scholarly journals Effects of Clinical Wastewater on the Bacterial Community Structure from Sewage to the Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 718
Author(s):  
Ilse Verburg ◽  
H. Pieter J. van Veelen ◽  
Karola Waar ◽  
John W. A. Rossen ◽  
Alex W. Friedrich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
16S Rrna Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Treated Effluent ◽  
Sampling Campaign ◽  
Wastewater Samples ◽  
A Minor

This study pertains to measure differences in bacterial communities along the wastewater pathway, from sewage sources through the environment. Our main focus was on taxa which include pathogenic genera, and genera harboring antibiotic resistance (henceforth referred to as “target taxa”). Our objective was to measure the relative abundance of these taxa in clinical wastewaters compared to non-clinical wastewaters, and to investigate what changes can be detected along the wastewater pathway. The study entailed a monthly sampling campaign along a wastewater pathway, and taxa identification through 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Results indicated that clinical and non-clinical wastewaters differed in their overall bacterial composition, but that target taxa were not enriched in clinical wastewater. This suggests that treatment of clinical wastewater before release into the wastewater system would only remove a minor part of the potential total pathogen load in wastewater treatment plants. Additional findings were that the relative abundance of most target taxa was decreased after wastewater treatment, yet all investigated taxa were detected in 68% of the treated effluent samples—meaning that these bacteria are continuously released into the receiving surface water. Temporal variation was only observed for specific taxa in surface water, but not in wastewater samples.

scholarly journals The Microbial Database for Danish wastewater treatment plants with nutrient removal (MiDas-DK) – a tool for understanding activated sludge population dynamics and community stability

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (11) ◽  
pp. 2519-2526 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. T. Mielczarek ◽  
A. M. Saunders ◽  
P. Larsen ◽  
M. Albertsen ◽  
M. Stevenson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Nutrient Removal ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
16S Rrna Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Operational Data

Since 2006 more than 50 Danish full-scale wastewater treatment plants with nutrient removal have been investigated in a project called ‘The Microbial Database for Danish Activated Sludge Wastewater Treatment Plants with Nutrient Removal (MiDas-DK)’. Comprehensive sets of samples have been collected, analyzed and associated with extensive operational data from the plants. The community composition was analyzed by quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) supported by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and deep metagenomics. MiDas-DK has been a powerful tool to study the complex activated sludge ecosystems, and, besides many scientific articles on fundamental issues on mixed communities encompassing nitrifiers, denitrifiers, bacteria involved in P-removal, hydrolysis, fermentation, and foaming, the project has provided results that can be used to optimize the operation of full-scale plants and carry out trouble-shooting. A core microbial community has been defined comprising the majority of microorganisms present in the plants. Time series have been established, providing an overview of temporal variations in the different plants. Interestingly, although most microorganisms were present in all plants, there seemed to be plant-specific factors that controlled the population composition thereby keeping it unique in each plant over time. Statistical analyses of FISH and operational data revealed some correlations, but less than expected. MiDas-DK (www.midasdk.dk) will continue over the next years and we hope the approach can inspire others to make similar projects in other parts of the world to get a more comprehensive understanding of microbial communities in wastewater engineering.

scholarly journals Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in fourteen wastewater treatment systems in Uttarakhand and Rajasthan States of North India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudipti Arora ◽  
Aditi Nag ◽  
Ankur Rajpal ◽  
Satya Brat Tiwari ◽  
Jasmine Sethi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
North India ◽  
Indian States ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Untreated Wastewater ◽  
Treated Effluent ◽  
Wastewater Samples

We investigated the presence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA at different treatment stages of 15 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in two North Indian states of Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. Untreated (influent), biologically treated, and disinfected wastewater samples were collected from May to August 2020. The qualitative analysis of the wastewater for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was done using different pre-processing methods. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 11 out of 39 wastewater samples in Jaipur district and 5 out of 17 wastewater samples in Haridwar District using Reverse-Transcriptase Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) for qualitative detection. None of the 56 samples tested for post-secondary or tertiary treatment were found positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The findings indicate that there are no SARS-CoV-2 related risks involved with using the treated effluent for non-potable applications. In contrast, untreated wastewater may be a potential route of viral transmission to the WWTP and sanitation workers. Future studies are imperative to understand the survival rates of these viruses in wastewater.

scholarly journals Screening of organic pollutants in urban wastewater treatment plants and corresponding receiving waters

2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 832-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Kathrin Wluka ◽  
Laura Coenen ◽  
Jan Schwarzbauer
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Organic Contaminants ◽  
Aquatic Environment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Structural Diversity ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Receiving Waters ◽  
Target Screening ◽  
Wastewater Samples

