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Rauert C, Wang X, Charlton N, Lin CY, Tang C, Zammit I, Jayarathne A, Symeonides C, White E, Christensen M, Ponomariova V, Mueller JF, Thomas KV, Dunlop S. Blueprint for the design, construction, and validation of a plastic and phthalate-minimised laboratory. J Hazard Mater 2024; 468:133803. [PMID: 38377910 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Micro and nanosized plastics (MNPs), and a range of associated additive chemicals, have become pervasive contaminants that humans and the environment are exposed to everyday. However, one of the principal challenges in their analysis is adequate strategies to minimise background contamination. Here a blueprint for a specialised plastics and additive-minimised clean room laboratory built for this purpose is presented. Common laboratory construction materials (n = 23) were tested, including acoustic baffles, ceiling materials, floor materials, glazing rubber, and silicone sealant. The % polymer content ranged from 2-76% w/w while the sum concentration of six phthalates ranged from 0.81 (0.73-0.86) to 21000 (15000-27000) mg/kg, assigning many of these materials as inappropriate for use in a clean room environment. The final design of the laboratory consisted of three interconnected rooms, operated under positive pressure with the inner rooms constructed almost entirely of stainless steel. Background concentrations of MNPs and phthalates in the new laboratory were compared to two Physical Containment Level 2 (PC2) laboratory environments, with concentrations of MNPs reduced by > 100 times and phthalates reduced by up to 120 times. This study reports the first known clean room of its kind and provides a blueprint for reference and use by future plastics research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra Rauert
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia.
| | - Xianyu Wang
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia.
| | - Nathan Charlton
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Chun-Yin Lin
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Cheng Tang
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Ian Zammit
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Ayomi Jayarathne
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | | | | | | | | | - Jochen F Mueller
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia; Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health, 20 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 4102, QLD, Australia
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Corominas L, Zammit I, Badia S, Pueyo-Ros J, Bosch LM, Calle E, Martínez D, Chesa MJ, Chincolla C, Martínez A, Llopart-Mascaró A, Varela FJ, Domene E, Garcia-Sierra M, Garcia-Acosta X, Satorras M, Raich-Montiu J, Peris R, Horno R, Rubión E, Simón S, Ribalta M, Palacín I. Profiling wastewater characteristics in intra-urban catchments using online monitoring stations. Water Sci Technol 2024; 89:1512-1525. [PMID: 38557715 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2024.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the differences in intra-urban catchments with different characteristics through real-time wastewater monitoring. Monitoring stations were installed in three neighbourhoods of Barcelona to measure flow, total chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH, conductivity, temperature, and bisulfide (HS-) for 1 year. Typical wastewater profiles were obtained for weekdays, weekends, and holidays in the summer and winter seasons. The results reveal differences in waking up times and evening routines, commuting behaviour during weekends and holidays, and water consumption. The pollutant profiles contribute to a better understanding of pollution generation in households and catchment activities. Flows and COD correlate well at all stations, but there are differences in conductivity and HS- at the station level. The article concludes by discussing the operational experience of the monitoring stations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lluís Corominas
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain E-mail:
| | - Ian Zammit
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Sergi Badia
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Josep Pueyo-Ros
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Lluís Maria Bosch
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Eusebi Calle
- University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - David Martínez
- University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Maria José Chesa
- Barcelona Cicle de l'Aigua, SA (BCASA), Carrer de l'Acer, 16, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristian Chincolla
- Barcelona Cicle de l'Aigua, SA (BCASA), Carrer de l'Acer, 16, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ariadna Martínez
