Wastewater Facilities Research Articles

Environmental stability of porcine respiratory coronavirus in aquatic environments.

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a family of viruses that are best known as the causative agents of human diseases like the common cold, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and COVID-19. CoVs spread by human-to-human transmission via droplets or direct contact. There is, however, concern about potential waterborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, as it has been found in wastewater facilities and rivers. To date, little is known about the stability of SARS-CoV-2 or any other free coronavirus in aquatic environments. The inactivation of terrestrial CoVs in seawater is rarely studied. Here, we use a porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV) that is commonly found in animal husbandry as a surrogate to study the stability of CoVs in natural water. A series of experiments were conducted in which PRCV (strain 91V44) was added to filtered and unfiltered fresh- and saltwater taken from the river Scheldt and the North Sea. Virus titres were then measured by TCID50-assays using swine testicle cell cultures after various incubation times. The results show that viral inactivation of PRCV in filtered seawater can be rapid, with an observed 99% decline in the viral load after just two days, which may depend on temperature and the total suspended matter concentration. PRCV degraded much slower in filtered water from the river Scheldt, taking over 15 days to decline by 99%, which was somewhat faster than the PBS control treatment (T99 = 19.2 days). Overall, the results suggest that terrestrial CoVs are not likely to accumulate in marine environments. Studies into potential interactions with exudates (proteases, nucleases) from the microbial food web are, however, recommended.

Spatiotemporal evolution of the green efficiency of industrial water resources and its influencing factors in the Poyang Lake region

Improving the green efficiency of industrial water resources (GEIWR) in the Poyang Lake region is an effective way to address the inefficient use of regional water resources and mitigate severe industrial water pollution. This paper uses the super efficiency slack-based measure (SBM) model to analyze the spatial and temporal evolution of the GEIWR from 2005 to 2019, and use the Tobit regression model to explore the factors affecting the GEIWR in the Poyang Lake region. The results are as follows. First, the average value of the GEIWR in the Poyang Lake region is 0.71, and the overall level is high, but the regional differences are apparent. Second, the overall GEIWR in the region show an increasing trend, but the development of various regions is uneven, and the difference in pure technical efficiency among cities is the main reason for the difference in the GEIWR from 2005 to 2019. Third, Jingdezhen is the city with the lowest GEIWR, and it is also the key to improving the overall efficiency of the region. Finally, the treatment capacity of industrial wastewater facilities, the government's deployment of science and technology expenditures and the degree of industrialization have a positive impact on the GEIWR. The economic development level and industrial water intensity have no obvious correlation with the GEIWR in the Poyang Lake region.

Testudines as Sentinels for Monitoring the Dissemination of Antibiotic Resistance in Marine Environments: An Integrative Review.

Dissemination of antibiotic resistance (AR) in marine environments is a global concern with a propensity to affect public health and many ecosystems worldwide. We evaluated the use of sea turtles as sentinel species for monitoring AR in marine environments. In this field, antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been commonly identified by using standard culture and sensitivity tests, leading to an overrepresentation of specific, culturable bacterial classes in the available literature. AR was detected against all major antibiotic classes, but the highest cumulative global frequency of resistance in all represented geographical sites was against the beta-lactam class by a two-fold difference compared to all other antibiotics. Wastewater facilities and turtle rehabilitation centres were associated with higher incidences of multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB) accounting for an average of 58% and 49% of resistant isolates, respectively. Furthermore, a relatively similar prevalence of MDRB was seen in all studied locations. These data suggest that anthropogenically driven selection pressures for the development of AR in sea turtles and marine environments are relatively similar worldwide. There is a need, however, to establish direct demonstrable associations between AR in sea turtles in their respective marine environments with wastewater facilities and other anthropogenic activities worldwide.

Zebrafish as a Screening Model to Study the Single and Joint Effects of Antibiotics.

