Tracking pollutants in a municipal sewage network impairing the operation of a wastewater treatment plant

Sá, Mariana F.T.; Castro, Verónica; Gomes, Ana I.; Morais, Daniela F.S.; Braga, Rui V.P.S. Silva; Saraiva, Isabel; Souza-Chaves, Bianca M.; Park, Minkyu; Fernández-Fernández, V.; Rodil, Rosario; Montes, Rosa; Quintana, José Benito; Vilar, Vítor J.P.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152518

Cited by 20 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Due to their molecular and ionic properties, in particular, surfactants are difficult to remove from water, so even after wastewater treatment, a residual surfactant concentration remains and is discharged into the water bodies (Badmus et al, 2021; Johnson et al, 2021). A study reported the presence of 111 surfactants at a wastewater treatment plant which was found to further impair the performance of the plant (Sá et al, 2022). When the surfactant concentration exceeds its critical micelle concentration (CMC), the surface tension reduces rapidly and even the materials with no original adsorption energy start dissolving in the water, thus leading to an increase in the concentration of both soluble and insoluble pollutants in water (Bhatt et al, 2020).…”

Section: Surfactant Pollution In Abiotic and Biotic Componentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surfactant pollution, an emerging threat to ecosystem: Approaches for effective bacterial degradation

Arora

Ranjan

Chauhan

et al. 2022

Journal of Applied Microbiology

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The use of surfactants in households and industries is inevitable and so is their discharge into the environment, especially into the water bodies as effluents. Being surface-active agents, their utilization is mostly seen in soaps, detergents, personal care products, emulsifiers, wetting agents, etc. Anionic surfactants are the most used class. These surfactants are responsible for the foam and froth in the water bodies and cause potential adverse effects to both biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem. Surfactants are capable of penetrating the cell membrane and thus cause toxicity to living organisms. Accumulation of these compounds has been known to cause significant gill damage and loss of sight in fish. Alteration of physiological and biochemical parameters of water decreases the amount of dissolved oxygen and thus affecting the entire ecosystem. Microbes utilizing surfactants as substrates for energy form the basis of the biodegradation of these compounds. The main organisms for surfactant biodegradation, both in sewage and natural waters, are bacteria.Several Pseudomonas and Bacillus spp. have shown efficient degradation of anionic surfactants namely: sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), linear alkylbenzene sulphonate (LAS), sodium dodecylbenzenesulphonate (SDBS). Also, several microbial consortia constituting Alcaligenes spp., Citrobacter spp., etc. have shown efficacy in the degradation of surfactants. The biodegradation efficiency studies of these microbes/ microbial consortia would be of immense help in formulating better solutions for the bioremediation of surfactants and help to reduce their potential environmental hazards.

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Section: Surfactant Pollution In Abiotic and Biotic Componentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surfactant pollution, an emerging threat to ecosystem: Approaches for effective bacterial degradation

Arora

Ranjan

Chauhan

et al. 2022

Journal of Applied Microbiology

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“…Municipal WWTPs receive large amounts of pharmaceutical pollutants (including antibiotics) and pathogens ( 7 – 10 ). Many WWTPs rely on AS, a densely rich and diverse microbial community, to remove organic matter.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome-centric analyses of 165 metagenomes show that mobile genetic elements are crucial for the transmission of antimicrobial resistance genes to pathogens in activated sludge and wastewater