- Barcelona Cicle de l'Aigua, SA (BCASA), Carrer de l'Acer, 16, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Llopart-Mascaró
- Barcelona Cicle de l'Aigua, SA (BCASA), Carrer de l'Acer, 16, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Elena Domene
- Institut Metròpoli, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Marta Garcia-Sierra
- Institut Metròpoli, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | | | - Mar Satorras
- Institut Metròpoli, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Jordi Raich-Montiu
- scan Iberia Sistemas de Medición S.L. (s::can), Ciutat de Granada 28 bis, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roger Peris
- scan Iberia Sistemas de Medición S.L. (s::can), Ciutat de Granada 28 bis, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raül Horno
- scan Iberia Sistemas de Medición S.L. (s::can), Ciutat de Granada 28 bis, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Edgar Rubión
- Eurecat - Technology Centre of Catalonia, Unit of Applied Artificial Intelligence, Bilbao 72, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sergi Simón
- Eurecat - Technology Centre of Catalonia, Unit of Applied Artificial Intelligence, Bilbao 72, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marc Ribalta
- Eurecat - Technology Centre of Catalonia, Unit of Applied Artificial Intelligence, Bilbao 72, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ian Palacín
- Eurecat - Technology Centre of Catalonia, Unit of Applied Artificial Intelligence, Bilbao 72, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
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Zammit I, Badia S, Mejías-Molina C, Rusiñol M, Bofill-Mas S, Borrego CM, Corominas L. Zooming in to the neighborhood level: A year-long wastewater-based epidemiology monitoring campaign for COVID-19 in small intraurban catchments. Sci Total Environ 2024; 907:167811. [PMID: 37852481 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a valuable and cost-effective tool for monitoring the prevalence of COVID-19. Large-scale monitoring efforts have been implemented in numerous countries, primarily focusing on sampling at the entrance of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to cover a large population. However, sampling at a finer spatial scale, such as at the neighborhood level (NGBs), pose new challenges, including the absence of composite sampling infrastructure and increased uncertainty due to the dynamics of small catchments. This study aims to investigate the feasibility and accuracy of WBE when deployed at the neighborhood level (sampling in sewers) compared to the city level (sampling at the entrance of a WWTP). To achieve this, we deployed specific WBE sampling stations at the intraurban scale within three NGBs in Barcelona, Spain. The study period covers the 5th and the 6th waves of COVID-19 in Spain, spanning from March 2021 to March 2022, along with the WWTP downstream from the NGBs. The results showed a strong correlation between the dynamics of COVID-19 clinical cases and wastewater SARS-CoV-2 loads at both the NGB and city levels. Notably, during the 5th wave, which was dominated by the Delta SARS-CoV-2 variant, wastewater loads were higher than during the 6th wave (Omicron variant), despite a lower number of clinical cases recorded during the 5th wave. The correlations between wastewater loads and clinical cases at the NGB level were stronger than at the WWTP level. However, the early warning potential varied across neighborhoods and waves, with some cases showing a one-week early warning and others lacking any significant early warning signal. Interestingly, the prevalence of COVID-19 did not exhibit major differences among NGBs with different socioeconomic statuses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Zammit
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Sergi Badia
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Cristina Mejías-Molina
- Laboratory of Viruses Contaminants of Water and Food, Genetics, Microbiology & Statistics Dept., Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; The Water Research Institute (IdRA), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Marta Rusiñol
- Laboratory of Viruses Contaminants of Water and Food, Genetics, Microbiology & Statistics Dept., Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; The Water Research Institute (IdRA), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sílvia Bofill-Mas
- Laboratory of Viruses Contaminants of Water and Food, Genetics, Microbiology & Statistics Dept., Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; The Water Research Institute (IdRA), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Carles M Borrego
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Group of Molecular Microbial Ecology, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Lluís Corominas
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA-CERCA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain.