The overuse of antibiotics combined with the limitation of wastewater facilities has resulted in drug residue accumulation in the natural environment. Thus, in recent years, the presence of antibiotic residues in the environment has raised concerns over the potential harmful effects on ecosystems and human health. The in vivo studies represent an essential step to study the potential impact induced by pharmaceutical exposure. Due to the limitations of traditional vertebrate model systems, zebrafish (Danio rerio) has recently emerged as a promising animal model to study the toxic effects of drugs and their therapeutic efficacy. The present review summarizes the recent advances made on the toxicity of seven representative classes of antibiotics, namely aminoglycosides, β-lactams, macrolides, quinolones, sulfonamides, tetracyclines and polyether antibiotics, in zebrafish, as well as the combined effects of antibiotic mixtures, to date. Despite a significant amount of the literature describing the impact of single antibiotic exposure, little information exists on the effects of antibiotic mixtures using zebrafish as an animal model. Most of the research papers on this topic have focused on antibiotic toxicity in zebrafish across different developmental stages rather than on their efficacy assessment.

Production of poly-hydroxy-butyrate using nitrogen removing methanotrophic mixed culture bioreactor

Methanotrophic biotechnologies for methane mitigation and nitrogen removal are becoming more apparent. However, the sludge produced during these processes is often underutilized and instead can be applied for resources recovery. Fortunately, methanotrophic bacteria can utilize methane while also producing poly-hydroxy-butyrate (PHB), bioplastics, under nutrients deficient conditions. Bioplastics are increasing in popularity and can be produced from unexploited resources, such as methane and carbon dioxide, within wastewater facilities. This research demonstrates that methanotrophic sludge generated during a methanotrophic-based nitrogen removal process, which has been recently suggested, can be directly utilized for PHB production. It was found that the PHB storage response of the methanotrophic driven mixed culture was greatest when methane and oxygen were supplied in equal volume to volume ratios. In addition, the PHB response due to imposing feast-like conditions along with nitrogen or phosphorus deprivation were assessed. The highest PHB storage achieved was 21 ± 1.31% after one cycle under methane sufficient and nitrogen limited conditions. Whereas, only applying feast-like conditions demonstrated a PHB storage of 15 ± 0.67% while simultaneously removing nitrate. Finally, further optimization and continued feast- and famine-like cycles can lead to a greater PHB storage response by the culture.

Groundwater Recharge to Address Seawater Intrusion and Supply in an Urban Coastal Aquifer

The Orange County Water District (OCWD) was created in 1933 by the California Legislature and tasked with managing water resources in Orange County. As a part of its strategy to fight seawater intrusion and guarantee a reliable groundwater supply in the basin, OCWD built a recycled wastewater facility that treats wastewater received from the Orange County Sanitation District and recharges the water into the basin through injection wells and infiltration ponds. OCWD’s first recycled wastewater facility, Water Factory 21, began operating in 1975 and was replaced in 2008 by the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS). Recharged water not serving as a barrier for seawater instruction is pumped by local water districts and municipalities (referred to as “producers”), who pay a pumping fee to OCWD. Water provided by GWRS is both more reliable and less expensive for the producers than water acquired from other sources, including imported surface water. In responding to the recognized threat of seawater intrusion, OCWD owes its success to creatively enabling recharge through the development of novel source water. OCWD’s broad purview and authority to manage groundwater, combined with its effective implementation and long-term stewardship of the recharge program as it has evolved over many years, have enabled innovation in MAR using treated wastewater.

The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in different freshwater environments in urban settings determined by RT-qPCR: Implications for water safety

