Biofilm structure and its influence on clogging in drip irrigation emitters distributing reclaimed wastewater

Using reclaimed wastewater for crop irrigation is a practical alternative to discharge wastewater treatment plant effluents into surface waters.However,biofouling has been identified as a major contributor to emitter clogging in drip irrigation systems distributing reclaimed wastewater.Little is known about the biofilm structure and its influence on clogging in the drip emitter flow path.This study was first to investigate the microbial characteristics of mature biofilms present in the emitters and the effect of flow path structures on the biofilm microbial communities.The analysis of biofilm matrix structure using a scanning electron microscopy（SEM） revealed that particles in the matrix of the biofilm coupled extracellular polysaccharides（EPS） and formed sediment in the emitter flow path.Analysis of biofilm mass including protein,polysaccharide,and phospholipid fatty acids（PLFAs） showed that emitter flow path style influenced biofilm community structure and diversity.The correlations of biofilm biomass and discharge reduction after 360 h irrigation were computed and suggest that PFLAs provide the best correlation coeffcient.Comparatively,the emitter with the unsymmetrical dentate structure and shorter flow path（Emitter C） had the best anti-clogging capability.By optimizing the dentate structure,the internal flow pattern within the flow path could be enhanced as an important method to control the biofilm within emitter flow path.This study established electron microscope techniques and biochemical microbial analysis methods that may provide a framework for future emitter biofilm studies.

Countermeasures of Reclaimed Municipal Wastewater for Safety of Agricultural Use in China

China is facing a severe water resource crisis, and the shortage of water for agricultural consumption is a prominent problem. Irrigation with reclaimed municipal wastewater that can reach the agricultural recycling standards is an important way to deal with water shortage in agricultural production. Owing to the complex sources of municipal wastewater, there are multifarious pollutants in municipal wastewater. Improper use of wastewater can cause potential risks to agoenvironment, agricultural products safety, and human health. This article deals with the current situation and the development prospects of reclaimed wastewater for agricultural use in China and abroad; the potential risks to human health and environmental pollution from the reclaimed municipal wastewater for agricultural reuse are also discussed. And some countermeasures and advices of reclaimed municipal wastewater for safety of agricultural reuse are provided.

Identification of odorous compounds in reclaimed water using FPA combined with sensory GC-MS

Odorous compounds in the influent of a reclaimed water treatment plant （RWTP）, consisting of coagulation, sedimentation, continuous micro-filtration （CMF）, and chlorination in succession, in a north China city, were identified by combining flavor profile analysis （FPA） with sensory gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. The sewery/swampy/septic odor with an odor intensity of 6.4 was found to be the major odor group in the RWTP influent, and the existence of well-known odorant including dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, indole and skatole were confirmed using GC-MS. The result of a spiking test showed that the intensity （3.6） of the sewery/swampy/septic odor caused by these four chemicals contributed to over 50% of the odor intensity of the influent. The FPA intensity for sewery/swampy/septic odor in the RWTP effluent was 3.8, showing that the treatment process was not efficient for the removal of odorants, particularly indole and skatole.

Fate and risk assessment of emerging contaminants in reclaimed water production processes

Reclaimed water has been widely applied in irrigation and industrial production.Revealing the behavior of emerging contaminants in the production process of reclaimed water is the first prerequisite for developing relevant water quality standards.This study investigated 43 emerging contaminants,including 22 pharmaceuticals and personal care products(PPCPs),11 organophosphorus flame retardants(OPFRs),and 10 antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs)in 3 reclaimed wastewater treatment plants(RWTPs)in Beijing.The composition profiles and removal efficiencies of these contaminants in RWTPs were determined.The results indicated that the distribution characteristics of the different types of contaminants in the three RWTPs were similar.Caffeine,sul2 and tris(1-chloro-2-propyl)phosphate were the dominant substances in the wastewater,and their highest concentrations were 27104 ng/L,1.4×10^(7) copies/mL and 262 ng/L,respectively.Ofloxacin and sul2 were observed to be the dominant substances in the sludge,and their highest concentrations were 5419 ng/g and 3.7×10^(8) copies/g,respectively.Anaerobic/anoxic/oxic system combined with the membrane bioreactor process achieved a relatively high aqueous removal of PPCPs(87%).ARGs and OPFRs were challenging to remove,with average removal rates of 6.5%and 31%,respectively.Quantitative meta-analysis indicated that tertiary treatment processes performed better in emerging contaminant removal than secondary processes.Diethyltoluamide exhibited the highest mass load discharge,with 33.5 mg/d per 1000 inhabitants.Octocrylene and tris(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate posed high risks(risk quotient>1.0)to aquatic organisms.This study provides essential evidence to screen high priority pollutants and develop corresponding standard in RWTPs.