Abdulkadir,

Saraiva,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Microbiol Spectr

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Wastewater is considered a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), where the abundant antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and mobile genetic elements facilitate horizontal gene transfer. However, the prevalence and extent of these phenomena in different taxonomic groups that inhabit wastewater are still not fully understood. Here, we determined the presence of ARGs in metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) and evaluated the risks of MAG-carrying ARGs in potential human pathogens. The potential of these ARGs to be transmitted horizontally or vertically was also determined. A total of 5,916 MAGs (completeness >50%, contamination <10%) were recovered, covering 68 phyla and 279 genera. MAGs were dereplicated into 1,204 genome operational taxonomic units (gOTUs) as a proxy for species ( average nucleotide identity >0.95). The dominant ARG classes detected were bacitracin, multi-drug, macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin (MLS), glycopeptide, and aminoglycoside, and 10.26% of them were located on plasmids. The main hosts of ARGs belonged to Escherichia , Klebsiella , Acinetobacter , Gresbergeria , Mycobacterium , and Thauera . Our data showed that 253 MAGs carried virulence factor genes (VFGs) divided into 44 gOTUs, of which 45 MAGs were carriers of ARGs, indicating that potential human pathogens carried ARGs. Alarmingly, the MAG assigned as Escherichia coli contained 159 VFGs, of which 95 were located on chromosomes and 10 on plasmids. In addition to shedding light on the prevalence of ARGs in individual genomes recovered from activated sludge and wastewater, our study demonstrates a workflow that can identify antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in complex microbial communities. IMPORTANCE Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the health of humans, animals, and natural ecosystems. In our study, an analysis of 165 metagenomes from wastewater revealed antibiotic-targeted alteration, efflux, and inactivation as the most prevalent AMR mechanisms. We identified several genera correlated with multiple ARGs, including Klebsiella , Escherichia , Acinetobacter , Nitrospira , Ottowia , Pseudomonas , and Thauera , which could have significant implications for AMR transmission. The abundance of bacA , mexL , and aph(3")-I in the genomes calls for their urgent management in wastewater. Our approach could be applied to different ecosystems to assess the risk of potential pathogens containing ARGs. Our findings highlight the importance of managing AMR in wastewater and can help design measures to reduce the transmission and evolution of AMR in these systems.

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“…Wastewater reclamation, particularly from municipal sources, can reduce freshwater demands , and provide recoverable sources of nutrients, as well as other environmental benefits associated with cleaner water. , Using reclaimed wastewater for nonpotable purposes, such as public landscape irrigation and industrial cooling, has been widely adopted by municipalities in various countries, particularly in regions impacted by water scarcity. − However, potable reuse and irrigation of agriculture, which accounts for 80% of the global freshwater consumption, face challenges associated with the removal of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs). , Some contaminants, which include pharmaceuticals and personal care products, industrial chemicals, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), , are associated with chronic toxicity. , However, much is unknown about the negative effects of exposure to complex mixtures of TrOCs. Despite these challenges, conventional and advanced wastewater treatment methods are often insufficient in removing or degrading all TrOCs, , making wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) a significant anthropogenic source of TrOCs in local lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, where contaminants are often detected at concentrations ranging from ng L –1 to mg L –1 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite these challenges, conventional and advanced wastewater treatment methods are often insufficient in removing or degrading all TrOCs, 18,19 making wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) a significant anthropogenic source of TrOCs in local lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, where contaminants are often detected at concentrations ranging from ng L −1 to mg L −1 . 20 Adsorption is one of the most economical, effective, and practical approaches for removing organic and inorganic constituents from contaminated water. 19,21 Cross-linked βcyclodextrin (β-CD) polymers have emerged as promising adsorbents for the removal of PFAS, 22,23 organic dyes, 24,25 and pharmaceuticals 26,27 from water.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trace Organic Contaminant Removal from Municipal Wastewater by Styrenic β-Cyclodextrin Polymers

Lin,

Shapiro,

Barajas-Rodriguez

et al. 2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Tracking pollutants in a municipal sewage network impairing the operation of a wastewater treatment plant

Cited by 20 publications

References 53 publications

Surfactant pollution, an emerging threat to ecosystem: Approaches for effective bacterial degradation

Surfactant pollution, an emerging threat to ecosystem: Approaches for effective bacterial degradation

Genome-centric analyses of 165 metagenomes show that mobile genetic elements are crucial for the transmission of antimicrobial resistance genes to pathogens in activated sludge and wastewater

Trace Organic Contaminant Removal from Municipal Wastewater by Styrenic β-Cyclodextrin Polymers

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