This study is the first focused on the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in different freshwater environments in an urban setting. Groundwater and surface water reservoirs for drinking water as well as water from receiving rivers of the Monterrey Metropolitan Area were sampled repeatedly during a SARS-CoV-2 peak phase between October 2020 and January 2021, and viral RNA was measured by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Forty-four percent of the groundwater samples had detectable viral loads between 2.6 and 38.3 copies/ml. A significant correlation between viral load and sucralose concentration in groundwater reaffirmed the hypothesis of leaching and infiltrating effluent from surface and/or failing sewage pipes and emphasized the importance of water disinfection. Twelve percent of the surface water dam samples tested positive for viral RNA, with values varying between 3.3 and 3.8 copies/ml. Finally, 13% of the river samples were positive for viral RNA, with concentrations ranging from 2.5 to 7.0 copies/ml. Untreated wastewater samples taken in the same period showed viral loads of up to 3535 copies/ml, demonstrating a dilution effect and/or wastewater facilities efficiency of three orders of magnitude. Variations in the viral loads in the groundwater and surface water over time and at the submetropolitan level generally reflected the reported trends in infection cases for Monterrey. The viral loads in the freshwater environments of Monterrey represent a low risk for recreational activities according to a preliminary risk assessment model. However, this result should not be taken lightly due to uncertainty regarding data and model constraints and the possibility of situations where the infection risk may increase considerably.

Correlation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater with COVID-19 disease burden in sewersheds

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), is shed in feces and the viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) is detectable in wastewater. A nine-week wastewater epidemiology study of ten wastewater facilities, serving 39% of the state of Utah or 1.26 M individuals was conducted in April and May of 2020. COVID-19 cases were tabulated from within each sewershed boundary. RNA from SARS-CoV-2 was detectable in 61% of 126 wastewater samples. Urban sewersheds serving >100,000 individuals and tourist communities had higher detection frequencies. An outbreak of COVID-19 across two communities positively correlated with an increase in wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA, while a decline in COVID-19 cases preceded a decline in RNA. SARS-CoV-2 RNA followed a first order decay rate in wastewater, while 90% of the RNA was present in the liquid phase of the influent. Infiltration and inflow, virus decay and sewershed characteristics should be considered during correlation analysis of SAR-CoV-2 with COVID-19 cases. These results provide evidence of the utility of wastewater epidemiology to assist in public health responses to COVID-19.

Challenges of Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor and Integrated Fixed-Film Activated Sludge Implementation for Wastewater Treatment in Indonesia

Environmental damage caused by improper wastewater treatment is a global problem, especially in developing countries such as Indonesia. With limited land availability, cost, and human resources, one of the potential technologies that excels in terms of cost-effectiveness is biological treatment technology. Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) and Integrated Fixed-Film Activated Sludge (IFAS), as modifications to conventional activated sludge, utilize solid media that are either suspended or fixed in the reactor to enhance the biological growth of microorganisms to improve the treatment efficiency. Despite the common researches and practices of MBBR and IFAS for the treatment of wastewater in many countries, the implementations of these technologies in Indonesia are still minimal due to lack of understanding of the principles of these methods, particularly IFAS. The aim of this study is to present a review of MBBR and IFAS and to analyze the challenges of implementing both technologies in Indonesia for better understanding of the principles and a more balance use of these technologies according to their advantages in different cases of wastewater treatment. The review in this study can be used to broaden the perspective of wastewater treatment practitioners, facility owners and government officials in choosing and applying MBBR and IFAS technologies in specific cases of wastewater treatment.

Effects of Nutrient Component on the Performance of Biological Sulfur Recovery Unit

Biological Sulfur Recovery Unit (Bio-SRU) with Thiobacillus as biocatalysts is believed to be suitable for handling hydrocarbon feed gas with moderate to low-H2S concentration. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of SO4 2-, PO4 3-, and Fe2+ concentration on Bio-SRU performance particularly on the conversion of sulfide to elemental sulfur. Biological pathway of sulfur recovery from natural gas-treating facility wastewater was then studied by measuring the pH and redox potential of the sample. It shows that the variation of SO4 2- concentration does not significantly affect the conversion process, while a small increment of PO4 3- (KH2PO4 1.7 g/L and K2HPO4 1.36 g/L) results in a higher yield of elemental sulfur production. Fe2+also gave a significant effect on sulfur formation and conversion rate.

