Protocol for detection of pathogenic enteric RNA viruses by regular monitoring of environmental samples from wastewater treatment plants using droplet digital PCR

Background:The present comprehensive protocol is focused on the detection of pathogenic enteric RNA viruses,explicitly focusing on norovirus genogroup II(GII),astrovirus,rotavirus,Aichi virus,sapovirus,hepatitis A and E viruses in wastewater treatment plants through droplet digital PCR(ddPCR).Enteric viruses are of significant public health concern,as they are the leading cause of diseases like gastroenteritis.Regular monitoring of environmental samples,particularly from wastewater treatment plants,is crucial for early detection and control of these viruses.This research aims to improve the understanding of the prevalence and dynamics of enteric viruses in urban India and will serve as a model for similar studies in other regions.Our protocol's objective is to establish a novel ddPCRbased methodology for the detection and molecular characterization of enteric viruses present in wastewater samples sourced from Bhopal,India.Our assay is capable of accurately quantifying virus concentrations without standard curves,minimizing extensive optimization,and enhancing sensitivity and precision,especially for low-abundance targets.Methods:The study involves fortnightly collecting and analyzing samples from nine wastewater treatment plants over two years,ensuring comprehensive coverage and consistent data.Our study innovatively applies ddPCR to simultaneously detect and quantify enteric viruses in wastewater,a more advanced technique.Additionally,we will employ next-generation sequencing for detailed viral genome identification in samples tested positive for pathogenic viruses.Conclusion:This study will aid in understanding these viruses’genetic diversity and mutation rates,which is crucial for developing tailored intervention strategies.The findings will be instrumental in shaping public health responses and improving epidemiological surveillance,especially in localities heaving sewage networks.

The Effect of Wastewater Treatment Plants on Retainment of Plastic Microparticles to Enhance Water Quality—A Review

Microplastics, plastic pieces of ≤5 mm in size, are ubiquitous in ther environment and can be found in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This manuscript reviews the literature on the fate of microplastics in wastewater treatment and briefly highlights novel developments in the removal of microplastics from aqueous systems.

Levels and distributions of polychlorinated biphenyls in sewage sludge of urban wastewater treatment plants

Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls （PCBs） have been measured in sewage sludge samples from 8 urban wastewater treatment plants in Beijing, China. The PCB congeners were analyzed by isotope dilution high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry method. The concentration of PCBs ranged from 65.6 to 157 ng/g dry weight （dw）, with a mean value of 101 ng/g dw. The dioxin-like PCB WHO-TEQs （World Health Organization-Toxic Equivalents） of the sludge were lower than 1 pg /g dw. Consequently, all the concentrations of PCBs in sludge samples were below the upper limit for land application according to the Chinese legislation law for agriculture use. The PCB homologue profiles in sludge samples were dominated by tri-CBs and tetra- CBs. Similar distributions have been found in one of the Chinese PCB commercial products. The patterns of dioxin-like and indicator congeners observed in this study were quite similar in all samples. The predominant congener for dioxin-like and indicator PCBs were PCB-118 and PCB-28, respectively, while PCB-126 had the highest TEQ value.

Environmental Assessment of AI-Hilla City Wastewater Treatment Plants

Iraq is one of the countries that is suffering from water shortage problems and, for this reason, wastewater treatment plants become a necessity to minimize this problem. In this study, the impact of A1-Hilla WWTP （wastewater treatment plant） on the environment has been studied. This was achieved using SimaPro software package. This software is a powerful tool for analyzing the environmental impact on products during their whole life cycle. A huge amount of knowledge about the environment is built into the program and database, enabling to analyze a product with a minimum of specialized knowledge. The results of LCA （life cycle assessment） showed that the impact and damage on the environment by A1-Hilla WWTP was 41 bad points for each 1 m3 of treated wastewater. The most environmental impacts potentially were global warming, respiratory inorganics and non-renewable energy. The study also showed that most of the effects were the result of the use of cement, steel and electricity consumption.

Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from municipal wastewater treatment plants in China:A plant-level and technology-specific study

Wastewater treatment is an important source of greenhouse gases(GHGs).Yet large uncertainties remain in the quantification of GHG emissions from municipal wastewater treatment plants(MWWTPs)in China.A high-resolution and technology-specific emission inventory is still lacking to support mitigation strategies of MWWTPs.Here we develop a plant-level and technology-based MWWTP emission inventory for China covering 8703 plants and 19 treatment technology categories by compiling and harmonizing the most up-to-date facility-level databases.China's methane(CH_(4))and nitrous oxide(N_(2)O)emissions from MWWTPs in 2020 are estimated to be 150.6 Gg and 22.0 Gg,respectively,with the uncertainty range of-30%to 37%and-30%to 26%at 95%confidence interval.We find an emission inequality across cities,with the richest cities emitting two times more CH_(4)and N_(2)O per capita from municipal wastewater treatment than the poorest cities.The emitted CH_(4)and N_(2)O are dominated by Anaerobic/Anoxic/Oxic-,Sequencing Batch Reactor-,Oxidation Ditch-,and Anoxic/Oxic-based MWWTPs of less than 20 years old.Considering the relatively young age structure of China's MWWTPs,the committed emissions highlight the importance of reducing on-site GHG emissions by optimization of operating conditions and innovation management.The emission differences among our estimates,previous studies,and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines are largely attributed to the uncertainties in emission factors,implying the urgent need for more plant-integrated measurements to improve the accuracy of emission accounting.

A global perspective on microbial risk factors in effluents of wastewater treatment plants

Effective monitoring and management of microbial risk factors in wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs)effluents require a comprehensive investigation of these risks.A global survey on microbial risk factors in WWTP effluents could reveal important insights into their risk features.This study aims to explore the abundance and types of antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs),virulence factor genes(VFGs),the vector of ARG/VFG,and dominant pathogens in global WWTP effluents.We collected 113 metagenomes of WWTP effluents from the Sequence Read Archive of the National Center for Biotechnology Information and characterized the microbial risk factors.Our results showed that multidrug resistance was the dominant ARG type,while offensive virulence factors were the most abundant type of VFGs.The most dominant types of ARGs in the vector of plasmid and phage were both aminoglycoside resistance,which is concerning as aminoglycosides are often a last resort for treating multi-resistant infections.Acinetobacter baumannii was the most dominant pathogen,rather than Escherichia coli,and a weak negative correlation between Escherichia coli and two other dominant pathogens(Acinetobacter baumannii and Bacteroides uniformis)suggests that using Escherichia coli as a biological indicator for all pathogens in WWTP effluents may not be appropriate.The Getah virus was the most dominant virus found in global WWTP effluents.Our study presents a comprehensive global-scale investigation of microbial risk factors in WWTP effluents,providing valuable insights into the potential risks associated with WWTP effluents and contributing to the monitoring and control of these risks.

Energy neutrality potential of wastewater treatment plants:A novel evaluation framework integrating energy efficiency and recovery

Wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs)consume large amounts of energy and emit greenhouse gases to remove pollutants.This study proposes a framework for evaluating the energy neutrality potential(ENP)of WWTPs from an integrated perspective.Operational data of 970 WWTPs in the Yangtze River Economic Belt(YREB)were extracted from the China Urban Drainage Yearbook 2018.The potential chemical and thermal energies were estimated using combined heat and power(CHP)and water source heat pump,respectively.Two key performance indicators(KPIs)were then established:the energy self-sufficiency(ESS)indicator,which reflects the offset degree of energy recovery,and the comprehensive water–energy efficiency(CWEE)indicator,which characterizes the efficiency of water–energy conversion.For the qualitative results,98 WWTPs became the benchmark(i.e.,CWEE=1.000),while 112 WWTPs were fully self-sufficient(i.e.,ESS≥100%).Subsequently,four types of ENP were classified by setting the median values of the two KPIs as the critical value.The WWTPs with high ENP had high net thermal energy values and relatively loose discharge limits.The explanatory factor analysis of water quantity and quality verified the existence of scale economies.Sufficient carbon source and biodegradability condition were also significant factors.As the CWEE indicator was mostly sensitive to the input of CHP,future optimization shall focus on the moisture and organic content of sludge.This study proposes a novel framework for evaluating the ENP of WWTPs.The results can provide guidance for optimizing the energy efficiency and recovery of WWTPs.

