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Background: The quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater is a tool that allows determining the trend of viral circulation in a particular geographical area. Aim(s): To quantify the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 15 wastewater treatment plants in different Chilean cities to establish a comparison with the variables of: I) Active cases per 100,000 inhabitants;ii) daily positivity (novel cases);and iii) phases of the lockdown strategy. Method(s): SARS-CoV-2 was concentrated from wastewater samples. To obtain the number of virus genomes per liter, absolute quantification was performed using qRT-PCR. Result(s): Between January and June 2021, 253 samples were processed, all of which were positive for the presence of the virus. Likewise, it will be determined that the rate of active cases per 100,000 inhabitants is the variable that best fits the trends obtained with the quantification of the viral load in wastewater. Conclusion(s): The quantification of SARS- CoV-2 in wastewater as a continuous strategy is an efficient tool to determine the trend of the viral circulation in a delimited geographical area and, combined with genomic surveillance, it can constitute an ideal sentinel surveillance alert on future outbreaks.Copyright © 2022, Sociedad Chilena de Infectologia. All rights reserved.
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The COVID-19 pandemic affected public health, economy, social life, and the environment. It infected and killed millions of people around the world. Most of the recent literature has focused on the medications to combat this virus, including antivirals and vaccines, but studies about its effect on the environment are still rare, particularly on the water sector. Most of the studies concentrate on the effect of water availability on COVID-19, the effect of the used medications on the water, and the probability of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through water. Herein, we have summarized the effects of COVID-19 on the water sector from many perspectives. We show different methods to detect the effect of the pandemic on water and also methods to investigate the presence of the virus or its RNA in the water. We also show the different effects of its presence in the wastewater, the probability of transmission, the detection of different variants, and the prediction of new waves. We also show the disadvantages and advantages of the pandemic in the water sector. We finally suggest some recommendations to face this pandemic and the future pandemics for the governments and water policymakers, water treatment plants, general population, and researchers. The aim of this review is to show the different aspects of the pandemic in order to give a general idea about what must be done in order to minimize its effect and any probable pandemic in the future.
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Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a powerful and cost-effective tool for investigating chemicals consumption/pathogens infection and health status of populations, and is rapidly evolving as COVID-19 continues to ravage the world. This paper reviews the significant developments and breakthroughs of WBE in 2021 including collection, pretreatment and analysis of sewage samples, materials stability, correction factors calculation and uncertainty analysis, implementation cases and so on, based on the research findings published in international top academic journals or the most influential achievements. It provides reference for clarifying the development of WBE and promoting the research and application of WBE.
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Several countries around the world are taking advantage of emerging technologies to leverage the use of natural resources to develop and grow bio-based industries. As a result, these activities have become the backbone of bioeconomy-growth strategies in the developing world. Adoption of the concepts and technological aspects of this facet of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) across government, academia, and industry has fostered innovation in the health, agricultural, and manufacturing sectors. However, the relationship between the technological catalysis of innovation and the bioeconomy from the perspective of a developing country has been left unexplored. In this context, this review explores the contribution of technological advances toward a sustainable, valuable bioeconomy and the current policy mandates. We focus our attention on South Africa because the country has a holistic, well-defined bioeconomy strategy that is consistent with the conditions of developed nations more generally. The review suggests that developing countries could adopt a multidisciplinary approach to designing their bioeconomy strategies. We further assert that developing holistic strategies that address the recent COVID-19 pandemic and potential future world crises could be beneficial in achieving sustainable development goals.