An optimal water regeneration, reuse and resource recovery network integrating domestic and industrial sources

Implementation of reduce, reuse, recycle strategies are pertinent to ensure sustainability. There are studies to minimize freshwater reduction via mathematical modelling method. However, study to explore possibilities of combining both domestic and industrial wastewater regeneration, reuse, and resource recovery in a centralised facility is yet to be made. This study develops a mathematical model that could provide optimal water regeneration and reuse network that also be capable to produce biogas from the selected wastewater streams. The main objective is to maximize profit from the network established. A superstructure that consists of sources, outsource, freshwater, mixers-demands, and biogas systems is developed. A combination of the sources, regenerated sources, outsource water, and freshwater is performed in the mixers. The multi integer non-linear programming (MINLP) model is optimized by BARON solver in General Algebraic Modelling System (GAMS) software. The case study result shows that freshwater water saving is 42% and 377 kW of electricity can be generated from the biogas produced. This offers possibilities to consider the idea of the centralised wastewater facility that considers water regeneration, reuse, and resource recovery for both domestic and industrials sources, as the Eco-Industrial Park (EIP) may serve as the suitable platform.

Distribution of Antibiotic Concentration in Domestic Wastewater Treatment Facilities in Villages and Towns

Antibiotics discharged into the environment cause increased environmental resistance. Four types of antibiotics (quinolones, tetracyclines, macrolides, and β-lactams) were selected for this study. In a comparison with the municipal wastewater plant, the concentration and removal of antibiotics in influent and effluent of domestic wastewater treatment facilities of different scales in villages and towns was investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS). The results showed that the highest amount of ofloxacin in rural wastewater treatment facilities reached 32663.5 ng·L-1. Due to the different situations of influent fluctuation, discharge requirements, and management between urban and rural wastewater plants, only 33% of the rural domestic wastewater facilities detected an antibiotics removal rate of more than 60%. The effective removal of some antibiotics can be achieved when the rural domestic wastewater treatment facilities maintain the standard discharge of conventional pollutants.

Implementation of Zero Liquid Discharge Systems in Russian Industry

The article focuses on the implementation of zero liquid discharge (ZLD) systems precluding the pollutant release to the environment at metallurgical, machine-building and metalworking enterprises. The need to change over to such systems is due to two main factors: 1. Significant savings in fresh water used in production; 2. A decrease in the number of all kinds of pollutants reaching the environment with various discharges (purified, insufficiently purified and completely untreated). The main feature of ZLD systems at industrial enterprises is the presence of tailing management facilities, e. g. concentrated wastewater treatment facilities; industrial wastewater sludge treatment facilities; non-recyclable oily wastewater and sludge incineration facilities; reclaimed (recycled) industrial wastewater treatment facilities etc. The development stages of ZLD systems in Russia are presented. In 1973, for the first time in the world’s practice, in the Verkh-Isetsky Metallurgical Plant in the city of Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg), the ZLD developed by Prof. V. I. Aksenov and his colleagues was launched and has successfully operated in the cold rolled transformer steel workshop. As an example of wastewater treatment facility as part of a ZLD system, some technical installation solutions are described in order to treat chemically contaminated acid ferrous-containing wastewater generated in pickling carbon steel. The focus is on the feasibility of implementing local ZLD systems instead of central ZLD systems. The advantages of such local systems are: possible regenerating exhausted process solutions at the place of their formation, obtaining demineralized water, the local treatment of chemically polluted wastewater, lower investment and operating costs.

Penyuluhan tentang Penanggulangan TB Paru dan Sanitasi Rumah Sehat Bagi Penderita TB Paru di Wilayah Kerja UPT Kesmas Sukawati Kabupaten Gianyar