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Pico-Tomàs A, Mejías-Molina C, Zammit I, Rusiñol M, Bofill-Mas S, Borrego CM, Corominas L. Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage from buildings housing residents with different vulnerability levels. Sci Total Environ 2023; 872:162116. [PMID: 36773920 PMCID: PMC9911146 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
During the last three years, various restrictions have been set up to limit the transmission of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). While these rules apply at a large scale (e.g., country-wide level) human-to-human transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), occurs at a small scale. Different preventive policies and testing protocols were implemented in buildings where COVID-19 poses a threat (e.g., elderly residences) or constitutes a disruptive force (e.g., schools). In this study, we sampled sewage from different buildings (a school, a university campus, a university residence, and an elderly residence) that host residents of different levels of vulnerability. Our main goal was to assess the agreement between the SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater and the policies applied in these buildings. All buildings were sampled using passive samplers while 24 h composite samples were also collected from the elderly residence. Results showed that passive samplers performed comparably well to composite samples while being cost-effective to keep track of COVID-19 prevalence. In the elderly residence, the comparison of sampling protocols (passive vs. active) combined with the strict clinical testing allowed us to compare the sensitivities of the two methods. Active sampling was more sensitive than passive sampling, as the former was able to detect a COVID-19 prevalence of 0.4 %, compared to a prevalence of 2.2 % for passive sampling. The number of COVID-19-positive individuals was tracked clinically in all the monitored buildings. More frequent detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater was observed in residential buildings than in non-residential buildings using passive samplers. In all buildings, sewage surveillance can be used to complement COVID-19 clinical testing regimes, as the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater remained positive even when no COVID-19-positive individuals were reported. Passive sampling is useful for building managers to adapt their COVID-19 mitigation policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Pico-Tomàs
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Cristina Mejías-Molina
- Laboratory of Viruses Contaminants of Water and Food, Genetics, Microbiology & Statistics Dept., Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; The Water Research Institute (IdRA), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Ian Zammit
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Marta Rusiñol
- Laboratory of Viruses Contaminants of Water and Food, Genetics, Microbiology & Statistics Dept., Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; The Water Research Institute (IdRA), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sílvia Bofill-Mas
- Laboratory of Viruses Contaminants of Water and Food, Genetics, Microbiology & Statistics Dept., Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; The Water Research Institute (IdRA), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Carles M Borrego
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Group of Molecular Microbial Ecology, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Lluís Corominas
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain.
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Rusiñol M, Zammit I, Itarte M, Forés E, Martínez-Puchol S, Girones R, Borrego C, Corominas L, Bofill-Mas S. Monitoring waves of the COVID-19 pandemic: Inferences from WWTPs of different sizes. Sci Total Environ 2021; 787:147463. [PMID: 33989864 PMCID: PMC8103791 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater based epidemiology was employed to track the spread of SARS-CoV-2 within the sewershed areas of 10 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Catalonia, Spain. A total of 185 WWTPs inflow samples were collected over the period consisting of both the first wave (mid-March to June) and the second wave (July to November). Concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA (N1 and N2 assays) were quantified in these wastewaters as well as those of Human adenoviruses (HAdV) and JC polyomavirus (JCPyV), as indicators of human faecal contamination. SARS-CoV-2 N gene daily loads strongly correlated with the number of cases diagnosed one week after sampling i.e. wastewater levels were a good predictor of cases to be diagnosed in the immediate future. The conditions present at small WWTPs relative to larger WWTPs influence the ability to follow the pandemic. Small WWTPs (<24,000 inhabitants) had lower median loads of SARS-CoV-2 despite similar incidence of infection within the municipalities served by the different WWTP (but not lower loads of HAdV and JCPyV). The lowest incidence resulting in quantifiable SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater differed between WWTP sizes, being 0.11 and 0.82 cases/1000 inhabitants for the large and small sized WWTP respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rusiñol
- Institute of Environmental Assessment & Water Research (IDAEA), CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - I Zammit
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - M Itarte
- University of Barcelona, Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - E Forés
- University of Barcelona, Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, Barcelona, Spain; The Water Institute of the University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Martínez-Puchol
- University of Barcelona, Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, Barcelona, Spain; The Water Institute of the University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - R Girones
- University of Barcelona, Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, Barcelona, Spain; The Water Institute of the University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - C Borrego
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Ll Corominas
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain.
| | - S Bofill-Mas
- University of Barcelona, Section of Microbiology, Virology and Biotechnology, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, Barcelona, Spain; The Water Institute of the University of Barcelona, Spain.