There is a lack of knowledge in environmental pollution of the anthropogenic contaminants in wastewater and surface water. Several organic compounds merit special attention, because of their potential risk to the aquatic environment. Therefore, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry-based screening analyses were performed in order to identify anthropogenic organic contaminants and to reveal information on the structural diversity of individual compounds and to characterize their environmental behavior. Wastewater samples from wastewater treatment plants in Germany, representing various capacities, and surface water samples from corresponding receiving waters were analyzed. Numerous substances were identified in the samples. Several compounds were treated inadequately during wastewater treatment, and their identification in surface waters highlights their potential impact on the aquatic environment. Contaminants were selected according to available information about their environmental relevance (e.g. persistence, bioaccumulation potential), their possible application or usage and their occurrence within the environment. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that non-target screening analyses be undertaken to identify the structural diversity of anthropogenic organic contaminants and that further investigations of specific anthropogenic compounds be undertaken as a high priority.

scholarly journals Impact Assessment of the Wastewater Treatment Plants’ Discharges on Maritsa River

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-182
Author(s):  
Tony Venelinov ◽  
◽  
Galina Yotova ◽  
Veronika Mihaylova ◽  
Svetlana Lazarova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Sampling Point ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Wastewater Samples ◽  
The Impact

Data analysis of wastewater samples at the outlets of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of Pazardzhik, Plovdiv and Svilengrad, which discharge into the Maritsa River is presented. Total monthly loads for 2017 at the outlets are calculated using the monthly averages for the concentrations of chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, total phosphorus and total nitrogen (TN) and the monthly averages for the flow rates. The contributions of the WWTPs to the total river loads emphasize that the impact of WWTPs of Pazardzhik and Plovdiv is significantly greater than WWTP of Svilengrad. Additionally, river water samples were collected before and after the discharge points of the WWTPs in August 2018 and analyzed for water quality parameters listed in Directive 75/440/EEC. Comparison between the river concentrations before the outlet of WWPT - Pazardzhik and after the last sampling point (the outlet of WWTP - Svilengrad) indicates an increase for all the studied parameters, except for Al and Cu. Based on the results obtained for TN, the category of the surface water is significantly deteriorated after discharge of the WWTP - Plovdiv. Wastewater effect on the river surface water is also estimated by using a battery of ecotoxicological tests. The results are presented and compared by the classical approach using categorization based on water quality indicators.

scholarly journals Occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Six Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants at the Early Stage of COVID-19 Pandemic in The United States

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 798
Author(s):  
Samendra P. Sherchan ◽  
Shalina Shahin ◽  
Jeenal Patel ◽  
Lauren M. Ward ◽  
Sarmila Tandukar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
The United States ◽  
Secondary Effluent ◽  
Untreated Wastewater ◽  
Treatment Processes ◽  
Wastewater Samples

In this study, we investigated the occurrence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in primary influent (n = 42), secondary effluent (n = 24) and tertiary treated effluent (n = 34) collected from six wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs A–F) in Virginia (WWTP A), Florida (WWTPs B, C, and D), and Georgia (WWTPs E and F) in the United States during April–July 2020. Of the 100 wastewater samples analyzed, eight (19%) untreated wastewater samples collected from the primary influents contained SARS-CoV-2 RNA as measured by reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays. SARS-CoV-2 RNA were detected in influent wastewater samples collected from WWTP A (Virginia), WWTPs E and F (Georgia) and WWTP D (Florida). Secondary and tertiary effluent samples were not positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA indicating the treatment processes in these WWTPs potentially removed SARS-CoV-2 RNA during the secondary and tertiary treatment processes. However, further studies are needed to understand the log removal values (LRVs) and transmission risks of SARS-CoV-2 RNA through analyzing wastewater samples from a wider range of WWTPs.

scholarly journals Connecting structure to function with the recovery of over 1000 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes from activated sludge using long-read sequencing

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin M. Singleton ◽  
Francesca Petriglieri ◽  
Jannie M. Kristensen ◽  
Rasmus H. Kirkegaard ◽  
Thomas Y. Michaelsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
16S Rrna ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
In Situ Hybridisation ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Rrna Genes ◽  
Fluorescence In Situ Hybridisation ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
High Quality ◽  
16S Rrna Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Long Read

AbstractMicroorganisms play crucial roles in water recycling, pollution removal and resource recovery in the wastewater industry. The structure of these microbial communities is increasingly understood based on 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing data. However, such data cannot be linked to functional potential in the absence of high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) for nearly all species. Here, we use long-read and short-read sequencing to recover 1083 high-quality MAGs, including 57 closed circular genomes, from 23 Danish full-scale wastewater treatment plants. The MAGs account for ~30% of the community based on relative abundance, and meet the stringent MIMAG high-quality draft requirements including full-length rRNA genes. We use the information provided by these MAGs in combination with >13 years of 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing data, as well as Raman microspectroscopy and fluorescence in situ hybridisation, to uncover abundant undescribed lineages belonging to important functional groups.

