Short-term stability of wastewater samples for storage and shipment in the context of the EU Sewage Sentinel System for SARS-CoV-2.

In the context of an EU-wide surveillance system for SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, recommended by the European Commission, this study aims to provide scientific support to the adequacy of transport and storage conditions of samples both in terms of duration and samples temperature. Three laboratories in Slovenia, Cyprus and Estonia investigated the short-term, one-week, isochronous stability of wastewater samples by RT-qPCR based detection of SARS-CoV-2 genes. The results were tested for statistical significance to determine uncertainty of quantification and shelf-life, at testing temperatures of + 20 °C and - 20 °C, relative to reference at + 4 °C.

Membrane bioreactor followed by solar photo-Fenton oxidation: Bacterial community structure changes and bacterial reduction.

The removal of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and taxon-specific markers, the bacterial community structure changes and the permanent inactivation of total bacteria including their antibiotic-resistant counterparts (ARB) in actual wastewater during a Membrane BioReactor (MBR) application followed by solar photo-Fenton oxidation at bench- and then pilot-scale under solar irradiation, were investigated. The presence of enterococci- and pseudomonad-specific taxon markers and of sul1 and ampC ARGs in the MBR effluent was confirmed, indicating the challenge of such processes, for the removal of biological molecules. On the other hand, >99 % reduction of all types of cultivable bacteria examined was observed after MBR treatment, with a 5-log reduction of E.

Reduction of antibiotic resistance determinants in urban wastewater by ozone: Emphasis on the impact of wastewater matrix towards the inactivation kinetics, toxicity and bacterial regrowth.

This study investigated the impact of bench-scale ozonation on the inactivation of total cultivable and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (faecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus spp., and total heterotrophs), and the reduction of gene markers (16S rRNA and intl1) and antibiotic resistance genes (qacEΔ1, sul1, aadA1 and dfrA1) indigenously present in wastewater effluents treated by membrane bioreactor (MBR) or conventional activated sludge (CAS). The Chick-Watson model-predicted ozone exposure (CT) requirements, showed that higher CT values were needed for CAS- than MBR-treated effluents to achieve a 3-log reduction of each microbial group, i.

Simultaneous inactivation of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli and enterococci by peracetic acid in urban wastewater: Exposure-based kinetics and comparison with chlorine.

The presence of antibiotic resistance in wastewater sparked a great interest in investigating the inactivation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria by disinfecting agents. In this study, the inactivation kinetics of multidrug-resistant E. coli and enterococci by an emerging environmentally-friendly disinfectant, peracetic acid (PAA), in wastewater and phosphate buffer at pH 6.