic matter contents, total suspended solids, ionic factors, and algal chlorophyll were higher in the Dz than in any other zones and were markedly influenced by the summer monsoon. Empirical analysis showed that nutrients and organic matter had positive linear functional relations with agricultural and urban coverage and negative linear relations with forest coverage. The pollutant-transport function suggested that suspended solids act as TP and TN carriers. Regression analysis indicated that TP (R2 = 0.47) has more positive functional relations with algal growth than TN (R2 = 0.22). Our findings suggest that a combination of empirical models and pollution indices might be utilized to assess river water quality and that the resulting information could aid policymakers in managing the Han River.

Environmental risk quotient of the antibiotic, phenotypic, and genotypic profiles for antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli collected from manure and wastewater at swine farms in Prachinburi Province, Thailand

Currently, antimicrobial drug resistance is a problem that deserves thoughtful consideration. Especially in the swine production industry, many pig farms tend to release wastewater into natural water sources, which villagers use for their livelihood. This study aimed to demonstrate the occurrence of phenotypic and genotypic resistance characteristics of E. coli, as well as antibiotic residues in manure and wastewater on swine farms in Prachinburi Province, Thailand. Samples were collected in 2020 and 2021 during the rainy and summer seasons. The results of a questionnaire showed that farmers used antibiotics for disease treatment and prevention at a ratio of 2/4 (50%). The most common antibiotic used was amoxicillin (4/4, 100%), followed by Enrofloxacin (75%) and colistin (25%). The analysis of antibiotic residue in wastewater by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LCMS, LC-MS) during the rainy season revealed that amoxicillin (54%) was the highest, followed by florfenicol (14%) and tiamulin (13%). While oxytetracycline (59%), amoxicillin (20%), and florfenicol (11%) were the highest in the summer. The study of Risk Quotient (RQ) indicated that water resources present a risk of antibiotic contamination by sulfonamides, trimethoprim, β-lactam, quinolones, and tetracycline at high levels (ΣRQ >1) during both seasons. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined by an antibiotic susceptibility test (AST), analyzed by microdilution technique, and VITEK® 2 Compact. The test result indicated that a total of 143 isolates were found in manure (45/143), pre-treatment (51/143), and final effluent (post-treatment, 47/143). ESBL-positive resistance was detected at 13%. However, an immensely high percentage of antimicrobial resistance was found for ampicillin (90%), whereas imipenem did not show any drug resistance (0%). The average MIC value towards colistin in all samples was 2.71 μg/ml, while mcr1 was not found in any samples. Furthermore, MDR was expressed in E. coli at as high as 76.22% (109/143). The highest MDR pattern detected was AMP-TET–FFC–SXT.The PCR technique detected that the diversity and abundance of AMR genes were not significantly different from animal manure and wastewater at the swine farms. The bla-TEM was found more frequently than bla-PS. While the tetracycline group (tetA, tetB) and aminoglycoside (aadA1, aadA2, aadB) represented a major proportion, respectively. The PFGE study revealed the possibility of similar genetic morphology from the different isolates found in this study.

Bakteriyofajların Gıda Güvenliğini Artırmak Amacıyla Kullanılması

Food safety is a major concern for human health. Foodborne pathogens are responsible for several millions of cases annually worldwide. In order to inactivate these foodborne pathogens, numerous methods are available. However, these conventional methods have several drawbacks, such as heat treatment significantly affects nutritional properties of foods, chemical sanitizers leave residue on foods and food contact surfaces, high-pressure applications require special and relatively expensive equipment, and antibiotic use leads microorganisms to develop antibiotic resistance. One method that could overcome these drawbacks is bacteriophage application. Bacteriophages, or shortly phages, are viruses that infect bacteria, and they are found everywhere where bacteria are found. During the infection progeny phages are produced and phages inactivate bacteria by bursting the cell wall. Phage isolation can easily be done from natural sources like animal feces, wastewater, and sewage. In recent years, there have been many studies about phage application. When phages are applied on foods, they do not affect sensory or nutritional values of foods, humans, and environment. Also, since they are host specific, they only inactivate pathogenic bacteria. In addition, they have a different inactivation mechanism than antibiotics so phages can inactive antibiotic resistant bacteria as well. There are phage-based commercial products that are approved to be used on foods. On the other hand, there are technical and regulatory challenges. To overcome technical challenges, academic studies are being conducted. This study aims to generalize the use of bacteriophages in food industry by reviewing research articles in this area.