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease transmitted by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a cause of death especially in developing countries throughout the world. The aim of community service is to find out how the knowledge of patients with pulmonary TB before and after counseling is given about prevention of pulmonary TB and sanitation in healthy homes in the work area of Sukawati II Public Health Unit, Gianyar Regency. The population in this community service is 33 TB sufferers. The method used in community service activities is interviews, measurement and observation. Evaluation of respondents' knowledge before (pre-test) and after (post-test) is given guidance and counseling on the prevention of pulmonary TB and sanitation of healthy homes. There was an increase in patient knowledge about the prevention of pulmonary TB before and after being given guidance and counseling, which amounted to 90.9%. There was an increase in the knowledge of pulmonary TB sufferers about sanitation in a healthy home before and after being given guidance and counseling, which was 87.9%. The state of healthy home sanitation, namely: lighting 18.2%, 21.2% humidity ventilation (84.8%), floors (87.9%), occupancy density (84.8%), kitchen (100%), latrines (100%), clean water facilities (100%), waste water facilities (100%) and waste management (100%) that meet the standards.Keywords: Coaching, Counseling, Healthy Home Sanitation

Gaseous emissions from wastewater facilities.

A review of the literature published in 2019 on topics relating to gaseous emissions from wastewater facilities is presented. This review is divided into the following sections: odorant emissions from Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs); greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; gaseous emissions from wastewater collection systems; physiochemical odor/emissions control methods; biological odor/emissions control methods; odor/GHG characterization and monitoring; and odor impacts/risk assessments. © 2020 Water Environment Federation PRACTITIONER POINTS: Provide a quick reference list for readers who do not have time to go through the 2019 published articles. This prescreening of relevant literatures will save them time and effort. Utilities, engineers, and researchers can identify knowledge gaps, which help them to plan for future testing and R&D needs. Designers can make use of the lit review findings to support their design.

Efficiency of phytoredomedia methods in water disposal

The paper reflects the results obtained from the studies on hydro-botanical wastewater facilities conducted to treat waste-water at the sewage facilities located in the Andropovsky District of the Stavropol Region and intended for biological treatment of industrial and domestic waste-water. As a result of the studies within 2016–2018, it was found that during the exploitation time the content indicators of ammonium nitrogen and iron have decreased by 3 times, oil products and nitrates by 2 times, nitrites by 6.4 times, and phosphates by 8.5 times. The pH indicator reached the standard, which is important enough for water inlets since low pH without cleaning is destructive for most bio-organisms in aquatic ecosystems. The analysis of the hydrochemical indicators at the outlet in the water intake facility allows coming to a positive conclusion about the possibility of using phytoremediation methods for production and domestic waste-waters.

Contamination Scenario Matters when Using Viral and Bacterial Human-Associated Genetic Markers as Indicators of a Health Risk in Untreated Sewage-Impacted Recreational Waters.

Fecal pollution at beaches can pose a health risk to recreators. Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) is a tool to evaluate the use of candidate fecal indicators to signify a health risk from enteric pathogens in sewage-impacted waters. We extend the QMRA approach to model mixtures of sewage at different ages using genetic marker concentrations for human-associated crAssphage, Bacteroides spp., and polyomavirus in sewage samples from 49 wastewater facilities across the contiguous United States. Risk-based threshold (RBT) estimates varied across different mixture and sewage age scenarios. Fresh sewage RBT estimates were not always protective when aged sewage was present, and aged sewage RBT estimates often fell below the marker lower limit of quantification. Conservative RBT estimates of 9.3 × 102 and 9.1 × 103 (copies/100 mL) for HF183/BacR287 and CPQ_056, respectively, were predicted when fresh sewage was greater (by volume) than aged at the time of measurement. Conversely, genetic markers may not be effective indicators when aged sewage contributes the majority of pathogens, relative to fresh contamination, but minimal marker levels. Results highlight the utility of QMRA that incorporates pollutant age and mixture scenarios, the potential advantages of a crAssphage fecal indicator, and the potential influence of site-specific factors on estimating RBT values.

