Removal improvement of bacteria (Escherichia coli and enterococci) in maturation ponds using baffles

2012 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 589-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Ouali ◽  
H. Jupsin ◽  
J. L. Vasel ◽  
L. Marouani ◽  
A. Ghrabi
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Conventional Activated Sludge ◽  
In Series ◽  
Hydrodynamic Study ◽  
Rhodamine Wt ◽  
Engineering Intervention

Korba wastewater treatment plant is a conventional activated sludge followed by three maturation ponds (MP1, MP2, MP3) in series acting as a tertiary treatment. The first study of wastewater treatment plants showed that the effluent concentration of Escherichia coli and enterococci at the outlet of the (MP3) varies between 103 and 104CFU/100 ml. After the hydrodynamic study conducted by Rhodamine WT which showed short-circuiting in the MP1, two baffles were introduced in the first maturation pond (MP1) to improve the hydrodynamic and the sanitary performances. The second hydraulic study showed that the dispersion number ‘d’ was reduced from 1.45 to 0.43 by this engineering intervention and the Peclet number was raised from 0.69 to 2.32. The hydraulic retention time was increased by 14 h. Because of well-designed baffles, the removal efficiency of E. coli and enterococci was raised between 0.2 and 0.7 log units for the first maturation pond.

scholarly journals Profile of the Spatial Distribution Patterns of the Human and Bacteriophage Virome in a Wastewater Treatment Plant Located in the South of Spain

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2316
Author(s):  
Cristina García-Fontana ◽  
Alejandro Rodriguez-Sanchez ◽  
Barbara Muñoz-Palazon ◽  
Alejandro Gonzalez-Martinez ◽  
Maria Vela-Cano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Conventional Activated Sludge ◽  
Typing Phage ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Sequencing Studies ◽  
Microbial Characterization ◽  
Human Viruses

In wastewater treatment plants, most microbial characterization has focused on bacterial, archaeal, and fungal populations. Due to the difficult isolation, quantification, and identification of viruses, only a limited number of virome studies associated with wastewater treatment plants have been carried out. However, the virus populations play an important role in the microbial dynamics in wastewater treatment systems and the biosafety of effluents. In this work, the viral members present in influent wastewater, mixed liquor (aerobic bioreactor), excess sludge, and effluent water of a conventional activated sludge system for the treatment of urban wastewater were identified. Viral members were observed by transmission electron microscopy and studied through next-generation sequencing studies. The results showed the dominance of bacteriophages in the viral community in all samples, with the dominant viral phylotype classified as Escherichia coli O157 typing phage 7. Moreover, different human viruses, such as Cynomolgus cytomegalovirus and Gammaherpesvirus, were also detected.

scholarly journals ESKAPE Bacteria and Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Isolated from Wastewater and Process Water from German Poultry Slaughterhouses

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mykhailo Savin ◽  
Gabriele Bierbaum ◽  
Jens Andre Hammerl ◽  
Céline Heinemann ◽  
Marijo Parcina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Process Water ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Extended Spectrum ◽  
Clinically Relevant Bacteria

ABSTRACT The wastewater of livestock slaughterhouses is considered a source of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria with clinical relevance and may thus be important for their dissemination into the environment. To get an overview of their occurrence and characteristics, we investigated process water (n = 50) from delivery and unclean areas as well as wastewater (n = 32) from the in-house wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of two German poultry slaughterhouses (slaughterhouses S1 and S2). The samples were screened for ESKAPE bacteria (Enterococcus spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp.) and Escherichia coli. Their antimicrobial resistance phenotypes and the presence of extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL), carbapenemase, and mobilizable colistin resistance genes were determined. Selected ESKAPE bacteria were epidemiologically classified using different molecular typing techniques. At least one of the target species was detected in 87.5% (n = 28/32) of the wastewater samples and 86.0% (n = 43/50) of the process water samples. The vast majority of the recovered isolates (94.9%, n = 448/472) was represented by E. coli (39.4%), the A. calcoaceticus-A. baumannii (ACB) complex (32.4%), S. aureus (12.3%), and K. pneumoniae (10.8%), which were widely distributed in the delivery and unclean areas of the individual slaughterhouses, including their wastewater effluents. Enterobacter spp., Enterococcus spp., and P. aeruginosa were less abundant and made up 5.1% of the isolates. Phenotypic and genotypic analyses revealed that the recovered isolates exhibited diverse resistance phenotypes and β-lactamase genes. In conclusion, wastewater effluents from the investigated poultry slaughterhouses exhibited clinically relevant bacteria (E. coli, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, and species of the ACB and Enterobacter cloacae complexes) that contribute to the dissemination of clinically relevant resistances (i.e., blaCTX-M or blaSHV and mcr-1) in the environment. IMPORTANCE Bacteria from livestock may be opportunistic pathogens and carriers of clinically relevant resistance genes, as many antimicrobials are used in both veterinary and human medicine. They may be released into the environment from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), which are influenced by wastewater from slaughterhouses, thereby endangering public health. Moreover, process water that accumulates during the slaughtering of poultry is an important reservoir for livestock-associated multidrug-resistant bacteria and may serve as a vector of transmission to occupationally exposed slaughterhouse employees. Mitigation solutions aimed at the reduction of the bacterial discharge into the production water circuit as well as interventions against their further transmission and dissemination need to be elaborated. Furthermore, the efficacy of in-house WWTPs needs to be questioned. Reliable data on the occurrence and diversity of clinically relevant bacteria within the slaughtering production chain and in the WWTP effluents in Germany will help to assess their impact on public and environmental health.