One Health approaches to improve refugee health

One Health approaches to improve refugee health

New Insight on Antibiotic Resistance and Virulence of Escherichia coli from Municipal and Animal Wastewater.

Antibiotic resistance of the indicator microorganism Escherichia coli was investigated in isolates from samples collected during the course of one year from two wastewater treatment plants treating municipal and animal wastes in Slovakia, respectively. The genes of antibiotic resistance and virulence factors in selected resistant E. coli isolates were described. A high percentage of the isolates from municipal and animal wastewater were resistant to ampicillin, streptomycin, tetracycline, ceftiofur, ceftriaxone, and enrofloxacin. In the selected E. coli isolates, we detected the following phenotypes: ESBL (20.4% in animal wastewater; 7.7% in municipal wastewater), multidrug-resistant (17% of animal and 32% of municipal isolates), high resistance to quinolones (25% of animal and 48% of municipal samples), and CTX-M (7.9% of animal and 17.3% of municipal isolates). We confirmed an integro-mediated antibiotic resistance in 13 E. coli strains from municipal and animal wastewater samples, of which the Tn3 gene and virulence genes cvaC, iutA, iss, ibeA, kps, and papC were detected in six isolates. One of the strains of pathogenic E. coli from the animal wastewater contained genes ibeA with papC, iss, kpsII, Int1, Tn3, and Cit. In addition, one blaIMP gene was found in the municipal wastewater sample. This emphasises the importance of using the appropriate treatment methods to reduce the counts of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms in wastewater effluent.

Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase Escherichia coli in River Waters Collected from Two Cities in Ghana, 2018-2020.

Infections by Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-Ec) are on the increase in Ghana, but the level of environmental contamination with this organism, which may contribute to growing Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), is unknown. Using the WHO OneHealth Tricycle Protocol, we investigated the contamination of E. coli (Ec) and ESBL-Ec in two rivers in Ghana (Odaw in Accra and Okurudu in Kasoa) that receive effluents from human and animal wastewater hotspots over a 12-month period. Concentrations of Ec, ESBL-Ec and percent ESBL-Ec/Ec were determined per 100 mL sample. Of 96 samples, 94 (98%) were positive for ESBL-Ec. concentrations per 100 mL (MCs100) of ESBL-Ec and %ESBL-Ec from both rivers were 4.2 × 104 (IQR, 3.1 × 103–2.3 × 105) and 2.79 (IQR, 0.96–6.03), respectively. MCs100 were significantly lower in upstream waters: 1.8 × 104 (IQR, 9.0 × 103–3.9 × 104) as compared to downstream waters: 1.9 × 106 (IQR, 3.7 × 105–5.4 × 106). Both human and animal wastewater effluents contributed to the increased contamination downstream. This study revealed high levels of ESBL-Ec in rivers flowing through two cities in Ghana. There is a need to manage the sources of contamination as they may contribute to the acquisition and spread of ESBL-Ec in humans and animals, thereby contributing to AMR.

