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.

Optimum municipal wastewater treatment plant design with consideration of uncertainty

A newly developed model for the optimum municipal wastewater treatment plant(MWTP) design is presented. Through introducing the interval variables, the model attempts to consider the effects of uncertainties caused by the fluctuation of the wastewater quality and quantity during the design of MWTP. The model solution procedure is illustrated in detail, and a numerical example is given to verify the feasibility and advantage of the model. Furthermore, the possibility of the model application is briefly outlined.

Advanced Treatment of Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent by Using Biofilms on Filamentous Bamboo

[ Objective ] The study aimed at treating wastewater treatment plant （WWTP） effluent by using bio-film reactor with filamentous bamboo as bio-carrier. [ Method] With the aid of a continuous flow reactor, a bio-film reactor using filamentous bamboo as bio-carrier was used to treat WWTP effluent with low C/N ratio, and the removal effects of CODc,, TN （total nitrogen）, and NO3--N in the wastewater were analyzed.[ Result ] The average removal rates of CODcr, TN, and NO3- -N reached 47.7%, 23.6% and 34.5% when the C/N ratio of influent was around 2. In addi- tion, a stable bio-film was formed very well in the secondary effluent with low C/N ratio and hardly degradable organic pollutants. The pollutants could be removed effectively because of the excellent surface characteristics and compositions of filamentous bamboo. [ Conclusion] The research provides a new method to treat WWTP effluent with low C/N ratio.

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.

Notice on a Case Study on the Utilization of Wind Energy Potential on a Remote and Isolated Small Wastewater Treatment Plant

Small wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are frequently located, by necessity, in remote and isolated sites, which increases the difficulty of its energy supply. Some of them are located near the seaside, in environmental sensible zones, and due to tourism activity of these sites, seasonal effects related with population size fluctuation can occur, which can originate certain inefficiencies concerning WWTP design and energy supply. The objective of this paper is to describe a step by step procedure for evaluation of the wind potential of sites that are dependent of in-situ energy generation, as well as, a case study on the utilization of the potential wind energy in Magoito WWTP (5000 p.e.). The employed methodology comprised the collection of one year of in-situ wind data and its validation by comparison with historical data of about 10 years of a nearby anemometric station. The data provided by the two anemometric stations was statistically treated. It allowed the analysis of the results from the two stations are promissory in terms of wind availability and velocity. Finally, it comprised the simulation of the local wind conditions for a considerable larger area in order to find the best site for locating a wind turbine.

Effectiveness of Centralized Wastewater Treatment Plant in Removing Emerging Contaminants: A Case Study at Kuching, Malaysia

Before the construction of the Kuching Centralized Wastewater Treatment System Package 1 (KCWTSP1), partially treated blackwater and greywater were discharged directly into natural waterways. The accumulated wastewater had polluted Sarawak river, which is regulated and cannot discharge freely into the South China Sea. The polluted Sarawak river has endangered human health, river water quality, and aquatic ecosystems. Hence, the KCWTSP1 commissioned in 2015 serves the purpose of removing pollutants from wastewater before it is discharged into natural waterways. However, the effectiveness of KCWTPP1 is unknown. This paper is aimed to discuss and review the effectiveness of KCWTPP1 in treating wastewater since its inception in 2015. From 2017 to 2020, KCWTPP1 has treated an average of 4,200,000 m3 of wastewater per year. Generally, most of the discharge effluent met Environmental Quality Act (1974) Standard A criteria, except for the oil and grease parameter. Initially, the plant could not treat suspended solids and total phosphorus, but this was greatly improved in subsequent years. Therefore, some improvements are required to treat oil and grease parameters effectively and efficiently to ensure that only Standard A effluent is discharged into the Sarawak River in the future.

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.

