An Investigation into the Biological Effects of Indirect Potable Reuse Water Using Zebrafish Embryos
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PROVIDER: PRJNA638388 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
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Project description:In the search for sustainable drinking water, many countries are weighing up the benefits of advanced treatment technologies as a proactive measure to assist with the transformation of treated wastewater into a source of water used for the production of potable water. We investigated the biological effects along a pilot plant with an advanced water treatment process, using zebrafish embryos at different stages of development. The study took an innovative approach, comparing phenotypic observations with whole genome responses. This enabled us to keep an open mind about which chemicals might be influencing the biological activity. There was no evidence of acute toxicity at any stage of treatment, but distinctive abnormalities – skeletal, cardiovascular and pigmentation – occurred in a small proportion of embryos along the treatment process, and in a tap water, that were not detected in the aquarium water control. Reverse osmosis (RO) reduced the concentration of measured chemical contaminants in the water the most, whilst eliminating the occurrence of abnormalities detected in the fish. In contrast, advanced oxidation appeared to reverse the benefits of RO treatment by increasing the frequency of teratogenic and sub-lethal abnormalities seen in embryos. Genomic analysis found alterations to the retinoid system, which was consistent with the teratogenic abnormalities observed. In addition, we found evidence of changes to metabolic pathways, including tryptophan metabolism associated with the production of melatonin required for the control of normal circadian rhythms. Although we cannot extrapolate these preliminary findings in zebrafish embryos to human or environmental health, we show that underexplored forms of biological activity (that existing Test Guidelines are not designed to capture) occur in treated wastewater effluent, and/or may be created depending on the type of advanced treatment process used. Although the identity of the culprit chemicals are unknown at this time, our innovative approach highlights the need for more research into the effects of chemicals on the retinoid system (and metabolism).
2020-11-30 | GSE152131 | GEO
Project description:This case study presents a framework for evaluating the sustainability of indirect potable reuse (IPR) and direct potable reuse (DPR) in Las Vegas, Nevada. A system dynamics model was developed to simulate population growth, water supply, water quality, energy costs, net present worth (NPW), and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The model confirmed that DPR could achieve a net reduction in energy costs of up to US$250 million while still ensuring an adequate water supply. However, the high NPW of DPR ($1.0-$4.0 billion) relative to the status quo IPR approach ($0.6 billion) represents a significant economic hurdle, although future monetization of salt loadings and GHGs could reduce that disparity. DPR with ozone-biofiltration would also be hindered by an estimated concentration of total dissolved solids of up to 1,300?mg/L. Despite these barriers to implementation in Las Vegas, certain site-specific conditions may make DPR more attractive in other locations.
| S-EPMC6851734 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Microbial community characterization of ozone-biofiltration systems in drinking water and potable reuse applications
| PRJEB22574 | ENA
Project description:Increasing interest in recycling water for potable purposes makes understanding the risks associated with potential acute microbial hazards important. We compared risks from de facto reuse, indirect potable reuse (IPR), and direct potable reuse (DPR) scenarios using a previously published quantitative microbial risk assessment methodology and literature review results. The de facto reuse simulation results are compared to a Cryptosporidium spp. database collected for the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule's information collection rule (ICR) and to a literature review of norovirus (NoV) densities in ambient surface waters. The de facto simulation results with a treated wastewater effluent contribution of 1% in surface waters and a residence time of 30 days most closely match the ICR dataset. The de facto simulations also suggest that using NoV monitoring data from surface waters may overestimate microbial risks, compared to NoV data from raw sewage coupled with wastewater treatment reduction estimates. The predicted risks from IPR and DPR are consistently lower than those for the de facto reuse scenarios assuming the AWTFs are operating within design specifications. These analyses provide insight into the microbial risks associated with various potable reuse scenarios and highlight the need to carefully consider drinking water treatment choices when wastewater effluent is a component of any drinking water supply.