Nutrient Enrichment of Wastewater Generated During Hydraulic Fracturing with Animal Wastewater to Enhance Microalgae Growth

Hydraulic fracturing technology widely used for recovery of oil and gas from tight shale formations generate millions of gallons of wastewater. This study examined viability of algal remediation of the hydraulic fracturing wastewater (HFWW). Our previous studies have shown that although Oklahoma native algae strains can grow in HFWW, cell growth was constrained by the low nutrient concentrations in HFWW. Hence, the goal of this study was to examine the effect of nutrient supplementation of HFWW with another nutrient rich wastewater on microalgae growth. An Oklahoma, USA, native algae strain, Picochlorum oklahomensis, was selected for the study because of its high biomass productivity in wastewater. This study demonstrated that P. oklahomensis can grow in HFWW. Supplementation of the HFWW with animal wastewater enhanced biomass productivity and lipid content of the biomass. Chemical compositions of the wastewater before and after algae growth were significantly different indicating substantial amount of contaminant removal.

Intermittent air mixing system for anaerobic digestion of animal wastewater: Operating conditions and full-scale validation

An air mixing system for anaerobic digestion has been proved to be beneficial for methane production. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the appropriate conditions for air mixing. The effective methane production time (EMPT) was defined to determine the air mixing time in the article. The results indicated that the appropriate aeration intensity was 66.7 mL air per volume of reactor per min and mixing time was 1.5 min. When air mixing time exceeded 3 min on each occasion, total CH4 production was less than that achieved under the no mixing condition due to a decrease in the EMPT. In addition, the possibility of air mixing was evaluated in an anaerobic full-scale plant comprising a continuous stirred tank reactor. One year of operating data validated the feasibility of air mixing during the anaerobic digestion of swine wastewater.

Bacteriophages Are Good Estimators of Human Viruses Present in Water.

The detection of fecal viral pathogens in water is hampered by their great variety and complex analysis. As traditional bacterial indicators are poor viral indicators, there is a need for alternative methods, such as the use of somatic coliphages, which have been included in water safety regulations in recent years. Some researchers have also recommended the use of reference viral pathogens such as noroviruses or other enteric viruses to improve the prediction of fecal viral pollution of human origin. In this work, phages previously tested in microbial source tracking studies were compared with norovirus and adenovirus for their suitability as indicators of human fecal viruses. The phages, namely those infecting human-associated Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron strain GA17 (GA17PH) and porcine-associated Bacteroides strain PG76 (PGPH), and the human-associated crAssphage marker (crAssPH), were evaluated in sewage samples and fecal mixtures obtained from different animals in five European countries, along with norovirus GI + GII (NoV) and human adenovirus (HAdV). GA17PH had an overall sensitivity of ≥83% and the highest specificity (>88%) for human pollution source detection. crAssPH showed the highest sensitivity (100%) and specificity (100%) in northern European countries but a much lower specificity in Spain and Portugal (10 and 30%, respectively), being detected in animal wastewater samples with a high concentration of fecal indicators. The correlations between GA17PH, crAssPH, or the sum of both (BACPH) and HAdV or NoV were higher than between the two human viruses, indicating that bacteriophages are feasible indicators of human viral pathogens of fecal origin and constitute a promising, easy to use and affordable alternative to human viruses for routine water safety monitoring.

Distribution of genetic elements associated with antibiotic resistance in treated and untreated animal husbandry waste and wastewater

Animal breeding for meat production based on swine, cattle, poultry, and aquaculture is an activity that generates several impacts on the environment, among them the spread of antibiotic resistance. There is a worldwide concern related to the massive use of antibiotics, which causes selective pressure on the microbial community, triggering bacteria that contain "antibiotic resistance genes." According to the survey here presented, antibiotic resistance-related genes such as tetracyclines (tet), erythromycin (erm), and sulfonamides (sul), as well as the genetic mobile element interferon (int), are the most reported genetic elements in qualitative and quantitative studies of swine, cattle, poultry, and aquaculture manure/wastewater. It has been observed that biological treatments based on waste composting and anaerobic digestion are effective in ARG removal, particularly for tet, bla, erm, and qnr (quinolone) genes. On the other hand, sul and intI genes were more persistent in such treatments. Tertiary treatments, such advanced oxidative processes, are suitable strategies to improve ARG reduction. In general temperature, hydraulic retention time, and penetration of sunlight are the main operational parameters for ARG reduction in treatments applied to animal waste, and therefore attention should be addressed to optimize their efficacy regarding ARG removal. Despite being reduced, the presence of ARG in treated effluents and in biosolids indicates that there is a potential risk of antibiotic resistance spread in nature, especially through the release of treated livestock waste into the environment.

