The fate of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in coastal New England wastewater treatment plants

Municipal sewage carries SARS-CoV-2 viruses shed in the human stool by infected individuals to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). It is well-established that increasing prevalence of COVID-19 in a community increases the viral load in its WWTPs. Despite the fact that wastewater treatment facilities serve a critical role in protecting downstream human and environmental health through removal or inactivation of the virus, little is known about the fate of the virus along the treatment train. To assess the efficacy of differing WWTP size and treatment processes in viral RNA removal we quantified two SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) biomarkers (N1 and N2) in both liquid and solids phases for multiple treatment train locations from seven coastal New England WWTPs. SARS-CoV-2 biomarkers were commonly detected in the influent, primary treated, and sludge samples (returned activated sludge, waste activated sludge, and digested sludge), and not detected after secondary clarification processes or disinfection. Solid fractions had 470 to 3,700-fold higher concentrations of viral biomarkers than liquid fractions, suggesting considerably higher affinity of the virus for the solid phase. Our findings indicate that a variety of wastewater treatment designs are efficient at achieving high removal of SARS CoV-2 from effluent;however, quantifiable viral RNA was commonly detected in wastewater solids at various points in the facility. This study supports the important role municipal wastewater treatment facilities serve in reducing the discharge of SARS-CoV-2 viral fragments to the environment and highlights the need to better understand the fate of this virus in wastewater solids.

Effectiveness of upper-room UVGI system in a classroom with mixing and displacement ventilation

This study investigates the effectiveness of an upper-room UVGI system in a small classroom. Mixing ventilation can increase virus removal when combined with a UVGI system more effectively than displacement ventilation combined with a UVGI system, especially in cases where the ventilation rate is low. © 2022 17th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, INDOOR AIR 2022. All rights reserved.

Boronic acid-modified bacterial cellulose microspheres as packing materials for enveloped virus removal.

Viruses are the most abundant microorganisms on the earth, their existence in contaminated waters possesses a significant threat to humans. Waterborne viral infections could be fatal to sensitive population including young child, the elderly, and the immune-compromised. It is imperative to remove viruses during water treatment to better protect public health, especially in the light of evidence of detection of coronaviruses genetic fragments in raw sewage. We reported bench-scale experiments evaluating the extent and mechanisms of removal of a model virus (spring viremia of carp virus, SVCV) in water by adsorption. Microspheres made by boronic acid-modified bacterial cellulose with excellent mechanical strength were successfully fabricated as packing materials for the column to remove glycoproteins and enveloped viruses from water. The synthesized adsorbent was characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) measurement. The adsorption efficiency of glycoproteins was investigated by SDS-PAGE and the Broadford protein assay, while the binding capacity with the virus (spring viremia of carp virus) was monitored by cell culture to calculate the viral cytopathic effect and viral titer caused by the virus. The data obtained from the above experiments showed that ∼3-log removal of SVCV in 3 h, which significantly reduced the virus concentration from microspheres packed column. The present study provides substantial evidence to prove beyond doubt that material based on bacterial cellulose seems to have the potential for virus removal from water which can be extended to systems of significant importance.

Environmental Hazard of Polypropylene from Disposable Face Masks Linked to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Possible Mitigation Techniques through a Green Approach

The COVID-19 outbreak again underlined plastic items' importance in our daily lives. The public has widely utilized disposable face masks constructed of polypropylene polymer materials as effective and inexpensive personal protective equipment (PPE) to inhibit virus transmission. The consequences of this have resulted in millions of tons of plastic garbage littering the environment due to inappropriate disposal and mismanagement. Surgical masks are among them, and this study aimed to assess the biodegrading efficiency of disposable face masks using Pseudomonas aeruginosa VJ 1. This work used a bacterial strain, Pseudomonas aeruginosa VJ 1, obtained from sewage water-contaminated surface soil in Tiruchirappalli, India, to investigate the biodegradation of polypropylene (PP) face masks. The mask pieces were incubated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa VJ 1 culture in three different solid and liquid media for 30 days at 37°C. Surface changes and variations in the intensity of functional groups and carbonyl index variations were confirmed using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis to ensure microbial degradation (up to 5.37% weight reduction of PP films within 30 days). These findings show that Pseudomonas aeruginosa VJ 1 could be a good choice for biodegrading PP masks without harming our health or the environment. There is a need for a novel solution for the degradation of PP. The methods and strain presented here reveal the potential biodegrading agents of PP masks. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Chemistry is the property of Hindawi Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Reduction and liquid-solid partitioning of SARS-CoV-2 and adenovirus throughout the different stages of a pilot-scale wastewater treatment plant.

