Publications by authors named "Dana Gonzalez"

Article Synopsis
  • PFAS levels in biosolids depend on their source, treatment methods, and conditions at water resource recovery facilities (WRRF), but detailed studies on this are limited.
  • This research analyzed how anaerobic digestion (AD) and a thermal hydrolysis process (THP) influence PFAS concentrations in wastewater solids, observing a mix of different PFAS types with notable shifts in their ratios.
  • Although the THP and AD processes improved solids handling and energy efficiency, they did not significantly reduce the overall PFAS concentrations compared to using AD alone.
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Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are an emerging issue in wastewater treatment. High-temperature thermal processes, incineration being time-tested, offer the opportunity to destroy and change the composition of PFAS. The fate of PFAS has been documented through wastewater sludge incinerators, including a multiple hearth furnace (MHF) and a fluidized bed furnace (FBF).

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Collection System Investigation Microbial Source Tracking (CSI-MST) is a novel, sensitive approach for identifying sewer infrastructure deficiencies using molecular markers. This method requires both a detailed understanding of collection and conveyance system infrastructure and quickly turned around molecular data to advise an adaptive, targeted in-pipe approach to detect deficiencies. Here we explain the CSI-MST approach and provide several case study examples of how this approach can be adapted to different scale watersheds to identify potential sewer infrastructure issues.

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Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been used to analyze markers in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influent to characterize emerging chemicals, drug use patterns, or disease spread within communities. This approach can be particularly helpful in understanding outbreaks of disease like the novel Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) when combined with clinical datasets. In this study, three RT-ddPCR assays (N1, N2, N3) were used to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in weekly samples from nine WWTPs in southeastern Virginia.

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Sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were operated for 36 days to simulate the potential wastewater treatment impacts as well as fate and transport of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that could be associated with a release of alcohol resistant aqueous film forming foam (AR-AFFF) from on-site methanol fire suppression systems. The results of this study indicate that two days of exposure to AFFF were associated with small reductions in mixed liquor solids content and nitrification rates. No impacts on denitrification or biological phosphorus removal were observed.

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Objectives: Determine the genetic diversity of Peruvian isolations of Leptospira spp. through Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE).

Materials And Methods: The PFGE methodology proposed by Galloway and Levett (2008) was standardized.

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