Phosphorus recovery and recycling from model animal wastewaters using materials prepared from rice straw and corn cobs.

Anthropogenic loss of phosphorus to surface waters not only causes environmental problems but depletes valuable phosphorus reserves. In this study, magnesium amended biochars and magnesium silicate, synthesized from corn cobs and rice straw, respectively, were evaluated for phosphorus uptake including the effects of pH and alkalinity. The overall goal was to close the phosphorus loop by recovering phosphorus from animal waste and reusing it as fertilizer. After phosphorus uptake, spent materials were tested for phosphorus release using modified soil tests representing different soil pH and alkalinity conditions. In experiments using model animal wastewaters containing both ammonia and bicarbonate alkalinity, dissolved phosphorus was removed by struvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O) formation, whereas in deionized water, dissolved phosphorus was removed by adsorption. Alkalinity in the model animal wastewaters competed with phosphate for dissolved or solid-associated magnesium, thereby reducing phosphorus uptake. Spent materials released significant phosphorus in waters with bicarbonate alkalinity. This work shows that abundant agricultural wastes can be used to synthesize solids for phosphorus uptake, with the spent materials having potential application as fertilizers.

Environmental implications of stored cattle slurry treatment with sulphuric acid and biochar: A life cycle assessment approach

With the increase of animal slurry produced from livestock production, the monitoring and mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia (NH3) emissions represent a major issue. Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used to evaluate the long-term environmental effects of applied strategies and technologies on cattle slurry management for mitigation of environmental harmful gases. This study was carried on two main aims: first, the effect of the addition of sulphuric acid (SA), biochar (SBi) or A + Bi to liquid cattle-slurry (treated systems) on gas emissions during storage compared to the untreated system (S) was investigated in a laboratory-controlled experiment; second, the environmental implications of each treated or untreated system were assessed through a LCA approach according to ISO 14040/44. Five CML 2001 impact categories were used: eutrophication potential (EP), acidification potential (AP), global warming potential (GWP), human toxicity potential (HTP) and Ozone Layer Depletion Potential (ODP). Comparisons were based on 1 ton fresh dairy cattle slurry. The environmental profile of untreated system showed lower efficiency in mitigation of total GHG and NH3 emissions (0.0312 and 0.0001 kg CO2-eq respectively), during storage period and greater impact on GWP and HTP categories. The electricity consumption in mechanical separation dominated the environmental impacts. From the three proposed treated systems, SA showed the highest efficiency on mitigation of gas emissions compared to the other treatments, reducing NH3, CH4 and CO2 emissions respectively in 61%, 98% and 15%, when compared to the SBi system. In all categories, acidified slurry also showed the lowest environmental impact relative to other treated systems and the benefit was more evident when the impacts were expressed per kilogram of nitrogen in the slurry. Therefore, LCA methodology was of great importance to assess the environmental implications of the treatments and acidification can be considered as an effective technique on the mitigation of environmental implications of livestock production and cattle-effluent valorization. Optimization and uniformity of performed studies are essential to validate new strategies to improve the sustainability of this sector in the management of animal wastewater.

