Evolution and health risk of indicator microorganisms in landscape water replenished by reclaimed water

As an important means to solve water shortage,reclaimed water has been widely used for landscape water supply.However,with the emergence of large-scale epidemic diseases such as SARS,avian influenza and COVID-19 in recent years,people are increasingly concerned about the public health safety of reclaimed water discharged into landscape water,especially the pathogenic microorganisms in it.In this study,the water quality and microorganisms of the Old Summer Palace,a landscape water body with reclaimed water as the only replenishment water source,were tracked through long-term dynamic monitoring.And the health risks of indicator microorganisms were analyzed using Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment(QMRA).It was found that the concentration of indicator microorganisms Enterococcus(ENT),Escherichia coli(EC)and Fecal coliform(FC)generally showed an upward trend along the direction of water flow and increased by more than 0.6 log at the end of the flow.The concentrations of indicator microorganisms were higher in summer and autumn than those in spring.And there was a positive correlation between the concentration of indicator microorganisms and COD.Further research suggested that increased concentration of indicator microorganisms also led to increased health risks,which were more than 30%higher in other areas of the park than the water inlet area and required special attention.In addition,(water)surface operation exposure pathway had much higher health risks than other pathways and people in related occupations were advised to take precautions to reduce the risks.

Removal of pathogenic indicator microorganisms during partial nitrification:the role of free nitrous acid

Digested wastewater contains pathogenic microorganisms and high ammonia concentrations,which can pose a potential risk to public health.Effective removal of pathogens and nitrogen is crucial for the post-treatment of digested wastewater.Partial nitrification-anammox is an energy-saving nitrogen removal process.Free nitrous acid(FNA),an intermediate product of partial nitrification,has the potential to inactivate microorganisms.However,the efficiency and mechanisms of FNA-related inactivation in pathogens during partial nitrification remains unclear.In this study,Enterococcus and Escherichia coli(E.coli)were selected to investigate the efficiency and mechanisms of FNA-related inactivation in partial nitrification process.The results revealed that 83%±13%and 59%±27%of E.coli and Enterococcus were removed,respectively,in partial nitrification process at FNA concentrations of 0.023−0.028 mg/L.When the concentration of FNA increased from 0 to 0.5 mg/L,the inactivation efficiencies of E.coli and Enterococcus increased from 0 to 99.9%and 89.9%,respectively.Enterococcus exhibited a higher resistance to FNA attack compared to E.coli.3D-laser scanning microscopy(3D-LSM)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM)revealed that FNA exposure caused the surface collapse of E.coli and Enterococcus,as well as visible pore formation on the surface of E.coli cells.4',6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride n-hydrate(DAPI)/propidium iodide(PI)and biomolecule leakage confirmed that inactivation of E.coli and Enterococcus occurred due to breakdown of cell walls and cell membranes.These findings indicate that partial nitrification process can be used for the removal of residual pathogenic microorganisms.

Mortality rates of pathogen indicator microorganisms discharged from point and non-point sources in an urban area

This research measured the mortality rates of pathogen indicator microorganisms discharged from various point and non-point sources in an urban area. Water samples were collected from a domestic sewer, a combined sewer overflow, the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant, and an urban river. Mortality rates of indicator microorganisms in sediment of an urban fiver were also measured. Mortality rates of indicator microorganisms in domestic sewage, estimated by assuming first order kinetics at 20℃ were 0.197 day^-1, 0.234 day^-1, 0.258 day^-1 and 0.276 day^-1 for total coliform, fecal coliform, Escherichia coli, and fecal streptococci, respectively. Effects of temperature, sunlight irradiation and settlement on the mortality rate were measured. Results of this research can be used as input data for water quality modeling or can be used as design factors for treatment facilities.