scholarly journals LCA of a Membrane Bioreactor Compared to Activated Sludge System for Municipal Wastewater Treatment

Membranes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 421
Author(s):  
Dimitra C. Banti ◽  
Michail Tsangas ◽  
Petros Samaras ◽  
Antonis Zorpas
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Membrane Bioreactor ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Conventional Activated Sludge

Membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems are connected to several advantages compared to the conventional activated sludge (CAS) units. This work aims to the examination of the life cycle environmental impact of an MBR against a CAS unit when treating municipal wastewater with similar influent loading (BOD = 400 mg/L) and giving similar high-quality effluent (BOD < 5 mg/L). The MBR unit contained a denitrification, an aeration and a membrane tank, whereas the CAS unit included an equalization, a denitrification, a nitrification, a sedimentation, a mixing, a flocculation tank and a drum filter. Several impact categories factors were calculated by implementing the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, including acidification potential, eutrophication potential, global warming potential (GWP), ozone depletion potential and photochemical ozone creation potential of the plants throughout their life cycle. Real data from two wastewater treatment plants were used. The research focused on two parameters which constitute the main differences between the two treatment plants: The excess sludge removal life cycle contribution—where GWPMBR = 0.50 kg CO2-eq*FU−1 and GWPCAS = 2.67 kg CO2-eq*FU−1 without sludge removal—and the wastewater treatment plant life cycle contribution—where GWPMBR = 0.002 kg CO2-eq*FU−1 and GWPCAS = 0.14 kg CO2-eq*FU−1 without land area contribution. Finally, in all the examined cases the environmental superiority of the MBR process was found.

Removal Characteristics of Human Antibiotics during Wastewater Treatment in Japan

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Kobayashi ◽  
M. Yasojima ◽  
K. Komori ◽  
Y. Suzuki ◽  
H. Tanaka
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Treatment Method ◽  
Batch Experiment ◽  
Aqueous Environment ◽  
Activated Sludge Process ◽  
Conventional Activated Sludge ◽  
Conventional Activated Sludge Process

Pharmaceuticals resident in sewage and in the aqueous environment has begun to attract attention. The objectives of this research were to clarify the behaviour of selected human antibiotics in wastewater treatment plants, namely levofloxacin (LVFX), clarithromycin (CAM) and azithromycin (AZM) which are much used in Japan. The concentrations in raw influent of LVFX, CAM, AZM were respectively 425~981ng/L, 340~573ng/L, ND(&lt;190 ng/L)~371ng/L. The averages of removal ratio were about 50 % for all selected antibiotics. It was suggested that selected antibiotics was not too much removed in the conventional creature processing like the conventional activated sludge process. The remarkable removals in activated sludge tank using high class treatment method were confirmed about all selected antibiotics. The rise of the concentrations of CAM and AZM was confirmed after the addition of chemical coagulants in one wastewater treatment plant. From the result of batch experiment with activated sludge, it was suggested that LVFX and AZM were removed from water mainly by the absorption to activated sludge. Also, in batch experiment with chemical coagulants, it was suggested that LVFX was removed from water and CAM, AZM were eluted a little in water by adding sulphuric acid band.