| S-EPMC7155932 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PURPOSE OF REVIEW:With the increasing interest in recycling water for potable reuse purposes, it is important to understand the microbial risks associated with potable reuse. This review focuses on potable reuse systems that use high-level treatment and de facto reuse scenarios that include a quantifiable wastewater effluent component. RECENT FINDINGS:In this article, we summarize the published human health studies related to potable reuse, including both epidemiology studies and quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRA). Overall, there have been relatively few health-based studies evaluating the microbial risks associated with potable reuse. Several microbial risk assessments focused on risks associated with unplanned (or de facto) reuse, while others evaluated planned potable reuse, such as indirect potable reuse (IPR) or direct potable reuse (DPR). The reported QMRA-based risks for planned potable reuse varied substantially, indicating there is a need for risk assessors to use consistent input parameters and transparent assumptions, so that risk results are easily translated across studies. However, the current results overall indicate that predicted risks associated with planned potable reuse scenarios may be lower than those for de facto reuse scenarios. Overall, there is a clear need to carefully consider water treatment train choices when wastewater is a component of the drinking water supply (whether de facto, IPR, or DPR). More data from full-scale water treatment facilities would be helpful to quantify levels of viruses in raw sewage and reductions across unit treatment processes for both culturable and molecular detection methods.
| S-EPMC6779056 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Potable reuse of municipal wastewater is often the lowest-energy option for increasing the availability of fresh water. However, limited data are available on the energy consumption of potable reuse facilities and schemes, and the many variables affecting energy consumption obscure the process of estimating energy requirements. By synthesizing available data and developing a simple model for the energy consumption of centralized potable reuse schemes, this study provides a framework for understanding when potable reuse is the lowest-energy option for augmenting water supply. The model is evaluated to determine a representative range for the specific electrical energy consumption of direct and indirect potable reuse schemes and compare potable reuse to other water supply augmentation options, such as seawater desalination. Finally, the model is used to identify the most promising avenues for further reducing the energy consumption of potable reuse, including encouraging direct potable reuse without additional drinking water treatment, avoiding reverse osmosis in indirect potable reuse when effluent quality allows it, updating pipe networks, or using more permeable membranes. Potable reuse already requires far less energy than seawater desalination and, with a few investments in energy efficiency, entire potable reuse schemes could operate with a specific electrical energy consumption of less than 1 kWh/m3, showing the promise of potable reuse as a low-energy option for augmenting water supply.
| S-EPMC8640112 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Low molecular weight, uncharged compounds have been the subject of considerable study at advanced treatment plants employed for potable water reuse. However, previously identified compounds only account for a small fraction of the total dissolved organic carbon remaining after reverse osmosis treatment. Uncharged carbonyl compounds (e.g., aldehydes and ketones) formed during oxidation have rarely been monitored in potable water reuse systems. To determine the relative importance of these compounds to final product water quality, samples were collected from six potable water reuse facilities and one conventional drinking water treatment plant. Saturated carbonyl compounds (e.g., formaldehyde, acetone) and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes (e.g., acrolein, crotonaldehyde) were quantified with a sensitive new analytical method. Relatively high concentrations of carbonyls (i.e., above 7 μM) were observed after ozonation of wastewater effluent. Biological filtration reduced concentrations of carbonyls by over 90%. Rejection of the carbonyls during reverse osmosis was correlated with molecular weight, with concentrations decreasing by 33% to 58%. Transformation of carbonyls resulted in decreases in concentration of 10% to 90% during advanced oxidation, with observed decreases consistent with rate constants for reactions of the compounds with hydroxyl radicals. Overall, carbonyl compounds accounted for 19% to 38% of the dissolved organic carbon in reverse osmosis-treated water.