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Increasing amounts of surfactants are used and emitted into the environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, posing potential threats to ecological health. Algal-bacterial aerobic granular sludge (A-BAGS), with the advantages of compact structure, high-efficient nutrient uptake, and high tolerance to harsh conditions, was attempted in this study to treat surfactant-containing wastewater at relatively high concentrations. The treatment performance was also compared to bacterial AGS (BAGS). Results showed that A-BAGS is preferable for treating wastewater containing a high SDS concentration (30 mg/L), achieving nutrient removal efficiency of 86.3 % for organic carbon, 60.5 % for total nitrogen, and 58.7 % for total phosphorus within a short duration, compared to 70.1 %, 52.8 % and 42.3 % in BAGS reactor. Besides, the removal rate of ammonia nitrogen by A-BAGS was much faster than that of BAGS. The above results confirmed that A-BAGS is a promising technology for treating surfactant-containing wastewater with high nutrient removal efficiency being maintained.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd
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Background: Wastewater represents a broad, immediate, and unbiased accounting of the pathgens in the population. We aimed to develop methods to track HIV in wastewater utilizing a viral detection pipeline adapted from platforms developed to track SARS-COV-2. Method(s): We used samples from 6 wastewater treatment plants in the Houston area. We focused on regions of higher prevalence and lower prevalence. First, employing wastewater processing and nucleic acid extraction methods described by our group to detect SARS-COV-2, we tested a single high and low prevalence site in triplicate with all 3 primer sets. nucleic acid extracts from HIV and SIV cell culture supernatants were used as controls. Next, in subsequent samples, RT-PCR reactions with detections were subjected to gel electrophoresis to determine the amplified product sizes. To further confirm HIV detection, we sequenced the RT-PCR products and compared the proportion of reads which mapped to the expected amplified product. In a later set of studies, we fractionated samples into supernatant and pellet. We further tested HIV presence by performing whole virome sequencing on the extracts from some samples that produced detections and mapped reads to published genomes. A crAssphage genome was used as a negative control. Result(s): Samples from all sites resulted in signal detection at least once. Only reactions with gag and pol primers appeared to amplify the expected product. Products from the HIV positive control mapped almost exclusively to the HIV genome (97-100% of reads), with a fraction of reads from the SIV negative control doing the same (16-18% of reads). The ltr and pol products did not map the HIV genome while gag products did (34-44% of reads). Among the fractionated sample, in total, 6 supernatant fractions produced no detection compared to 7 of 8 pellet fractions. The whole virome sequencing produced reads that mapped to the HIV genome with at least 8X depth coverage. The sample with the lowest Ct detection (26) yielded HIV coverage several logs greater than those samples with higher Ct detection (37). Reads from all samples mapped to at least 20% of the HIV genome. Conclusion(s): This work provides the first evidence that HIV can be detected in municipal wastewater systems and has the potential to be developed into a new public health tool.
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Background: Reports showed presence of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in wastewater. Wastewater concentration methods are optimized for detection of non-enveloped viruses so need to be adopted for enveloped viruses and their genetic material. Methods: Conventional (cRT-PCR) and quantitative real time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) were used as readouts to compare 4 water concentration methods namely, (A) filtration on negatively charged membrane followed by extracting RNA from it, (B) adsorbtion-elution method, (C) flocculation with skimmed milk and (D) polyethylene glycol precipitation, to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA and 229E human coronavirus (229E-HCoV) as a model for spike-containing enveloped virus from fresh and wastewater. Results: On using cRT-PCR: recovery rate of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was better using method A then B for fresh water and method B then D for wastewater. 229E-HCoV recovery from fresh water was better using method C then A and methods B then D for wastewater. On using qRT-PCR, both methods A and B were better for SARS-CoV-2 RNA recovery from both fresh and wastewater. For the 229E-HCoV methods A was the most efficient for fresh water and method B for wastewater. Conclusion: Method B is recommended for SARS-CoV-2 RNA or whole 229E-HCoV recovery from wastewater.