scholarly journals Prokaryotic Communities in the Thalassohaline Tuz Lake, Deep Zone, and Kayacik, Kaldirim and Yavsan Salterns (Turkey) Assessed by 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1525
Author(s):  
Can Akpolat ◽  
Ana Beatriz Fernández ◽  
Pinar Caglayan ◽  
Baris Calli ◽  
Meral Birbir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
16S Rrna ◽  
Salt Lake ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Deep Zone ◽  
Biotechnological Potential ◽  
16S Rrna Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Tuz Lake

Prokaryotic communities and physico-chemical characteristics of 30 brine samples from the thalassohaline Tuz Lake (Salt Lake), Deep Zone, Kayacik, Kaldirim, and Yavsan salterns (Turkey) were analyzed using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and standard methods, respectively. Archaea (98.41% of reads) was found to dominate in these habitats in contrast to the domain Bacteria (1.38% of reads). Representatives of the phylum Euryarchaeota were detected as the most predominant, while 59.48% and 1.32% of reads, respectively, were assigned to 18 archaeal genera, 19 bacterial genera, 10 archaeal genera, and one bacterial genus that were determined to be present, with more than 1% sequences in the samples. They were the archaeal genera Haloquadratum, Haloarcula, Halorhabdus, Natronomonas, Halosimplex, Halomicrobium, Halorubrum, Halonotius, Halolamina, Halobacterium, and Salinibacter within the domain Bacteria. The genera Haloquadratum and Halorhabdus were found in all sampling sites. While Haloquadratum, Haloarcula, and Halorhabdus were the most abundant genera, two uncultured Tuz Lake Halobacteria (TLHs) 1 and 2 were detected in high abundance, and an additional uncultured haloarchaeal TLH-3 was found as a minor abundant uncultured taxon. Their future isolation in pure culture would permit us to expand our knowledge on hypersaline thalassohaline habitats, as well as their ecological role and biomedical and biotechnological potential applications.

scholarly journals The role of wastewater treatment plants in surface water contamination by plastic pollutants

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 00054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bozena Mrowiec
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Water Contamination ◽  
Membrane Filtration ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Point Sources ◽  
Municipal Sewage ◽  
Municipal Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Surface Water Contamination

The aim of this paper was to review the literature data regarding the physico-chemical characteristic of plastic pollutants discharged with municipal sewage, the practical possibility of removing microplastic particles from wastewater during different treatment steps in WWTPs and the problem of surface water contamination within them. Microplastics (the size range of 1 nm to < 5 mm), have been recognized as an emerging threat, as well as an ecotoxicological and ecological risk for water ecosystems. Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are mentioned as the main point sources of microplastics in an aquatic environment. Microplastic particles can be effectively removed in the primary treatment zones via solids skimming and sludge settling processes. Different tertiary treatment processes such as: gravity sand filtration, discfilter, air flotation and membrane filtration provide substantial additional removal of microplastics, and the efficiency of wastewater treatment process can be at a removal level of 99.9%. Nevertheless, given the large volumes of effluent constantly discharged to receivers, even tertiary level WWTPs may constitute a considerable source of microplastics in the surface water.

scholarly journals Bacteria from the Genus Arcobacter Are Abundant in Effluent from Wastewater Treatment Plants

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jannie Munk Kristensen ◽  
Marta Nierychlo ◽  
Mads Albertsen ◽  
Per Halkjær Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effluent Quality ◽  
Culture Independent ◽  
Influent Wastewater

ABSTRACT Pathogenic bacteria in wastewater are generally considered to be efficiently removed in biological wastewater treatment plants. This understanding is almost solely based on culture-based control measures, and here we show, by applying culture-independent methods, that the removal of species in the genus Arcobacter was less effective than for many other abundant genera in the influent wastewater. Arcobacter was one of the most abundant genera in influent wastewater at 14 municipal wastewater treatment plants and was also abundant in the “clean” effluent from all the plants, reaching up to 30% of all bacteria as analyzed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Metagenomic analyses, culturing, genome sequencing of Arcobacter isolates, and visualization by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) confirmed the presence of the human-pathogenic Arcobacter cryaerophilus and A. butzleri in both influent and effluent. The main reason for the high relative abundance in the effluent was probably that Arcobacter cells, compared to those of other abundant genera in the influent, did not flocculate and attach well to the activated sludge flocs, leaving a relatively large fraction dispersed in the water phase. The study shows there is an urgent need for new standardized culture-independent measurements of pathogens in effluent wastewaters, e.g., amplicon sequencing, and an investigation of the problem on a global scale to quantify the risk for humans and livestock. IMPORTANCE The genus Arcobacter was unexpectedly abundant in the effluent from 14 Danish wastewater treatment plants treating municipal wastewater, and the species included the human-pathogenic A. cryaerophilus and A. butzleri. Recent studies have shown that Arcobacter is common in wastewater worldwide, so the study indicates that discharge of members of the genus Arcobacter may be a global problem, and further studies are needed to quantify the risk and potentially minimize the discharge. The study also shows that culture-based analyses are insufficient for proper effluent quality control, and new standardized culture-independent measurements of effluent quality encompassing most pathogens should be considered.

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