Enumeration of viable Escherichia coli by real-time PCR with propidium monoazide

2012 ◽  
Vol 66 (10) ◽  
pp. 2065-2073 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Yokomachi ◽  
J. Yaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Propidium Monoazide ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Viable Cells ◽  
Heat Treated

A photo-inducible DNA-binding dye, propidium monoazide (PMA), was used to distinguish viable and dead Escherichia coli cells. Microscopic observations using a combination of the dyes 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and PMA indicated that PMA stained only dead cells, with membrane damage, red. Mixtures of viable and heat-treated E. coli cells were subjected to real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with PMA treatment. Viable cell counts were linearly related to real-time PCR threshold cycle values for PMA-treated cells in the mixtures of viable and heat-treated cells, as long as the ratio of dead cells to viable cells was no greater than 10. In the wastewater treatment plants, total, viable and culturable E. coli were enumerated by real-time PCR, real-time PCR coupled with PMA treatment and the most probable number method using EC-MUG medium, respectively. The concentrations of viable E. coli in the wastewater treatment plants were much higher than those of culturable cells. In addition, viable cells were even more chlorine resistant than culturable ones.

scholarly journals Virulence and plasmidic resistance determinants of Escherichia coli isolated from municipal and hospital wastewater treatment plants

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Calhau ◽  
Catarina Mendes ◽  
Angelina Pena ◽  
Nuno Mendonça ◽  
Gabriela Jorge Da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Quinolone Resistance ◽  
Diffusion Method ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Hospital Wastewater ◽  
Aminoglycoside Resistance ◽  
E Coli

Escherichia coli is simultaneously an indicator of water contamination and a human pathogen. This study aimed to characterize the virulence and resistance of E. coli from municipal and hospital wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in central Portugal. From a total of 193 isolates showing reduced susceptibility to cefotaxime and/or nalidixic acid, 20 E. coli with genetically distinct fingerprint profiles were selected and characterized. Resistance to antimicrobials was determined using the disc diffusion method. Extended spectrum β-lactamase and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes, phylogroups, pathogenicity islands (PAIs) and virulence genes were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). CTX-M producers were typed by multilocus sequence typing. Resistance to beta-lactams was associated with the presence of blaTEM,blaSHV, blaCTX-M-15 and blaCTX-M-32. Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance was associated with qnrA, qnrS and aac(6′)-Ib-cr. Aminoglycoside resistance and multidrug-resistant phenotypes were also detected. PAI IV536, PAI IICFT073, PAI II536 and PAI ICFT073, and uropathogenic genes iutA, papAH and sfa/foc were detected. With regard to the clinical ST131 clone, it carried blaCTX-M-15, blaTEM-type, qnrS and aac(6′)-lb-cr; IncF and IncP plasmids, and virulence factors PAI IV536, PAI ICFT073, PAI IICFT073, iutA, sfa/foc and papAH were identified in the effluent of a hospital plant. WWTPs contribute to the dissemination of virulent and resistant bacteria in water ecosystems, constituting an environmental and public health risk.

scholarly journals Biogas, Solar and Geothermal Energy—The Way to A Net-Zero Energy Wastewater Treatment Plant–A Case Study

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (21) ◽  
pp. 6898
Author(s):  
Sylwia Myszograj ◽  
Dariusz Bocheński ◽  
Mirosław Mąkowski ◽  
Ewelina Płuciennik-Koropczuk
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Photovoltaic System ◽  
Conventional Activated Sludge ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Energy Optimisation

Wastewater treatment plants designed to meet the requirements of discharging wastewater to a receiving water body are often not energy optimised. Energy requirements for conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plants are estimated to range from 0.30 to 1.2 kWh/m3, with the highest values achieved using the nitrification process. This article describes the energy optimisation process of the wastewater treatment plant in Gubin (Poland) designed for 90 000 PE (population equivalent) using renewable energy sources: solar, biogas, and geothermal. At the analysed wastewater treatment plant electricity consumption for treating 1 m3 of wastewater was 0.679 kWh in 2020. The combined production of electricity and heat from biogas, the production of electricity in a photovoltaic system, and heat recovery in a geothermal process make it possible to obtain a surplus of heat in relation to its demand in the wastewater treatment plant, and to cover the demand for electricity, with the possibility of also selling it to the power grid.

scholarly journals Antibiotic Resistance in Wastewater Treatment Plants and Transmission Risks for Employees and Residents: The Concept of the AWARE Study

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 478
Author(s):  
Laura Wengenroth ◽  
Fanny Berglund ◽  
Hetty Blaak ◽  
Mariana Carmen Chifiriuc ◽  
Carl-Fredrik Flach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
E Coli