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Escolà Casas M, Schröter NS, Zammit I, Castaño-Trias M, Rodriguez-Mozaz S, Gago-Ferrero P, Corominas L. Showcasing the potential of wastewater-based epidemiology to track pharmaceuticals consumption in cities: Comparison against prescription data collected at fine spatial resolution. Environ Int 2021; 150:106404. [PMID: 33578067 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
While the extent of pharmaceutical consumption within a society/community is of high relevance to its health, economy and general wellbeing, this data is often not readily available. Herein, we strengthen a wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach as a way to track the consumption of pharmaceuticals within the sampled community. This method is less laborious than established questionnaire or databases approaches and allows a higher temporal and spatial resolution. The WBE approach was conducted by sampling influent wastewater from two wastewater treatment plants of different size. A total of 39 targeted compounds were quantified by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The number of prescriptions and the defined daily doses for each prescription was obtained from the reference database of The Catalan Health System to validate the wastewater-based approach. The wastewater sampling and the data inquiry were both executed during the same period (October 2019) and standardised for comparison to treatments per 1,000 inhabitants per day. The back-calculation parameters were improved from previous studies by including the faecal excretion rate of the pharmaceuticals. For prescription only pharmaceuticals, where prescription numbers are expected to be a good estimate of consumption, our WBE approach agreed with 27 out of 32 (<0.7 order of magnitude). Common over-the-counter pharmaceuticals such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen showed much higher values for treatments per day per 1,000 inhabitant in wastewater than prescribed, reflecting the usefulness of WBE in obtaining an estimate of the total consumption i.e. with and without a prescription.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Escolà Casas
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - N S Schröter
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain; Forensic Science of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies (IIS) of the Faculty of Science, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - I Zammit
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - M Castaño-Trias
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - S Rodriguez-Mozaz
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - P Gago-Ferrero
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
| | - Ll Corominas
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain.
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Zammit I, Marano RBM, Vaiano V, Cytryn E, Rizzo L. Changes in Antibiotic Resistance Gene Levels in Soil after Irrigation with Treated Wastewater: A Comparison between Heterogeneous Photocatalysis and Chlorination. Environ Sci Technol 2020; 54:7677-7686. [PMID: 32412248 PMCID: PMC8007107 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c01565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater (WW) reuse is expected to be increasingly indispensable in future water management to mitigate water scarcity. However, this increases the risk of antibiotic resistance (AR) dissemination via irrigation. Herein, a conventional (chlorination) and an advanced oxidation process (heterogeneous photocatalysis (HPC)) were used to disinfect urban WW to the same target of Escherichia coli <10 CFU/100 mL and used to irrigate lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa) set up in four groups, each receiving one of four water types, secondary WW (positive control), fresh water (negative control), chlorinated WW, and HPC WW. Four genes were monitored in water and soil, 16S rRNA as an indicator of total bacterial load, intI1 as a gene commonly associated with anthropogenic activity and AR, and two AR genes blaOXA-10 and qnrS. Irrigation with secondary WW resulted in higher dry soil levels of intI1 (from 1.4 × 104 copies/g before irrigation to 3.3 × 105 copies/g after). HPC-treated wastewater showed higher copy numbers of intI1 in the irrigated soil than chlorination, but the opposite was true for blaOXA-10. The results indicate that the current treatment is insufficient to prevent dissemination of AR markers and that HPC does not offer a clear advantage over chlorination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Zammit
- Department
of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
| | - Roberto B. M. Marano
- Department
of Soil Chemistry, Plant Nutrition and Microbiology, Institute of
Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Rishon LeZion 7505101, Israel
- Department
of Agroecology and Plant Health, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture,