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This study uses three data envelopment analysis models to determine the production efficiency of biohydrogen which is produced from macroalgae and other sources by dark fermentation. The efficiency of macroalgae is greatest in batch mode for S. Japonica using a sDFMEC process at pH 5.3, 35 degrees C, 1 g COD/L and a hydrogen production rate (HPR) of 0.34 L/L/h. The highest efficiency is using an internal circulation batch reactor in continuous mode for beverage waste water. The HPR and substrate concentration are the most important factor of biohydrogen efficiency, and efficiency and temperature are the most important factors of HPR. Malaysia and India are the two economies that most benefit from increased production efficiency due to the use of macroalgae. Increasing biohydrogen yield efficiency will improve macroeconomic growth and establish a renewable hydrogen and biohydrogen industry, which is especially efficient related to the economic recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic. (c) 2021 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Using chloroquine (CQ) as a provisional treatment for COVID-19 patients generates more pharmaceutical waste, posing a potential environmental threat. The present study evaluates the feasibility of the electrocoagulation (EC) process in removing CQ from an aqueous solution. The experiment was performed in a laboratory-scale stirred tank reactor (STR). The effects of operating conditions were investigated. Equilibrium and kinetic experiments were also performed to describe CQ adsorption. The results showed that increasing both the applied current density and the EC reaction time increases the removal efficiency of CQ. The results showed that 95% of CQ removal efficiency was achieved at a current density of 66.89 mA/cm(2), 600 rpm of agitation rate, 60 min of electrolysis time, an initial CQ concentration of 3 mg/L, and a pH of 6.5. For equilibrium and kinetic studies, the Lang-muir isotherm and the pseudo-second-order provided the best fit to the experimental data. The optimal operating conditions led to a specific amount of dissolved aluminum electrodes and a specific energy consumption of 0.228 kg/m(3) and 12.243 kWh/ m(3). These results suggest that the EC process is an excellent tool for effectively degrading CQ from wastewater with a low operating cost (2.48 USD/m(3)).
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The efforts of contrasting the effects caused by the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic increased the disposal of active pharmaceutical ingredients. This paper reports the mechanisms and kinetics of the degradation in aqueous environments induced by 'OH of two drugs, among those most widely probed at the outbreak of coronavirus, nitazoxanide and hydroxychloroquine. The investigation exploits quantum chemistry techniques and a reaction rate theory combined with diffusion-controlled processes and quantum mechanical tunneling. The reaction rate constants are obtained in an environmentally relevant temperature range. The results show that (i) the deacetylation of nitazoxanide with formation of tizoxanide is kinetically the most favorable channel, in agreement with experimental work;(ii) for hydroxychloroquine, the present theoretical calculations show that the most favorable channel is the addition of 'OH at the aromatic ring. The half-life time degradation products are for both cases in the range between 12 to 138 days. Both drugs presented toxicities between harmful and toxic as obtained by computational toxicology calculations: The toxicity is also calculated for the degradation products: (i) in the nitazoxanide degradation process, tizoxanide was characterized as more toxic, while (ii) in the case of hydroxychloroquine, the major degradation product showed a decrease in the toxicity.
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The COVID-19 pandemic raised the public profile of wastewater-based infectious disease monitoring. General media coverage about wastewater detection of SARS-CoV-2 (the COVID-19 coronavirus) increased community awareness of the potential use of wastewater for the detection and surveillance of emerging diseases and also heightened recognition of the potential for wastewater to harbour and convey a variety of pathogens. This has also generated questions about the potential public health impacts of emerging pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2 and mpox, in sewage and recycled water. To ensure water security in an era of climate change, water recycling is increasingly important in Australia and other water-stressed nations and managing disease risks in integrated water management is thus of critical importance. This paper demonstrates the existing risk management provisions for recycled water and explores potential issues posed by novel and emerging pathogens. First, a synopsis of some key emerging and re-emerging human pathogens is presented and the risks associated with these pathogens in the context of recycled water provision is considered. Then, an overview of the engineered treatment systems and regulatory framework used to manage these emerging risks in Australia is presented, together with a discusion of how emerging pathogen risks can be managed to ensure safe recycled water supply now and into the future.
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The goal of this paper is to demonstrate how Wastewater Based Epidemiology (WBE) can be used after COVID-19 in both Municipal and Industrial wastewater systems to proactively monitor, manage, and avoid risks that could negatively impact the business continuity and resiliency of an organization. The history of WBE will first be reviewed to show how it has been used to maximize public health protection and social well-being while minimizing economic impacts and unintended consequences in public and private settings. The design of a WBE monitoring program for Closed, Semi-Closed, and Open Municipal and Industrial wastewater systems will be evaluated through a couple of case studies. Alignment between WBE programs and an organizations' risk management programs, sustainability goals, and ethical considerations will also be explored. Copyright © 2022 Water Environment Federation.