Antibiotic resistance has become a serious global health threat. Wastewater treatment plants may become unintentional collection points for bacteria resistant to antimicrobials. Little is known about the transmission of antibiotic resistance from wastewater treatment plants to humans, most importantly to wastewater treatment plant workers and residents living in the vicinity. We aim to deliver precise information about the methods used in the AWARE (Antibiotic Resistance in Wastewater: Transmission Risks for Employees and Residents around Wastewater Treatment Plants) study. Within the AWARE study, we gathered data on the prevalence of two antibiotic resistance phenotypes, ESBL-producing E. coli and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, as well as on their corresponding antibiotic resistance genes isolated from air, water, and sewage samples taken from inside and outside of different wastewater treatment plants in Germany, the Netherlands, and Romania. Additionally, we analysed stool samples of wastewater treatment plant workers, nearby residents, and members of a comparison group living ≥1000 m away from the closest WWTP. To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the potential spread of ESBL-producing E. coli, carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, and antibiotic resistance genes from WWTPs to workers, the environment, and nearby residents. Quantifying the contribution of different wastewater treatment processes to the removal efficiency of ESBL-producing E. coli, carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, and antibiotic resistance genes will provide us with evidence-based support for possible mitigation strategies.

scholarly journals High genomic diversity of multi-drug resistant wastewater Escherichia coli

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norhan Mahfouz ◽  
Serena Caucci ◽  
Eric Achatz ◽  
Torsten Semmler ◽  
Sebastian Guenther ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Genotypic Variation ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Genomic Diversity ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Large Dataset ◽  
Whole Genomes

AbstractWastewater treatment plants play an important role in the release of antibiotic resistance into the environment. It has been shown that wastewater contains multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli, but information on strain diversity is surprisingly scarce. Here we present an exceptionally large dataset on multidrug resistant Escherichia coli, originating from wastewater, over a thousand isolates were phenotypically characterized for twenty antibiotics and for 103 isolates whole genomes were sequenced. To our knowledge this is the first study documenting such a comprehensive diversity of multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli in wastewater. The genomic diversity of the isolates was unexpectedly high and contained a high number of resistance and virulence genes. To illustrate the genomic diversity of the isolates we calculated the pan genome of the wastewater Escherichia coli and found it to contain over sixteen thousand genes. To analyse this diverse dataset, we devised a computational approach correlating genotypic variation and resistance phenotype, this way we were able to identify not only known, but also candidate resistance genes. Finally, we could verify that the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant will contain multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli belonging to clinically important clonal groups.

scholarly journals Clinically Relevant Escherichia coli Isolates from Process Waters and Wastewater of Poultry and Pig Slaughterhouses in Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 698
Author(s):  
Mykhailo Savin ◽  
Gabriele Bierbaum ◽  
Judith Kreyenschmidt ◽  
Ricarda Schmithausen ◽  
Esther Sib ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Molecular Characteristics ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
Phenotypic Resistance ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Increased Risk

Escherichia coli is frequently associated with multiple antimicrobial resistances and a major cause of bacterial extraintestinal infections in livestock and humans. However, data on the epidemiology of (i) multidrug-resistant (MDR) and (ii) extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) in poultry and pig slaughterhouses in Germany is currently lacking. Selected E. coli isolates (n = 71) with phenotypic resistance to cephalosporins from two poultry and two pig slaughterhouses expressing high MDR rates (combined resistance to piperacillin, cefotaxime and/or ceftazidime, and ciprofloxacin) of 51.4% and 58.3%, respectively, were analyzed by whole-genome sequencing. They constituted a reservoir for 53 different antimicrobial resistance determinants and were assigned various sequence types, including high-risk clones involved in human infections worldwide. An ExPEC pathotype was detected in 17.1% and 5.6% of the isolates from poultry and pig slaughterhouses, respectively. Worryingly, they were recovered from scalding water and eviscerators, indicating an increased risk for cross-contaminations. Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) were detected in the effluent of an in-house wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of a poultry slaughterhouse, facilitating their further dissemination into surface waters. Our study provides important information on the molecular characteristics of (i) MDR, as well as (ii) ExPEC and UPEC regarding their clonal structure, antimicrobial resistance and virulence factors. Based on their clinical importance and pathogenic potential, the risk of slaughterhouse employees’ exposure cannot be ruled out. Through cross-contamination, these MDR E. coli pathotypes may be introduced into the food chain. Moreover, inadequate wastewater treatment may contribute to the dissemination of UPEC into surface waters, as shown for other WWTPs.

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