Cloud-Model-Based Feature Engineering to Analyze the Energy-Water Nexus of a Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Plant

Wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs)are important and energy-intensive municipal infrastructures.High energy consumption and relatively low operating performance are major challenges from the perspective of carbon neutrality.However,water-energy nexus analysis and models for WWTPs have rarely been reported to date.In this study,a cloud-model-based energy consumption analysis(CMECA)of a WWTP was conducted to explore the relationship between influent and energy consumption by clustering its influent’s parameters.The principal component analysis(PCA)and K-means clustering were applied to classify the influent condition using water quality and volume data.The energy consumption of the WWTP is divided into five standard evaluation levels,and its cloud digital characteristics(CDCs)were extracted according to bilateral constraints and golden ratio methods.Our results showed that the energy consumption distribution gradually dispersed and deviated from the Gaussian distribution with decreased water concentration and quantity.The days with high energy efficiency were extracted via the clustering method from the influent category of excessive energy consumption,represented by a compact-type energy consumption distribution curve to identify the influent conditions that affect the steady distribution of energy consumption.The local WWTP has high energy consumption with 0.3613 kW·h·m^(-3)despite low influent concentration and volumes,across four consumption levels from low(I)to relatively high(IV),showing an unsatisfactory operation and management level.The average oxygenation capacity,internal reflux ratio,and external reflux ratio during high energy efficiency days recognized by further clustering were obtained(0.2924-0.3703 kg O_(2)·m^(-3),1.9576-2.4787,and 0.6603-0.8361,respectively),which could be used as a guide for the days with low energy efficiency.Consequently,this study offers a water-energy nexus analysis method to identify influent conditions with operational management anomalies and can be used as an empirical reference for the optimized operation of WWTPs.

Potential regulation of small RNAs on bacterial function activities in pig farm wastewater treatment plants

Small RNAs(sRNAs)are key players in the regulation of bacterial gene expression.However,the distribution and regulatory functions of sRNA in pig farm wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs)remains unknown.In this study,the wastewaters in anoxic and oxic tanks of the WWTPs were collected.The profiles of the community structure,mRNA expression,and sRNA expression of bacteria in pig farm wastewater were investigated using transcriptome sequencing and qPCR.This study demonstrated that there was a higher abundance of sRNA in the pig farm WWTPs and 52 sRNAs were detected.The sRNAs were mainly present in Proteobacteria and Firmicutes,including the potential human pathogenic bacteria(HPB)(Escherichia,Shigella,Bordetella and Morganella),crop pathogen(Pectobacterium)and denitrifying bacteria(Zobellella).And the sRNAs were involved in the bacterial functional activities such as translation,transcription,drug resistance,membrane transport and amino acid metabolism.In addition,most sRNAs had a higher abundance in anoxic tanks which contained a higher abundance of the genes associated with infectious diseases and drug resistance than that in oxic tanks.The results presented here show that in pig farm WWTPs,sRNA played an important role in bacterial function activities,especially the infectious diseases,drug resistance and denitrification,which can provide a new point of penetration for improving the pig farm WWTPs.