Transformation kinetics and pathways of sulfamonomethoxine by UV/H2O2 in swine wastewater

Sulfamonomethoxine (SMM), as one of the most predominant antibiotics in animal wastewater, is pending for effective control to minimize its environmental risks. Transformation kinetics and pathways of SMM by UV/H2O2 in swine wastewater were systematically investigated in this study. Direct UV photolysis (as a dominant role) and ∙OH oxidation contributed to SMM degradation in UV/H2O2 system. The less effective reaction rate of SMM in real wastewater than synthetic wastewater (0.1–0.17 vs. ∼0.2–1.5 min−1, despite higher H2O2 dosage and extended reaction time) resulted mainly from the abundant presence of conventional contaminants (indicated by COD, a notable competitor of SMM) in real wastewater. SMM degradation benefited from higher H2O2 dosage and neutral and weak alkaline conditions. However, the effect of initial SMM concentration on SMM degradation in synthetic and real wastewater showed opposite trends, owning to the different probability of SMM molecules to interact with UV and H2O2 in different matrices. Carbonate had an inhibitory effect on SMM degradation by scavenging ∙OH and pH-variation induced effect, while nitrate promoted SMM degradation by generating more ∙OH. The removal efficiency of SMM in real wastewater reached 91% under the reaction conditions of H2O2 of 10 mM, reaction time of 60 min, and pH 6.7–6.9. SMM degradation pathway was proposed as hydroxylation of benzene and pyrimidine rings, and secondary amine, and the subsequent cleavage of S–N bond.

Combined microbial electrolysis cell–iron-air battery system for hydrogen production and swine wastewater treatment

Swine wastewater is a typical high-strength animal wastewater. For treatment, it often requires combined processes (i.e., integrated units), such as multiple anaerobic reactors and advanced treatments. Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) are a promising technology for wastewater treatment and simultaneous hydrogen harvesting. In this study, we constructed a MEC powered by an iron-air battery to treat swine wastewater and produce hydrogen efficiently. The performance of iron-air batteries with different electrolyte concentrations was compared in terms of coagulant production and power generation. The highest coagulation performance was obtained with coagulants generated using a battery with 35 g/L NaCl, which achieved 54 % ± 3%, 27 % ± 2%, 49 % ± 1%, and 34 % ± 3% removal of ammonia, chemical oxygen demand (COD), suspended solids (SS) and turbidity, respectively. Powered by the iron-air battery with 35 g/L NaCl, the hydrogen generation rate of MEC reached approximately 6 L/m3·d using raw swine wastewater and 57 L/m3·d using coagulated swine wastewater. The reduction of organics by coagulating helped improve hydrogen production. The total COD removal by the coagulation process integrated with MEC reached 98 % ± 0.2 %. The iron-air battery–MEC system is a promising method for simultaneous hydrogen production and wastewater treatment without any additional energy input.

Using air instead of biogas for mixing and its effect on anaerobic digestion of animal wastewater with high suspended solids

This study proposed a new mixing method for anaerobic digestion treating animal wastewater using air as gas source of agitation (named “air mixing”) and demonstrated its feasibility by comparing with other mixing modes. The results indicated that the methane production for air mixing was increased by 6.4%, 11.9% and 19.6% compared with biogas mixing, mechanical mixing and no mixing. Air mixing improved the mass transfer and the homogeneous mixing time was shortened from 10 min of mechanical mixing to 1.5 min at the same power input. A transient microaerobic environment was created by air mixing, which increased the hydrolysis efficiency by 1.7–11.4% compared with biogas mixing and facilitated VFAs generation and consumption, as well as promoted the syntrophic relationship between facultative bacteria and hydrogenotrophic methanogens. The relative contribution of the improvement of mass transfer and the reaction of microaerobic environment to methane production was 62.9% and 37.1%, respectively.

Growing Picochlorum oklahomensis in Hydraulic Fracturing Wastewater Supplemented with Animal Wastewater

Hydraulic fracturing is used to enhance oil and gas extraction from tight shale formations and generates millions of gallons of wastewater which needs to be cleaned up prior to disposal or reuse. The current technologies used for the management of this wastewater present technical, economic, and environmental challenges. Hence, the main objective of this study was to examine the potential of algal remediation of hydraulic fracturing wastewater (PW) as an alternative method. Considering that PW contains very low concentration of the nutrients needed for algae growth PW supplemented with animal wastewater (AW-PW) was also examined. Biomass production capacity, average biomass productivity, and specific growth rate of the microalgae strain used in the study, Picochlorum oklahomensis, were 1.87 g L−1, 268 mg L−1 day−1, and 0.35 day−1, respectively, when grown in PW. Complete nitrate, ammonia, and phosphate removal could be achieved by growing algae in PW. Supplementation of PW with animal wastewater enhanced biomass production (1.87–2.40 g L−1) and lipid content (15–25% wt) in the produced algal biomass. A mathematical model with a correlation coefficient of greater than 0.94 was developed to describe the growth kinetics of algae grown in AW-PW.

