Comparison of the Effect of Surface and Deep Aeration Methods on Density and Type of Airborne Bacteria and Fungi in Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant (Case study: Khin-Arab and Parkand-Abad 1 Wastewater Treatment Plants)

Document Type : Applied Article

Authors

• Zohreh Abbasnia ¹
• Shadi Abbasnia ²
• Mahdi Pahlevani ³
• Masoud Rouhbakhsh ⁴
• Maryam Ghasemzadeh ¹
• Saeid Amel Jamehdar ⁵

¹ Faculty of Mathematical Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

² Immunology Research Center, Inflammation and Inflammatory Diseases Division, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

³ Director of the Parkand-Abad Wastewater Treatment Plant, Water and Wastewater Company, Mashhad, Iran

⁴ Research and Development Director of Mashhad Water and Wastewater Company, Mashhad, Iran./ Khavaran Higher Education Institute, Mashhad, Iran

⁵ Antibacterial Resistance Research Center, Department of Microbiology and Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Science, Mashhad, Iran

10.22067/jwsd.v11i4.2407-1347

Abstract

One of the important problems in the field of water and wastewater treatment is the investigation of microbial air pollution and the release of suspended particles due to wastewater treatment. Harmful microorganisms in wastewater include different types of bacteria, fungi, etc. For this purpose, two wastewater treatment plants, Khin-Arab and Parkand-Abad, which use deep and surface aeration processes, were studied. Sampling was conducted seasonally with a minimum distance of one meter from barriers, and at a height of 1.5 meters above ground level at both wastewaters. Nutrient agar, McConkey agar and Subrodextrose agar were used for environmental sampling, total number of samples was 400. Then intercropping was done to identify bacteria and fungi species. Analysis of results was carried out using SPSSMODELER18 and RAWGraphs software.  Mean values for the density of bacteria were reported 26.98 CFU/plate at Khin-Arab and 26.11 CFU/plate at Parkand-Abad. Mean values for the density of fungi were reported as 4.71 CFU/plate at the Khin-Arab treatment plant and 4.40 CFU/plate at Parkand-Abad. Bacterial pollution, except during the spring, was higher at Khin-Arab compared to Parkand-Abad. The process of fungal pollution trend was similar between the two treatment plants, with no statistically significant difference observed. The two treatment plants have behaved almost the same in terms of the amount of pollution in the total sampling seasons, which can be influenced by various factors such as the larger size of the Khin-Arab treatment plant, more polluted units in the Khin-Arab treatment plant, and the difference in aeration systems.