Screening of agonistic activities against four nuclear receptors in wastewater treatment plants in Japan using a yeast two-hybrid assay

To assess the potential endocrine disruptive effects through multiple nuclear receptors （NRs）, especially non-steroidal NRs, in municipal wastewater, we examined the agonistic activities on four NRs （estrogen receptor α, thyroid hormone receptor α, retinoic acid receptor ct and retinoid X receptor α） of untreated and treated wastewater from municipal wastewater treatment plants （WWTPs） in Japan using a yeast two-hybrid assay. Investigation of the influent and effluent of seven WWTPs revealed that agonistic activities against steroidal and non-steroidal NRs were always detected in the influents and partially remained in the effluents. Further investigation of four WWTPs employing conventional activated sludge, pseudo-anoxic-oxic, anoxic-oxic and anaerobic-anoxic-oxic processes revealed that the ability to reduce the agonistic activity against each of the four NRs varies depending on the treatment process. These results indicated that municipal wastewater in Japan commonly contains endocrine disrupting chemicals that exert agonistic activities on steroidal and non-steroidal NRs, and that some of these chemicals are released into the natural aquatic environment. Although the results obtained in yeast assays suggested that measured levels of non-steroidal NR agonists in the effluent of WWTPs were not likely to cause any biological effect, further study is required to assess their possible risks in detail.

Wastewater treatment plants and release:The vase of Odin for emerging bacterial contaminants,resistance and determinant of environmental wellness

Municipal wastewater consists of a downstream collection of flushed sewage(without solid waste),other household runoffs,industrial runoffs,hospital runoffs and agricultural runoffs through an underground pipe before treatment.A runoff collection system called the wastewater treatment plant(WWTPs)treats such wastewater before release into environment following specific regulatory standards.This years-long practice has been improved upon by adding end-to-end pipe technologies with a view to enhancing the quality of effluent released.However,effluents released into the environment from design/application of WWTPs appear to contain emerging contaminants of both biotic and abiotic nature.The observation of chemical contaminants,antibiotic resistant bacteria(ARB),antibiotic resistant genes(ARGs)and diverse pathogenic bacteria genera in wastewater works release further affirm the abundance of such emerging contaminants.As a result,the government and water regulatory organizations in various part of the world are considering the removal of water reuse act from recycling policy/process.Current global debate is focused on questions about sustenance of any improved additional treatment level;effect of energy consumption by added treatment stage and its impact on the environmental wellness as contaminants borne wastewater is consistently released.Technological advancement/research suggests implementation of newer innovative infrastructural systems(NIIS)such as Mobbing Bed Biofilm Rector(MBBR),for wastewater effluent management which involve addition of newer wastewater treatment stages.This review addressed current pitfalls including wastewater microbiota of high epidemiological/public health relevance and affirms the need for such improvement which requires modification of ongoing institutional framework with a view to encourage implementation of NIIS for an improved effluent release.Exploiting the advances of microbial biofilming and the potentials of microbial biofueling as discussed in various section promises a future of robust environmental system,stable operational standard,release of quality effluent and sustainable management of wastewater works.Application of the aforementioned would enhance qualityWWTPs release and in-defacto reduces spread of ARB/ARGs as well as impacts both the environment wellness and public health.

Photosensitivity sources of dissolved organic matter from wastewater treatment plants and their mediation effect on 17α-ethinylestradiol photodegradation

Dissolved organic matter(DOM)from each treatment process of wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs)contains abundant photosensitive substances,which could significantly affect the photodegradation of 17α-ethinylestradiol(EE2).Nevertheless,information about EE2 photodegradation behavior mediated by DOM from diverse WWTPs and the photosensitivity sources of such DOM are inadequate.This study explored the photodegradation behavior of EE2 mediated by four typical WWTPs’DOM solutions and investigated the photosensitivity sources of DOM in the anaerobic-anoxic-oxic(A2/O)process.The parallel factor analysis identified three varying fluorescing components of these DOM,tryptophan-like substances or protein-like substances,microbial humuslike substances,and humic-like components.The photodegradation rate constants of EE2 were positively associated with the humification degree of DOM(P<0.05).The triplet state substances were responsible for the degradation of EE2.DOM extracted from the A2/O process,especially in the secondary treatment process had the fastest EE2 photodegradation rate compared to that of the other three processes.Four types of components(water-soluble organic matter(WSOM),extracellular polymeric substance,humic acid,and fulvic acid)were separated from the A2/O process DOM.WSOM had the highest promotion effect on EE2 photodegradation.Fulvic acid-like components and humic acid-like organic compounds in WSOM were speculated to be important photosensitivity substances that can generate triplet state substances.This research explored the physicochemical properties and photosensitive sources of DOM in WWTPs,and explained the fate of estrogens photodegradation in natural waters.