A review of energy optimization modelling tools for the decarbonisation of wastewater treatment plants

Wastewater treatment plants strongly contribute to the Greenhouse Gas emissions of the water industry and are responsible for the 3% of the global energy demand. This proportion of energy is expected to double in the coming decade. It is therefore important to correctly investigate the optimal use of energy in wastewater treatment facilities that can reduce their Greenhouse Gas emissions. A review was developed on modelling tools that can be used for the analysis of the water-energy nexus in wastewater facilities, from over 200 research articles collected from different scientific resources published in the last 15 years. The aim was to analyse the state of art of existing tools to provide an aid for researchers and professionals to identify the most suitable tool to investigate decarbonisation strategies for wastewater facilities. Studies were grouped on the basis of the main intervention analysed: i) reduction of energy demand, ii) energy production from wastewater and iii) integration of the available renewable sources on-site (e.g. PV, hydro). The work developed also provides an overview of the most applicable decarbonisation strategies and their potential to reduce the CO2 emissions of wastewater facilities. Results show that identifying the best tool strongly depends on the main aim of the intervention. Existing tools, in fact, can help to analyse separately either technologies to reduce the energy demand or the integration of the most common renewable sources from both wastewater (i.e. biogas and heat recover) and renewable sources exploitable on site. However, the full decarbonisation of wastewater facilities can only happen by integrating different energy savings and renewables solutions. There is, therefore, the need for a comprehensive energy-water optimization tool able to understand how key water parameters influence the energy demand and to identify, on a single platform, the best energy saving solutions and the benefits coming from integrating different renewable sources. Such platform could help in enhancing the benefits of combined solutions, helping to maximise the reuse of the renewable energy produced onsite and any opportunity of energy savings.

Linking Hydrobiogeochemical Processes and Management Techniques to Close Nutrient Loops in an Arid River

In this study, we explore opportunities to optimize food-energy-water (FEW) resources by closing nutrient loops in arid-land rivers. Specifically, we evaluate source and sink behavior of nitrogen as nitrate (NO3-N) in three characteristic channels in the Middle Rio Grande Basin (Delivery and Drain channels associated with agriculture and the main channel of the Rio Grande). All three channels are located downstream of a large wastewater treatment plant that is the main contributor of nutrients to this reach of the Rio Grande. We used a mass balance approach paired with stable isotope analysis to determine sources and processing of NO3-N within the channels over time (a year) and through space (along ~15 to 50 km reaches). Results indicated the growing season was an important period of sink behavior for the Delivery channel and the Rio Grande, but the Drain channel was a year-round source. Stable isotope analysis of 15N and 18O found a distinct nitrate signature in the Drain associated with biological processing, as well as Rio Grande sites impacted by agricultural outflow, but no equivalent signature was present in the Delivery channel. Based on our findings, we provide recommendations to help close nutrient loops in the study system and analogous aridland irrigation networks by 1) minimizing loss during the transfer of nutrients from wastewater facilities to agricultural areas, and 2) minimizing enrichment to downstream aquatic ecosystems by sequestering nutrients that escape the nutrient loop.

Use of a clay mineral and its nonionic and cationic organoclay derivatives for the removal of pharmaceuticals from rural wastewater effluents

A Na+ exchanged montmorillonite clay (Na–Mt) and its organoclay derivatives prepared with benzyldimethyltetradecylammonium (BDTA) cationic and polyoxyethylene (20)oleyl-ether (Brij-O20) non-ionic surfactants were used for first time at our knowledge as adsorbents the removal diverse pharmaceuticals (PPs) from samples collected in a rural wastewater facility (town of Josnes in France). The selected facility showed a poor efficiency for the elimination of PPs that were permanently release to the environment. Although involving different interactional mechanisms, the whole adsorbents Na–Mt, nonionic Brij-Mt and cationic BDTA-Mt organoclays, could remove the entire PPs of various chemical nature in a low concentration regime (ng L−1), where electrostatic interactions mainly controlled the adsorption. Thus, the organic PPs cations were preferentially adsorbed onto Na–Mt and Brij0.4-Mt (with its dual hydrophilic-hydrophobic nature) while anionic PPs showed a bold affinity to BDTA-Mt. The hydrophobic environment generated by the intercalation of surfactants within the interlayer space of organoclays conferred a versatility for the adsorption of numerous PPs through weak molecular forces (Van der Waals and/or pi-pi interactions). The study confirmed the proper efficiency of the studied layered materials including organoclays and emphasized about their promising interests in water remediation strategy.