Food and Environment, The Hebrew University
of Jerusalem, Rehovot 761001, Israel
| | - Vincenzo Vaiano
- Department
of Industrial Engineering, University of
Salerno, Via Giovanni
Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
| | - Eddie Cytryn
- Department
of Soil Chemistry, Plant Nutrition and Microbiology, Institute of
Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Rishon LeZion 7505101, Israel
| | - Luigi Rizzo
- Department
of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
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Iervolino G, Zammit I, Vaiano V, Rizzo L. Limitations and Prospects for Wastewater Treatment by UV and Visible-Light-Active Heterogeneous Photocatalysis: A Critical Review. Top Curr Chem (Cham) 2019; 378:7. [PMID: 31840195 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-49492-6_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Heterogeneous photocatalysis (HPC) has been widely investigated in recent decades for the removal of a number of contaminants from aqueous matrices, but its application in real wastewater treatment at full scale is still scarce. Indeed, process and technological limitations have made HPC uncompetitive with respect to consolidated processes/technologies so far. In this manuscript, these issues are critically discussed and reviewed with the aim of providing the reader with a realistic picture of the prospective application of HPC in wastewater treatment. Accordingly, consolidated and new photocatalysts (among which the visible active ones are attracting increasing interest among the scientific community), along with preparation methods, are reviewed to understand whether, with increased process efficiency, these methods can be realistically and competitively developed at industrial scale. Precipitation is considered as an attractive method for photocatalyst preparation at the industrial scale; sol-gel and ultrasound may be feasible only if no expensive metal precursor is used, while hydrothermal and solution combustion synthesis are expected to be difficult (expensive) to scale up. The application of HPC in urban and industrial wastewater treatment and possible energy recovery by hydrogen production are discussed in terms of current limitations and future prospects. Despite the fact that HPC has been studied for the removal of pollutants in aqueous matrices for two decades, its use in wastewater treatment is still at a "technological research" stage. In order to accelerate the adoption of HPC at full scale, it is advisable to focus on investigations under real conditions and on developing/improving pilot-scale reactors to better investigate scale-up conditions and the potential to successfully address specific challenges in wastewater treatment through HPC. In realistic terms, the prospective use of HPC is more likely as a tertiary treatment of wastewater, particularly if more stringent regulations come into force, than as pretreatment for industrial wastewater to improve biodegradability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppina Iervolino
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Ian Zammit
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Vaiano
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Luigi Rizzo
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, SA, Italy.
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Manaia CM, Rocha J, Scaccia N, Marano R, Radu E, Biancullo F, Cerqueira F, Fortunato G, Iakovides IC, Zammit I, Kampouris I, Vaz-Moreira I, Nunes OC. Antibiotic resistance in wastewater treatment plants: Tackling the black box. Environ Int 2018; 115:312-324. [PMID: 29626693 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.03.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 222] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater is among the most important reservoirs of antibiotic resistance in urban environments. The abundance of carbon sources and other nutrients, a variety of possible electron acceptors such as oxygen or nitrate, the presence of particles onto which bacteria can adsorb, or a fairly stable pH and temperature are examples of conditions favouring the remarkable diversity of microorganisms in this peculiar habitat. The wastewater microbiome brings together bacteria of environmental, human and animal origins, many harbouring antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Although numerous factors contribute, mostly in a complex interplay, for shaping this microbiome, the effect of specific potential selective pressures such as antimicrobial residues or metals, is supposedly determinant to dictate the fate of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and ARGs during wastewater treatment. This paper aims to enrich the discussion on the ecology of ARB&ARGs in urban wastewater treatment plants (UWTPs), intending to serve as a guide for wastewater engineers or other professionals, who may be interested in studying or optimizing the wastewater treatment for the removal of ARB&ARGs. Fitting this aim, the paper overviews and discusses: i) aspects of the complexity of the wastewater system and/or treatment that may affect the fate of ARB&ARGs; ii) methods that can be used to explore the resistome, meaning the whole ARB&ARGs, in wastewater habitats; and iii) some frequently asked questions for which are proposed addressing modes. The paper aims at contributing to explore how ARB&ARGs behave in UWTPs having in mind that each plant is a unique system that will probably need a specific procedure to maximize ARB&ARGs removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Célia M Manaia
- Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Arquiteto Lobão Vital, 172, 4200-374 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Jaqueline Rocha
- Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Arquiteto Lobão Vital, 172, 4200-374 Porto, Portugal
| | - Nazareno Scaccia
- Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Arquiteto Lobão Vital, 172, 4200-374 Porto, Portugal
| | - Roberto Marano
- Department of Agroecology and Plant Health, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel; Institute of Soil, Water, and Environmental Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Rishon Lezion, Israel
| | - Elena Radu
- University of Technology Vienna, Institute for Water Quality and Resources Management, Karlsplatz 13/226, A-1040 Vienna, Austria; AGES - Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Spargelfeldstraße 191, A-1220 Vienna, Austria
| | - Francesco Biancullo
- Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering - Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials (LSRE-LCM), Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal; Adventech-Advanced Environmental Technologies, Centro Empresarial e Tecnológico, Rua de Fundões 151, 3700-121 São João da Madeira, Portugal
| | - Francisco Cerqueira
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, c/Jordi Girona, 18-26, E-08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gianuário Fortunato
- Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Arquiteto Lobão Vital, 172, 4200-374 Porto, Portugal
| | - Iakovos C Iakovides
- NIREAS-International Water Research Center and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Ian Zammit
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, SP24a, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Ioannis Kampouris
- Institute for Hydrobiology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01217 Dresden, Germany
| | - Ivone Vaz-Moreira
- Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CBQF - Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Rua Arquiteto Lobão Vital, 172, 4200-374 Porto, Portugal; LEPABE, Laboratório de Engenharia de Processos, Ambiente, Biotecnologia e Energia, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Olga C Nunes
- LEPABE, Laboratório de Engenharia de Processos, Ambiente, Biotecnologia e Energia, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal.
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Zammit I, Vaiano V, Iervolino G, Rizzo L. Inactivation of an urban wastewater indigenousEscherichia colistrain by cerium doped zinc oxide photocatalysis. RSC Adv 2018; 8:26124-26132. [PMID: 35541927 PMCID: PMC9082927 DOI: 10.1039/c8ra05020a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterogeneous photocatalysis (HPC) is a subset of Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) with potential future applications in water disinfection. Herein, a zinc oxide photocatalyst was doped with cerium at various atomic ratios ranging from 0 to 0.1 Ce : Zn. Keeping in mind that the application of HPC is often limited by its cost of use, a simple and easy to upscale method, that is the hydroxide induced hydrolysis of zinc nitrate in the presence of Ce3+ followed by calcination at 300 °C, was used to synthesise the catalysts. The catalysts have been characterized by different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis diffuse reflectance (UV-vis DRS) and Raman spectroscopy. XRD results showed that Ce3+ ions were successfully incorporated into the ZnO lattice. UV-vis DRS spectra evidenced that Ce–ZnO samples present band-gap values of about 2.97 eV, lower than those of undoped ZnO (3.21 eV). These various photocatalysts, at 0.1 g L−1 in saline 0.85%, were used to inactivate Escherichia coli previously isolated from an urban wastewater treatment plant. Higher atomic ratios of Ce in the ZnO lattice, as confirmed by XRD and Raman spectroscopy, showed significant improvements to the inactivation rate; the resulting recommended optimum cerium loading of 0.04 : 1 Ce : Zn gave multiple orders of magnitude higher rate of inactivation after 60 min of treatment when compared to un-doped ZnO. This optimum loading of cerium was faster than the de facto literature standard TiO2-P25 tested under identical conditions. Doping of ZnO with cerium at 0.04 : 1 Ce : Zn at/at gives substantial improvements in rate of photocatalytic inactivation of E. coli over undoped ZnO.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Zammit