Impact of wastewater treatment plant effluent discharge on the antibiotic resistome in downstream aquatic environments:a mini review

Antimicrobial resistance(AMR)has emerged as a significant challenge in human health.Wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs),acting as a link between human activities and the environment,create ideal conditions for the selection and spread of antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs)and antibioticresistant bacteria(ARB).Unfortunately,current treatment processes are ineffective in removing ARGs,resulting in the release of large quantities of ARB and ARGs into the aquatic environment through WWTP effluents.This,in turn,leads to their dispersion and potential transmission to human through water and the food chain.To safeguard human and environmental health,it is crucial to comprehend the mechanisms by which WWTP effluent discharge influences the distribution and diffusion of ARGs in downstream waterbodies.In this study,we examine the latest researches on the antibiotic resistome in various waterbodies that have been exposed to WWTP effluent,highlighting the key influencing mechanisms.Furthermore,recommendations for future research and management strategies to control the dissemination of ARGs from WWTPs to the environment are provided,with the aim to achieve the“One Health”objective.

Mitigating microbiological risks of potential pathogens carrying antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors in receiving rivers:benefits of wastewater treatment plant upgrade

Wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs)with additional tertiary ultrafiltration membranes and ozonation treatment can improve water quality in receiving rivers.However,the impacts of WWTP upgrade(WWTP-UP)on pathogens carrying antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs)and virulence factors(VFs)in rivers remain poorly understood.In this study,ARGs,VFs,and their pathogenic hosts were investigated in three rivers impacted by large-scale WWTP-UP.A five-year sampling campaign covered the periods before and after WWTP-UP.Results showed that the abundance of total metagenome-assembled genomes(MAGs)containing both ARGs and VFs in receiving rivers did not decrease substantially after WWTP-UP,but the abundance of MAGs belonging to pathogenic genera that contain both ARGs and VFs(abbreviated as PAVs)declined markedly.'Genome-resolved metagenomics further revealed that WWTP-UP not only reduced most types of VFs and ARGs in PAVs,but also effectively eliminated efflux pump and nutritional VFs carried by PAVs in receiving rivers.WWTP-UP narrowed the pathogenic host ranges of ARGs and VFs and mitigated the cooccurrence of ARGs and VFs in receiving rivers.These findings underline the importance of WWTPUP for the alleviation of pathogens containing both ARGs and VFs in receiving rivers。

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.

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.

Characterization of the airborne bacteria community at different distances from the rotating brushes in a wastewater treatment plant by 16S rRNA gene clone libraries

Biological risks of bioaerosols emitted from wastewater treatment processes have attracted wide attention in the recent years. However, the culture-based analysis method has been mostly adopted for detecting the bacterial community in bioaerosols, which may result in the underestimation of total microorganism concentration as not all microorganisms are cultivable. In this study, oligonucleotide fingerprinting of 16S rRNA genes was applied to reveal the composition and structure of the bacterial community in bioaerosols from an Orbal oxidation ditch in a Beijing wastewater treatment plant （WWTP）. Bioaerosols were collected at different distances from the aerosol source, rotating brushes, and the sampling height was 1.5 m which is the common respiratory height of a human being. The bacterial communities of bioaerosols were diverse, and the lowest bacterial diversity was found at the sampling site just after the rotating brush rotating brush. A large proportion of bacteria in bioaerosols were affiliated with Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Numerous bacteria present in the bioaerosols also emerged in water, indicating that the bacterial community in the bioaerosols was related to that of the aerosols＇ sources. The forced aeration of rotating brushes brought about observably distinct bacterial communities between sampling sites situated before and after the rotating brush. Isolation sources of closest relatives in bioaerosols clone libraries were associated with the aqueous environment in the WWTP. Common potential pathogens in bioaerosols as well as those not reported in previous research were also analyzed in this study. Measures should be adopted to reduce the emission of bioaerosols and prevent their exposure to workers.