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Globally, an extensive range of pharmaceuticals are consumed daily to treat a variety of illnesses and diseases. Since the occurrence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) outbreak, the use of pharmaceuticals has increased drastically in order to treat and prevent infection. Studies have shown that pharmaceutical usage is largely dependent on seasonal temperatures. This was explored in the present study and was verified by the results obtained. Versatile solid phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods were developed and validated for the accurate detection of target pharmaceuticals. Method percentage recoveries ranged from 73.53-100.70%, while the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.0330-0.886 mg L−1 and 0.0990-2.68 mg L−1, respectively. Resulting concentrations of pharmaceuticals used to treat chronic ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS showed consistent daily usage while pharmaceuticals used for the treatment of COVID-19 and influenza showed distinct seasonal trends. Concentrations obtained for sulfamethoxazole hydroxylamine and sulfamethoxazole ranged from 0.05215-0.3438 mg L−1 and 0.009818-0.3002 mg L−1, respectively, while concentrations quantified for prednisolone and ivermectin ranged from 0.008775-0.4482 mg L−1 and 0.008520-0.979 mg L−1, respectively. Trends also directly correlated with the total number of active COVID-19 cases experienced in South Africa during sampling periods and this was confirmed using a one-way ANOVA test. P-values obtained for sulfamethoxazole hydroxylamine, sulfamethoxazole and ivermectin were below 0.05. © 2023 The Royal Society of Chemistry.
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The detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during wastewater treatment leads to concerns about whether this process may represent a focal point for the transmission of COVID-19. An epidemiological analysis, based on a COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassette, performed on 134 wastewater workers from 59 wastewater treatment plants from the province of Granada (Spain) showed a seroprevalence of 8.95% in IgG for SARS-CoV-2, which is similar to the incidence rate found for the general population of the province (9.6%;95%CI = 7.2-12.8). These findings suggest that current safety measures are sufficient for the protection of workers against SARS-CoV-2.
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Triclosan (TCS) has been proved to have a harmful effect on human health and ecological environment, especially during the COVID-19 epidemic, when plentiful antibacterial hand sanitizers were discharged. Manganese dioxide (MnO2) showed a good effect on the removal of TCS. The morphology of MnO2 was regulated in this study to increase the active sites for removing TCS and improve the removal effect. The results showed that nanoflower T-MnO2 exhibited best removal efficiency due to its high oxygen vacancy, high Mn3+ content, easily released lattice oxygen and unique tunnel structure which make its Mn-O bond easier to activate. Further study of the mechanism revealed that the process of removing TCS by MnO2 was the first adsorption and then oxidation process and the detailed reaction process was clarified. 3-chlorophenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol were proved to be their oxidative product. Additionally, it was verified that oxidation dominated in the removal of TCS by MnO2 rather than adsorption through Density functional theory (DFT) calculations analysis. It is determined that nanoflower MnO2 was a promising material for removing TCS.
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Wastewater based monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 proofed a useful and reliable tool to follow the dynamic of the COVID pandemic. Beside quantification of the viral genome in wastewater, characterization of circulating virus variants as well as determination of their share on the total abundance is possible. Results reflect information obtained from human testing and allow to derive quantitative information on the special distribution of variants.