Characterization of the genes involved in nitrogen cycling in wastewater treatment plants using DNA microarray and most probable number-PCR

To improve nitrogen removal performance of wastewater treatment plants （WWTPs）, it is essential to understand the behavior of nitrogen cycling communities, which comprise various microorganisms. This study characterized the quantity and diversity of nitrogen cycling genes in various processes of municipal WWTPs by employing two molecular-based methods：most probable number-polymerase chain reaction （MPN-PCR） and DNA microarray. MPN-PCR analysis revealed that gene quantities were not statistically different among processes, suggesting that conventional actwated sludge processes （CAS） are similar to nitrogen removal processes in their ability to retain an adequate population of nitrogen cycling microorganisms. Furthermore, most processes in the WWTPs that were researched shared a pattern：the nitS and the bacterial amoA genes were more abundant than the nirK and archaeal amoA genes, respectivelv. DNA microarray analysis revealed that several kinds of nitrification and denitrification genes were detected in both CAS and anaerobic-oxic processes （AO）, whereas limited genes were detected in nitrogen removal processes. Results of this study suggest that CAS maintains a diverse community of nitrogen cycling microorganisms; moreover, the microbial communities in nitrogen removal processes may be specific.

Characteristic and correlation analysis of influent and energy consumption of wastewater treatment plants in Taihu Basin

The water quality and energy consumption of wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs)in Taihu Basin were evaluated on the basis of the operation data from 204 municipal WWTPs in the basin by using various statistical methods.The influent ammonia nitrogen(NH3-N)and total nitrogen(TN)of WWTPs in Taihu Basin showed normal distribution,whereas chemical oxygen demand(COD),biochemical oxygen demand(BOD5),suspended solid(SS),and total phosphorus(TP)showed positively skewed distribution.The influent BOD5/COD was 0.4%-0.6%,only 39.2%SS/BOD5 exceeded the standard by 36.3%,the average BOD5/TN was 3.82,and the probability of influent BOD5/TP>20 was 82.8%.The average energy consumption of WWTPs in Taihu Basin in 2017 was 0.458 kWh/m^3.The specific energy consumption of WWTPs with a daily treatment capacity of more than 5×10^4 m^3 in Taihu Basin was stable at 0.33 kWh/m^3.A power function relationship was observed between the reduction in COD and NH3-N and the specific energy consumption of pollutant reduction,and the higher the pollutant reduction is,the lower the specific energy consumption of pollutant reduction presents.In addition,a linear relationship existed between the energy consumption of WWTPs and the specific energy consumption of influent volume and pollutant reduction.Therefore,upgrading and operation with less energy consumption of WWTPs is imperative and the suggestions for Taihu WWTPs based on stringent discharge standard are proposed in detail.

Composition,dispersion,and health risks of bioaerosols in wastewater treatment plants:A review

Bioaerosols are defined as airbome particles(0.05-100 um in size)of biological origin.They are considered potentially harmful to human health as they can contain pathogens such as bacteria,fungi,and viruses.This review summarizes the most recent research on the health risks of bioaerosols emitted from wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs)in order to improve the control of such bioaerosols.The concentration and size distribution of WWTP bioaerosols;their major emission sources,composition,and health risks;and considerations for future research are discussed.The major themes and findings in the literature are as follows:the major emission sources of WWTP bioaerosols include screen rooms,sludge-dewatering rooms,and acration tanks;the bioaerosol concentrations in screen and sludge-dewatering rooms are higher than those outdoors.WWTP bioacrosols contain a variety of potentially pathogenic bacteria,fungi,antibiotic resistance genes,viruses,endotoxins,and toxic metal(loid)s.These potentially,pathogenic substances spread with the bioaerosols,thereby posing health risks to workers and residents in and around the WWTP.Inhalation has been identified as the main exposure route,and children are at a higher risk of this than adults.Future studies should identify emerging contaminants,establish health risk assessments,and develop prevention and control systems.