Keywords

• Wastewater Treatment Plant
• Surface Aeration
• Deep Aeration
• Bioaerosol

Main Subjects

• Water, Ecosystem and Environment

---

References

Bauer, H., Fuerhacker, M., Zibuschka, F., Schmid, H., & Puxbaum, H. (2002). Bacteria and fungi in aerosols generated by two different types of wastewater treatment plants. Water Research, 36(16), 3965-3970. 
Breza-Boruta, B., & Paluszak, Z. (2007). Influence of Water Treatment Plant on Microbiological Composition of Air Bioaerosol. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 16(5), 663-670.
Carducci, A., Tozzi, E., Rubulotta, E., Casini, B., Cantiani, L., Rovini, E., & Pacini, R. (2000). Assessing airborne biological hazard from urban wastewater treatment. Water Research, 34(4), 1173-1178. 
Fernando, N. L., & Fedorak, P. M. (2005). Changes at an activated sludge sewage treatment plant alter the numbers of airborne aerobic microorganisms. Water Research, 39(19), 4597-4608. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2005.08.010
Fracchia, L., Pietronave, S., Rinaldi, M., & Martinotti, M. G. (2006). Site-related airborne biological hazard and seasonal variations in two wastewater treatment plants. Water Research, 40(10), 1985-1994. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2006.03.016
Gangamma, S., Patil, R., & Mukherji, S. (2011). Characterization and proinflammatory response of airborne biological particles from wastewater treatment plants. Environmental science & technology, 45(8), 3282-3287.  doi: 10.1021/es103652z
Gotkowska‐Płachta, A., Filipkowska, Z., Korzeniewska, E., Janczukowicz, W., Dixon, B., Gołaś, I., & Szwalgin, D. (2013). Airborne microorganisms emitted from wastewater treatment plant treating domestic wastewater and meat processing industry wastes. CLEAN–Soil, Air, Water, 41(5), 429-436.  https://doi.org/10.1002/clen.201100466
Heinonen-Tanski, H., Reponen, T., & Koivunen, J. (2009). Airborne enteric coliphages and bacteria in sewage treatment plants. Water Research, 43(9), 2558-2566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2009.03.006
Kaarakainen, P., Rintala, H., Meklin, T., Kärkkäinen, P., Hyvärinen, A., & Nevalainen, A. (2011). Concentrations and diversity of microbes from four local bioaerosol emission sources in Finland. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 61(12), 1382-1392. doi: 10.1080/10473289.2011.628902
Karra, S., & Katsivela, E. (2007). Microorganisms in bioaerosol emissions from wastewater treatment plants during summer at a Mediterranean site. Water Research, 41(6), 1355-1365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2006.12.014
Kermani, M., Dehghani, A., Farzadkia, M., Nadafi, K., Bahrami Asl, F., & Zeinalzadeh, D. (2015). Investigation of airborne bactria and fungi in Tehran’s Shahrake Ghods WWTP and its association with environmental parameters. Journal of Health, 6(1), 57-68. . 
Kowalski, M., Wolany, J., Pastuszka, J., Płaza, G., Wlazło, A., Ulfig, K., & Malina, A. (2017). Characteristics of airborne bacteria and fungi in some Polish wastewater treatment plants. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 14, 2181-2192. doi: 10.1007/s13762-017-1314-2
Kruczalak, K., & Olanczuk-Neyman, K. (2004). Microorganisms in the Air Over Wastewater Treamtment Plants. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 13(5), 537-542
LeChevallier, M. W., Mansfield, T. J., & Gibson, J. M. (2020). Protecting wastewater workers from disease risks: Personal protective equipment guidelines. Water Environment Research, 92(4), 524-533. doi: 10.1002/wer.1249
Li, L., Gao, M., & Liu, J. (2011). Distribution characterization of microbial aerosols emitted from a wastewater treatment plant using the Orbal oxidation ditch process. Process Biochemistry, 46(4), 910-915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procbio.2010.12.016
Małecka-Adamowicz, M., Donderski, W., & Dokładna, W. (2011). Microflora of Air in the Sewage Treatment Plant of Kapuściska in Bydgoszcz. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 20(5), 1235-1242.
Niazi, S., Hassanvand, M. S., Mahvi, A. H., Nabizadeh, R., Alimohammadi, M., Nabavi, S., & Moradi-Joo, M. (2015). Assessment of bioaerosol contamination (bacteria and fungi) in the largest urban wastewater treatment plant in the Middle East. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 22, 16014-16021. doi: 10.1007/s11356-015-4793-z
Oppliger, A., Hilfiker, S., & Vu Duc, T. (2005). Influence of seasons and sampling strategy on assessment of bioaerosols in sewage treatment plants in Switzerland. Annals of Occupational Hygiene, 49(5), 393-400.  doi: 10.1093/annhyg/meh108.
Prazmo, Z., Krysinska-Traczyk, E., Skorska, C., Sitkowska, J., Cholewa, G., & Dutkiewicz, J. (2003). Exposure to bioaerosols in a municipal sewage treatment plant. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine, 10(2), 241-8.
Wang, Y., Li, L., Xiong, R., Guo, X., & Liu, J. (2019). Effects of aeration on microbes and intestinal bacteria in bioaerosols from the BRT of an indoor wastewater treatment facility. Science of the total environment, 648,1453-1461 . doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.244
Wlazło, A., Pastuszka, J. S., & Łudzeń-Izbińska, B. (2002). Assessment of workers' exposure to airborne bacteria at a small wastewater treatment plant. Medycyna pracy, 53(2), 109-114. 
Xu, G., Han, Y., Li, L., & Liu, J. (2018). Characterization and source analysis of indoor/outdoor culturable airborne bacteria in a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 74, 71-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2018.02.007