Cheng Zhou-Hua, Li Ji, Zhang Hui, Liu Dong-Feng, Yu Han-Qing
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anaerobic Biotechnology, School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
Water Res. 2025 Apr 1;273:123038. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.123038. Epub 2024 Dec 27.
Wastewater surveillance programs based at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been widely implemented, becoming a crucial measure for public health. Recently, the scope of monitoring has expanded from influent wastewater to include primary settled solids and activated sludge. The effectiveness of monitoring primary settled solids has been widely validated, but the suitability of activated sludge as a monitoring target remains unclear. In this work, we investigated the total amount distribution coefficients of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in both solid and liquid fractions of influent and biological treatment process in WWTPs. Capitalizing on the strategic timing of policy adjustments in China, we conducted a quantitative analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 monitoring results over a three-month span during the first large-scale COVID-19 outbreak from three WWTPs in Hefei city, China. Importantly, in the monitoring of activated sludge, we observed a significant delayed effect, with the viral peak occurring 1 to 2 weeks later than in the influent. In addition, we also reveal a significant correlation between the abundance of SARS-CoV-2 in influent and urban resident behaviors, providing novel insights into the pandemic's dynamics. Collectively, this work demonstrates that influent sample is more appropriate for wastewater surveillance compared to sludge sample.
基于污水处理厂（WWTPs）的废水监测项目已得到广泛实施，成为公共卫生的一项关键措施。最近，监测范围已从进水废水扩大到包括初沉固体和活性污泥。监测初沉固体的有效性已得到广泛验证，但活性污泥作为监测目标的适用性仍不明确。在这项工作中，我们研究了新冠病毒RNA在污水处理厂进水和生物处理过程的固体和液体部分中的总量分布系数。利用中国政策调整的战略时机，我们对中国合肥市三家污水处理厂在首次大规模新冠疫情爆发期间的三个月内的新冠病毒监测结果进行了定量分析。重要的是，在活性污泥监测中，我们观察到了显著的延迟效应，病毒峰值比进水晚1至2周出现。此外，我们还揭示了进水新冠病毒丰度与城市居民行为之间的显著相关性，为疫情动态提供了新的见解。总体而言，这项工作表明，与污泥样本相比，进水样本更适合用于废水监测。