CH_4 emission and conversion from A^2O and SBR processes in full-scale wastewater treatment plants

Wastewater treatment systems are important anthropogenic sources of CH4 emission. A full-scale experiment was carried out to monitor the CH4 emission from anoxic/anaerobic/oxic process （A2O） and sequencing batch reactor （SBR） wastewater treatment plants （WWTPs） for one year from May 2011 to April 2012. The main emission unit of the A2O process was an oxic tank, accounting for 76.2% of CH4 emissions; the main emission unit of the SBR process was the feeding and aeration phase, accounting for 99.5% of CH4 emissions. CH4 can be produced in the anaerobic condition, such as in the primary settling tank and anaerobic tank of the A2O process. While CH4 can be consumed in anoxic denitrification or the aeration condition, such as in the anoxic tank and oxic tank of the A2O process and the feeding and aeration phase of the SBR process. The CH4 emission flux and the dissolved CH4 concentration rapidly decreased in the oxic tank of the A2O process. These metrics increased during the first half of the phase and then decreased during the latter half of the phase in the feeding and aeration phase of the SBR process. The CH4 oxidation rate ranged from 32.47% to 89.52% （mean： 67.96%） in the A2O process and from 12.65% to 88.31% （mean： 47.62%） in the SBR process. The mean CH4 emission factors were 0.182 g/ton of wastewater and 24.75 g CH4/（person.year） for the A2O process, and 0.457 g/ton of wastewater and 36.55 g CH4/（person.year） for the SBR process.

Distribution,characteristics and daily fluctuations of microplastics throughout wastewater treatment plants with mixed domestic-industrial influents in Wuxi City,China

In wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs),microplastics(MPs)are complex,especially with mixed domestic–industrial influents.Conventional random grab sampling can roughly depict the distribution and characteristics of MPs but can not accurately reflect their daily fluctuations.In this study,the concentration,shape,polymer type,size,and color of MPs were analyzed by micro-Raman spectroscopy(detection limit of 0.05 mm)throughout treatment stages of three mixed domestic–industrial WWTPs(W1,W2,and W3)in Wuxi City,China,and the daily fluctuations of MPs were also obtained by dense grab sampling within 24 h.For influent samples,the average MP concentration of 392.2 items/L in W1 with 10%industrial wastewater was much higher than those in W2(71.2 items/L with 10%industrial wastewater)and W3(38.3 items/L with 60%industrial wastewater).White polyethylene granules with a diameter less than 0.5 mm from plastic manufacturing were the most dominant MPs in the influent of W1,proving the key role of industrial sources in MPs pollution.In addition,the daily dense sampling results showed that MP concentration in W1 influent fluctuated widely between 29.1 items/L and 4617.6 items/L within a day.Finally,few MPs(less than 4.0 items/L)in these WWTPs effluents were attributed to the effective removal of wastewater treatment processes.Thus,further attention should be paid to regulating the primary sources of MPs.

Microplastics in municipal wastewater treatment plants: a case study of Denizli/Turkey