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The chloroxylenol (PCMX) has shown well virucidal efficacy against COVID-19, but the large-scale utilization of which will undoubtedly pose extra environmental threaten. In the present study, the recycled industrial phenylenediamine residue was used and an integrated strategy of "carbonization-casting-activation" using super low-dose of activator and templates was established to achieve in-situ N/O co-doping and facile synthesis of a kind of hierarchical hyperporous carbons (HHPC). The sample of HHPC-1.25-0.5 obtained with activator and template to residue of 1.25 and 0.5 respectively shows super-high specific surface area of 3602 m2/g and volume of 2.81 cm3/g and demonstrates remarkable adsorption capacity of 1475 mg/g for PCMX in batch and of 1148 mg/g in dynamic column adsorption test. In addition, the HHPC-1.25-0.5 exhibits excellent reusability and tolerance for PCMX adsorption under various ionic backgrounds and real water matrix conditions. The combined physio-chemistry characterization, kinetic study and DFT calculation reveal that the enhanced high performances originate from the hierarchical pore structure and strong electrostatic interaction between PCMX and surface rich pyridinic-N and carbonyl groups.
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Spread prevention actions (SPAs) during Coronavirus pandemic period, such as increased hand-washing, temporary lock-downs, preventions in transportation, and the reduction of recreational and industrial activities may change the routines in social behaviors. Accordingly, SPAs can be effective on the quality and quantity of raw municipal wastewater. This research evaluates the aforementioned hypothesis and recommends solutions for the proper operation of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Methods: For this purpose, the quantity and quality of sewage in 23 municipal WWTPs in Isfahan province, as the study area, were surveyed and compared from 2015 to 2020. SPSS software (version 23) was used for statistical analysis. Results: Results indicated that the annual growth rate of sewage discharged in the spring and summer of 2020 (period of SPAs) in the study area is 24% more than the average of annual growth rate in long-term (2015-2019). This increase is 45% in small WWTPs, while it is only 5% in large WWTPs. Results also revealed that the concentration of chemical oxidation demand (COD) of sewage was reduced 24% on average in this period. In addition, the biodegradability of wastewater is increased in large WWTPs mainly due to the decrease of industrial activities. Conclusion: Therefore, SPAs in the pandemic period of Coronavirus could increase the quantity of municipal wastewater and reduce its COD concentrations. These variations may provide more appropriate operational conditions for waste stabilization ponds rather than activated sludge units.
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This special section on COVID-19 includes 7 articles covering various topics related to the pandemic. The first article discusses COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among young adults in Canada. The second article examines the pathways of association between disordered eating in adolescence and mental health outcomes in young adulthood during the COVID-19 pandemic. The third article explores the increased alcohol use, heavy episodic drinking, and suicide ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. The fourth article focuses on British Columbia's COVID-19 surveys on population experiences, action, and knowledge, presenting methods and key findings from two large cross-sectional online surveys. The fifth article is a systematic review of the health impact of COVID-19 among Black communities in Canada. The sixth article is about the early identification of a COVID-19 outbreak detected by wastewater surveillance at a large homeless shelter in Toronto, Ontario. Finally, the seventh article discusses COVID-19 vaccine inequity and Big Pharma, arguing for a rethink of our relationship with pharmaceutical companies.
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In this article, experts highlighted their experiences with employing a wastewater-based epidemiological surveillance (WBE) approach to track coronavirus infection levels in local communities in an online symposium. The objective of the Water Research Commission (WRC)-hosted symposium was to share knowledge on the progress that has been made in South Africa in monitoring the spread of COVID-19 using the WBE approach. With insights from collaborating partners, the establishment of South African Collaborative COVID-19 Environmental Surveillance System (SACCESS) has become one of the most significant development to date in terms of WBE surveillance in South Africa. With SACCESS and WBE, advance warnings about outbreaks can be made, such that the data collected using the WBE approach enabled researchers to predict the surge in clinical cases in April in KwaZulu-Natal three weeks before it happened. But risk is still prevalent for the health of wastewater workers or in the reuse of treated effluents, as well as the absence of WBE surveillance in non-sewered communities. With this, research has been made on developing and optimising the methodology for SARS-CoV-2 detection, quantification and monitoring in different types of samples from non-sewered environments. The detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in 98% of the wastewater samples collected has demonstrated the proof of concept for using WBE surveillance to track COVID-19. Continued WBE sampling at priority sites will allow for the expansion of pandemic trend monitoring. In terms of the impact on public health decision-making, only the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Provincial Department of Health have incorporated WBE into their local responses.