| S-EPMC7755163 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Wastewater reclamation and reuse have the potential to supplement water supplies, offering resiliency in times of drought and helping meet increased water demands associated with population growth. Non-potable water reuse represents the largest potential reuse market. Yet economic constraints for new water reuse infrastructure and safety concerns due to microbial water quality, and especially viral pathogen exposure, limit widespread implementation of water reuse. Cost-effective, real-time methods to measure or indicate viral quality of recycled water would do much to instill greater confidence in the practice. This manuscript discusses advancements in monitoring and modeling of viral health risks in the context of water reuse. First, we describe the current wastewater reclamation processes and treatment technologies with an emphasis on virus removal. Second, we review technologies for the measurement of viruses, both culture- and molecular-based, along with their advantages and disadvantages. We introduce promising viral surrogates and specific pathogenic viruses that can serve as indicators of viral risk for water reuse. We suggest metagenomic analyses for viral screening and flow cytometry for quantification of virus-like particles as new approaches to complement more traditional methods. Third, we describe modeling to assess health risks through quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRAs), the most common strategy to couple data on virus concentrations with human exposure scenarios. We then explore the potential of artificial neural networks (ANNs) to incorporate suites of data from wastewater treatment processes, water quality parameters, and viral surrogates. We recommend ANNs as a means to utilize existing water quality data, alongside new complementary measures of viral quality, to achieve cost-effective strategies to assess risks associated with infectious human viruses in recycled water. Given the review, we conclude that technologies are ready for identifying and implementing viral surrogates for health risk reduction in the next decade. Incorporating modeling with monitoring data would likely result in more robust assessment of water reuse risk.
| S-EPMC10448804 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We used quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to estimate the microbial risks from two contamination pathways in onsite non-potable water systems (ONWS): contamination of potable water by (treated) reclaimed, non-potable water and contamination of reclaimed, non-potable water by wastewater or greywater. A range of system sizes, event durations, fraction of users exposed, and intrusion dilutions were considered (chlorine residual disinfection was not included). The predicted annual microbial infection risk from domestic, non-potable reuse remained below the selected benchmark given isolated, short-duration intrusion (i.e., 5-day) events of reclaimed water in potable water. Whereas, intrusions of wastewater into reclaimed, non-potable water resulted in unacceptable annual risk without large dilutions or pathogen inactivation. We predicted that 1 user out of 10,000 could be exposed to a 5-day contamination event of undiluted wastewater in the reclaimed, non-potable water system each year to meet the annual benchmark risk of 10-4 infections per person per year; whereas, 1 user out of 1000 could be exposed to a 5-day contamination event of undiluted reclaimed water in the potable water each year. Overall, the predicted annual risks support the use of previously derived non-potable reuse treatment requirements for a variety of ONWS sizes and support the prioritization of protective measures to prevent the intrusion of wastewater into domestic ONWS.
| S-EPMC6621552 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Conventional water resources are not sufficient in many regions to meet the needs of growing populations. Due to cyclical weather cycles, drought, and climate change, water stress has increased worldwide including in Southern California, which serves as a model for regions that integrate reuse of wastewater for both potable and non-potable use. The Orange County Water District (OCWD) Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF) is a highly engineered system designed to treat and produce up to 100 million gallons per day (MGD) of purified water from a municipal wastewater source for potable reuse. Routine facility microbial water quality analysis is limited to standard indicators at this and similar facilities. Given recent advances in high throughput DNA sequencing techniques, complete microbial profiling of communities in water samples is now possible. By using 16S/18S rRNA gene sequencing, metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing coupled to a highly accurate identification method along with 16S rRNA gene qPCR, we describe a detailed view of the total microbial community throughout the facility. The total bacterial load of the water at stages of the treatment train ranged from 3.02 × 106 copies in source, unchlorinated wastewater feed to 5.49 × 101 copies of 16S rRNA gene/mL after treatment (consisting of microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet/advanced oxidation). Microbial diversity and load decreased by several orders of magnitude after microfiltration and reverse osmosis treatment, falling to almost non-detectable levels that more closely resembled controls of molecular grade laboratory water than the biomass detected in the source water. The presence of antibiotic resistance genes and viruses was also greatly reduced. Overall, system design performance was achieved, and comprehensive microbial community analysis was found to enable a more complete characterization of the water/wastewater microbial signature.
| S-EPMC6212505 | biostudies-literature