- Department of Civil Engineering
- University of Salerno
- Italy
| | - Vincenzo Vaiano
- Department of Industrial Engineering
- University of Salerno
- Italy
| | | | - Luigi Rizzo
- Department of Civil Engineering
- University of Salerno
- Italy
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Xiao R, Zammit I, Wei Z, Hu WP, MacLeod M, Spinney R. Kinetics and Mechanism of the Oxidation of Cyclic Methylsiloxanes by Hydroxyl Radical in the Gas Phase: An Experimental and Theoretical Study. Environ Sci Technol 2015; 49:13322-13330. [PMID: 26477990 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b03744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The ubiquitous presence of cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes (cVMS) in the global atmosphere has recently raised environmental concern. In order to assess the persistence and long-range transport potential of cVMS, their second-order rate constants (k) for reactions with hydroxyl radical ((•)OH) in the gas phase are needed. We experimentally and theoretically investigated the kinetics and mechanism of (•)OH oxidation of a series of cVMS, hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane (D3), octamethycyclotetrasiloxane (D4), and decamethycyclopentasiloxane (D5). Experimentally, we measured k values for D3, D4, and D5 with (•)OH in a gas-phase reaction chamber. The Arrhenius activation energies for these reactions in the temperature range from 313 to 353 K were small (-2.92 to 0.79 kcal·mol(-1)), indicating a weak temperature dependence. We also calculated the thermodynamic and kinetic behaviors for reactions at the M06-2X/6-311++G**//M06-2X/6-31+G** level of theory over a wider temperature range of 238-358 K that encompasses temperatures in the troposphere. The calculated Arrhenius activation energies range from -2.71 to -1.64 kcal·mol(-1), also exhibiting weak temperature dependence. The measured k values were approximately an order of magnitude higher than the theoretical values but have the same trend with increasing size of the siloxane ring. The calculated energy barriers for H-atom abstraction at different positions were similar, which provides theoretical support for extrapolating k for other cyclic siloxanes from the number of abstractable hydrogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiyang Xiao
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University , Changsha, Hunan 410083, China
- Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution , Changsha, Hunan 410083, China
| | - Ian Zammit
- Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, Stockholm University , Svante Arrhenius väg 8, Stockholm SE-11418, Sweden
| | | | - Wei-Ping Hu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National Chung Cheng University , Minxiong, Chia-Yi 62102, Taiwan
| | - Matthew MacLeod
- Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, Stockholm University , Svante Arrhenius väg 8, Stockholm SE-11418, Sweden
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Znazen R, Kaabi H, Hmida S, Ben Abid H, Ben Tahar S, Zammit I, Hafsia A, Boukef K. Detection of serum hemolysins in autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Transfus Clin Biol 2006; 13:341-5. [PMID: 17306584 DOI: 10.1016/j.tracli.2006.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2006] [Accepted: 12/29/2006] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Some patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) have in their sera autohemolysins able to hemolyze RBCs in vitro by activation of complement. We describe three autohemolysins in patients with AIHA and we study clinical correlations. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Thirty-two patients with AIHA were explored by immuno-hematological investigations (DAT, elution and serum testing). RESULTS Three autohemolysins were detected in three patients. All of these autoantibodies were likely IgM and reacted in vitro only with enzyme-treated RBCs. Two warm autohemolysins were detected in patients with warm-type AIHA. The first one was active at neutral pH with low title. The second, having a wide thermal amplitude reacting at 22 degrees C and a title of 16, was acid. The hemolysin detected in patient 3 with cold hemagglutinin disease, was active at 4 and 22 degrees C, at acid pH. The thermal optimum was 4 degrees C and the title 64. It was also detected at 37 degrees C with the same title, but only at neutral pH. CONCLUSION Although these autohemolysins were incomplete, hemolyzing in vitro only enzyme-treated RBCs, they were associated for the three patients with severe hemolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Znazen
- Laboratory of Hematology, Charles-Nicolle Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia
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