Characterization and source analysis of indoor/outdoor culturable airborne bacteria in a municipal wastewater treatment plant

The potential health risks of airborne bacteria emission from a wastewater treatment process have been concerned. However, few studies have investigated the differences in community structure between indoor and outdoor bacteria. In this work, the characterization of airborne bacteria was studied in a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Beijing, China. Two indoor（i.e., fine screen room and sludge dewatering house） and two outdoor（i.e., aeration tank and control site） sampling sites were selected. An Andersen six-stage impactor was used for collecting culturable airborne bacteria in the air, and Illumina MiSeq sequencing was conducted to track the emission source of the culturable airborne bacteria. The results indicate that, compared with the outdoor aeration tank site, the concentrations of culturable airborne bacteria in the indoor fine screen room with poor ventilation were more than ten times higher and the particle size was about twice as large. The community structures of indoor and outdoor culturable airborne bacteria were obviously different. Enterobacteriaceae and opportunistic pathogens were detected in indoor culturable airborne bacteria, with wastewater and sludge dewatering machine identified as the primary sources. Conversely,Enterobacteriaceae and opportunistic pathogens were not detected in outdoor culturable airborne bacteria. Outdoor high wind speed might have resulted in rapid dilution and mixing of culturable airborne bacteria generated from the aeration tank with the ambient air. The results of the present research suggest that covering pollution sources, increasing ventilation rates, and using protective measures for personnel should be implemented to decrease the exposure risk to indoor culturable airborne bacteria.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Occurrences of Glucocorticoids in Aquatic Environment and Their Removal during Wastewater Treatment

Glucocorticoids(GCs) are a group of endocrine-disrupting compounds(EDCs) frequently prescribed against various medical conditions.Recently,GCs have been shown to be effective in managing septic shock in patients infected with the 2019 novel coronavirus(COVID-19).Due to colossal consumption and potential risks to aquatic organisms,GCs have immensely attracted the focus of the scientific research community as a water pollutant.Therefore,the aim of this paper is to review the current knowledge on the occurrence of various GCs in the aquatic environment and their removal during wastewater treatment.A variety of GCs are ubiquitous in surface water,hospital wastewater,and sewage water worldwide.And the minimum concentration in volume is below 0.01 ng/L,and the maximum one is 10 000 ng/L,and enter the environment through hospital and urban wastewater discharging.Compared with natural GCs,higher risks to aquatic environments could be induced by synthetic GCs.The current activated sludge processes used in wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs) are not fully effective in eliminating GCs,some of which may further increase the risk of GC in the environment.In comparison with the aerobic process in WWTPs,the anaerobic and anoxic processes were found to be more efficient for GC degradation.Of the studied GCs,fluticasone propionate,clobetasol propionate,fluocinolone acetonide,and triamcinolone acetonide need more attention due to their low removal efficiencies and strong toxicity.Among the advanced treatment processes,reverse osmosis,ultraviolet irradiation,CaO_(2),and plasma could achieve significant GC activity removal while micro/ultra-filtration,chlorination,and ozonation were less efficient.

Characteristics of microbial community involved in early biofilms formation under the influence of wastewater treatment plant effluent

Effluents from wastewater treatment plants（WWTPs） containing microorganisms and residual nutrients can influence the biofilm formation. Although the process and mechanism of bacterial biofilm formation have been well characterized, little is known about the characteristics and interaction of bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes in the early colonization, especially under the influence of WWTP effluent. The aim of this study was to characterize the important bacterial, archaeal and eukaryotic species in the early stage of biofilm formation downstream of the WWTP outlet. Water and biofilm samples were collected 24 and 48 hr after the deposition of bio-cords in the stream. Illumina Miseq sequencing of the 16 S and 18 S rDNA showed that, among the three domains, the bacterial biofilm community had the largest alpha and beta diversity. The early bacterial colonizers appeared to be ＂biofilm-specific＂, with only a few dominant operational taxonomic units（OTUs） shared between the biofilm and the ambient water environment. Alpha-proteobacteria and Ciliophora tended to dominate the bacterial and eukaryotic communities, respectively, of the early biofilm already at 24 hr, whereas archaea played only a minor role during the early stage of colonization. The network analysis showed that the three domains of microbial community connected highly during the early colonization and it might be a characteristic of the microbial communities in the biofilm formation process where co-occurrence relationships could drive coexistence and diversity maintenance within the microbial communities.

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.