A review on application of enzymatic bioprocesses in animal wastewater and manure treatment

Enzymatic processing has been considered an interesting technology as enzymes play important roles in the process of waste bioconversion, whilst heling to develop valuable products from animal wastes. In this paper, the application of enzymes in animal waste management were critically reviewed in short with respect to utilization in: (i) animal wastewater treatment and (ii) animal manure management. The results indicate that the application of enzymes could increase both chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency and production of biogas. The enzymatic bioprocesses were found to be affected by the type, source and dosage of enzymes and the operating conditions. Further studies on optimizing the operating conditions and developing cost-effective enzymes for the future large-scale application are therefore necessary.

Reducing Total Dissolved Solid of Livestock Wastewater with Moringa Seed Powder

In recent years environmental pollution has become a problem that needs attention because it causes negative impacts on ecosystems. The increase in cattle raising is directly proportional to livestock waste produced both from feces and excreted urine. Most people do not know how to process animal wastewater, so they dispose the livestock waste into water areas such as rivers that flow close to settlements. Water quality can be measured by several parameters, one of which is total dissolved solids (TDS). This parameter states the amount of solute both organic and inorganic in a solution. Moringa seeds have a coagulant effect due to their cationic electronic poly protein content. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of moringa seeds on reducing TDS of livestock wastewater. The sample of this study was cattle farm wastewater taken from the cages of members of the Walung Mekar farmer group. Moringa seed powder concentrations used in this study were 50 mg/L, 100 mg/L and 150 mg/L. Observation was conducted in various time periods 0 minutes, 20 minutes, 40 minutes, 60 minutes. The TDS calculation method used gravimetric calculations (SNI 06-6989.27-2005). The results of variance indicated that Moringa oleifera powder had a very significant effect on the reduction of TDS levels in livestock wastewater. In summary, the best concentration of Moringa oleifera powder at 150 mg/L and the best deposition time at 60 minutes was able to reduce TDS levels.

Lagoon water quality monitoring based on digital image analysis and machine learning estimators

Lagoon has been widely used to treat animal wastewater. However, because lagoon effluent often fluctuates in water quality, land application of the effluent may pose a risk to the environment and/or public health. It is necessary to monitor the quality of lagoon water to reduce the risk of its land application. This paper proposes an innovative monitoring method for animal wastewater in lagoons. We implemented spectral processing techniques to analyze the reflectivity of wastewater samples from lagoons, and applied machine learning methods to estimate the water quality parameters of the effluents, including the levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, bacteria (total coliform and E. Coli), and total solids. This study found significant correlations between the spectral rate of emission and above water quality parameters. We used machine learning to train three types of estimators, normal equation linear regression (LR), stochastic gradient descent (SGD), and Ridge regression to quantify these relations. The model performance was evaluated by weight coefficient, function intercept, and mean squared error (MSE). The model showed that TS level and the blue band of spectral reflectance of samples have a relatively good linear relationship, and the MSE of prediction set and decision coefficient were 0.57 and 0.98, respectively. For bacteria level, the MSE of prediction set was 0.63, and coefficient R2 was 0.96. The results from this study could provide a versatile method for remote sensing of animal waste water.

Effect of reaction crystallization process parameters on struvite recovery from animal wastewater in presence of boron, cobalt, manganese and molybdenum

Effect of reaction crystallization process parameters on struvite recovery from animal wastewater in presence of boron, cobalt, manganese and molybdenum