Premium
Airborne Microorganisms Emitted from Wastewater Treatment Plant Treating Domestic Wastewater and Meat Processing Industry Wastes
Author(s) -
GotkowskaPłachta Anna,
Filipkowska Zofia,
Korzeniewska Ewa,
Janczukowicz Wojciech,
Dixon Beverly,
Gołaś Iwona,
Szwalgin Damian
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
clean – soil, air, water
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.444
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1863-0669
pISSN - 1863-0650
DOI - 10.1002/clen.201100466
Subject(s) - indoor bioaerosol , sewage , sewage treatment , pantoea , microorganism , wastewater , environmental science , bioaerosol , bacteria , bacilli , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , environmental engineering , aerosol , ecology , chemistry , genetics , 16s ribosomal rna , organic chemistry
Experiments were conducted to study the airborne microbial contamination generated by a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Aerosol samples were collected simultaneously, by sedimentation and impact methods, from the area and the surroundings of the WWTP. Total colony forming units (CFUs) of heterotrophic bacteria (HPC), as well as members of the Enterobacteriaceae , staphylococci, enterococci, actinomycetes, and microscopic fungi were determined. Bacterial (HPC) concentrations ranged between 10 1 and 10 4 CFU/m 3 , fungi 0 and 10 4 CFU/m 3 . Higher numbers of HPC bacteria in air samples were observed in summer, fungi in autumn. The main emission of microorganisms to atmospheric air was from the mechanical sewage treatment devices of the WWTP. The facilities of the biological sewage treatment of the plant did not generate large amounts of bioaerosols. In the air obtained from the premises of the WWTP, 25 species of the Enterobacteriaceae were isolated ( Salmonella spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae , Escherichia coli ). At the fence and in the surroundings only Pantoea spp. were identified. This suggests that the sewage bacteria were mainly discharged in the area of the WWTP. The presence of enteric bacteria, especially Enterobacteriaceae reflects the level of air pollution with bioaerosols from sewage and is an important factor during monitoring the quality of the air around WWTPs.