Investigating waterborne viruses is of great importance to minimizing risks to public health. Viruses tend to adsorb to sludge particles from wastewater processes by electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between virus, aquatic matrix, and particle surface. Sludge is often re-used in agriculture; therefore, its evaluation is also of great interest to public health. In the present study, a pilot scale system treating real domestic wastewater from a large city in Brazil was used to evaluate the removal, the overall reduction, and liquid-solid partitioning of human adenovirus (HAdV), the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and fecal indicators (F-specific coliphages and E. coli). The system consists of a high-rate algal pond (HRAP) post-treating the effluent of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. Samples were collected from the influent and effluent of each unit, as well as from the sludge of the UASB and from the microalgae biomass in the HRAP. Pathogens and indicators were quantified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) (for HAdV), qPCR with reverse transcription (RTqPCR) (for SARS-CoV-2), the double agar plaque assay (for coliphages), and the most probable number (MPN) method (for E. coli). The removal and overall reduction of HAdV and SARS-CoV-2 was greater than 1-log10. Almost 60% of remaining SARS-CoV-2 RNA and more than 70% of remaining HAdV DNA left the system in the sludge, demonstrating that both viruses may have affinity for solids. Coliphages showed a much lower affinity to solids, with only 3.7% leaving the system in the sludge. The system performed well in terms of the removal of organic matter and ammoniacal nitrogen, however tertiary treatment would be necessary to provide further pathogen reduction, if the effluent is to be reused in agriculture. To our knowledge, this is the first study that evaluated the reduction and partitioning of SARS-CoV-2 and HAdV through the complete cycle of a wastewater treatment system consisting of a UASB reactor followed by HRAPs.

Soap, water, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): an ancient handwashing strategy for preventing dissemination of a novel virus.

Public Health Agencies worldwide (World Health Organization, United States Centers for Disease Prevention & Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, etc.) are recommending hand washing with soap and water for preventing the dissemination of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. In this review, we have discussed the mechanisms of decontamination by soap and water (involving both removal and inactivation), described the contribution of the various components of formulated soaps to performance as cleansers and to pathogen inactivation, explained why adherence to recommended contact times is critical, evaluated the possible contribution of water temperature to inactivation, discussed the advantages of antimicrobial soaps vs. basic soaps, discussed the differences between use of soap and water vs. alcohol-based hand sanitizers for hand decontamination, and evaluated the limitations and advantages of different methods of drying hands following washing. While the paper emphasizes data applicable to SARS-CoV-2, the topics discussed are germane to most emerging and re-emerging enveloped and non-enveloped viruses and many other pathogen types.

Comparative effectiveness of membrane technologies and disinfection methods for virus elimination in water: A review.

The pandemic of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has brought viruses into the public horizon. Since viruses can pose a threat to human health in a low concentration range, seeking efficient virus removal methods has been the research hotspots in the past few years. Herein, a total of 1060 research papers were collected from the Web of Science database to identify technological trends as well as the research status. Based on the analysis results, this review elaborates on the state-of-the-art of membrane filtration and disinfection technologies for the treatment of virus-containing wastewater and drinking water. The results evince that membrane and disinfection methods achieve a broad range of virus removal efficiency (0.5-7 log reduction values (LRVs) and 0.09-8 LRVs, respectively) that is attributable to the various interactions between membranes or disinfectants and viruses having different susceptibility in viral capsid protein and nucleic acid. Moreover, this review discusses the related challenges and potential of membrane and disinfection technologies for customized virus removal in order to prevent the dissemination of the waterborne diseases.