Plastic particles smaller than 5 mm are microplastics.They are among the significant pollutants that recently attracted attention.Great quantities of microplastics enter the sewage system daily and reach wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs).As a result,WWTPs are potential microplastic sources.Hence,they create a pathway for microplastics to reach aquatic environments with treated wastewater discharge.Studies on microplastic characterization in WWTPs have gained momentum in academia.This study investigates the abundance,size,shape,color,polymer type,and removal efficiencies of microplastics in a municipal wastewater treatment plant(WWTP)in Denizli/Turkey.The results showed that the dominant microplastic shape in wastewater samples was fibers(41.78%–60.77%)in the 100–500μm(58.57%–80.07%)size range.Most of the microplastics were transparent-white(32.86%–58.93%).The dominant polymer types were polyethylene(54.05%)and polyethylene vinyl acetate(37.84%)in raw wastewater.Furthermore,the microplastic removal efficiencies of the Denizli Central WWTP as a whole and for individual treatment units were evaluated.Although the microplastic pollution removal efficiency of the Denizli Central WWTP was over 95%,the microplastic concentration discharged daily into the receiving environment was considerably high(1.28×1010 MP/d).Thus,Denizli Central WWTP effluents result in a high volume of emissions in terms of microplastic pollution with a significant daily discharge to theÇürüksu Stream.

Occurrence,distribution,and potential influencing factors of sewage sludge components derived from nine full-scale wastewater treatment plants of Beijing,China

Millions of tons of waste activated sludge（WAS） produced from biological wastewater treatment processes cause severe adverse environmental consequences. A better understanding of WAS composition is thus very critical for sustainable sludge management. In this work, the occurrence and distribution of several fundamental sludge constituents were explored in WAS samples from nine full-scale wastewater treatment plants（WWTPs） of Beijing, China. Among all the components investigated, active heterotrophic biomass was dominant in the samples（up to 9478 mg/L）, followed by endogenous residues（6736 mg/L）,extracellular polymeric substances（2088 mg/L）, and intracellular storage products（464 mg/L）among others. Moreover, significant differences（p 〈 0.05） were observed in composition profiles of sludge samples among the studied WWTPs. To identify the potential parameters affecting the variable fractions of sludge components, wastewater source as well as design and operational parameters of WWTPs were studied using statistical methods. The findings indicated that the component fraction of sewage sludge depends more on wastewater treatment alternatives than on wastewater characteristics among other parameters. A principal component analysis was conducted, which further indicated that there was a greater proportion of residual inert biomass in the sludge produced by the combined system of the conventional anaerobic/anoxic/oxic process and a membrane bioreactor. Additionally, a much longer solids retention time was also found to influence the sludge composition and induce an increase in both endogenous inert residues and extracellular polymeric substances in the sludge.

Temporal trends of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFAS)in the influent of two of the largest wastewater treatment plants in Australia

Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFAS)are found ubiquitously in wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs)due to their multiple sources in industry and consumer products.In Australia,limited spatial data are available on PFAS levels inWWTPs influent,while no temporal data have been reported.The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence and temporal trend of PFAS in the influent of two large WWTPs in Australia(WWTP A and B)over a four-year period.Daily influent samples were collected over one week at different seasons from 2014 to 2017.Eleven perfluoroalkyl acids(PFAA)(i.e.seven perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids(PFCAs)and four perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids(PFSA))were detected with mean S11PFAA concentrations of 57±3.3e94±17 ng/L at WWTP A,and 31±6.1e142±73 ng/L at WWTP B.The highest mean concentrations were observed for perfluorohexanoate(PFHxA)(20±2 ng/L)in WWTP A,and perfluorooctane sulfonate(PFOS)(17±13 ng/L)in WWTP B.The precursor 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate was detected over five sampling periods from Aug 2016 to Oct 2017,with mean concentrations of 37±18e138±51 ng/L for WWTP A and 8.8±4.5e29±5.1 ng/L for WWTP B.Higher concentration of 6:2 FTS(1.8e11 folds)than those of PFOA and PFOS in WWTP A indicate a likely substitution of C8 PFAA by fluorotelomer-based PFAS in this catchment.Temporal trends(annual and seasonal)in per-capita mass load were observed for some PFAA,increasing for PFPeA,PFHxA,PFHpA,PFNA,and PFHxS,while decreasing for PFBS and PFOS in either WWTPs.Notably,elevated levels of PFOS in October 2017 were observed at both WWTPs with the highest per capita mass load of up to 67 mg/day/inhabitant.For some PFAS release trends,longer sampling periods would be required to achieve acceptable statistical power.