Airborne bacteria and fungi in a wastewater treatment plant: type and characterization of bio-aerosols, emission characterization and mapping

Exposure to bioaerosols causes infection, over-sensitivity, respiratory, and lung diseases. This study was conducted at Sanandaj wastewater treatment plant in three seasons of winter, spring and summer to investigate the type and density of bio-aerosols. Sampling was performed using a sampling pump...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aerobiologia 2022-06, Vol.38 (2), p.163-176
Main Authors: Jari, Hanna, Maleki, Afshin, Dehestani Athar, Saeed, Mohammadi, Ebrahim, Darvishi, Ebrahim, Ahmadi Hedayati, Manouchehr, Marzban, Nader, Tang, Van Tai, Nouri, Bejan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aeration
Aerosols
Airborne bacteria
Allergology
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Bacteria
Drying
Earth and Environmental Science
Environment
Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology
Environmental Health
Fungi
Lung diseases
Original Paper
Particulate matter
Plant Pathology
Pneumology/Respiratory System
Polymerase chain reaction
Relative humidity
Sampling
Sludge
Wastewater treatment
Water treatment
Wind
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Summary:Exposure to bioaerosols causes infection, over-sensitivity, respiratory, and lung diseases. This study was conducted at Sanandaj wastewater treatment plant in three seasons of winter, spring and summer to investigate the type and density of bio-aerosols. Sampling was performed using a sampling pump with a discharge rate of 28.3 L/min at a height of 1.5 m above the ground; the samples were taken from five stations: treatment plant entrance, aeration tank, grit chamber, drying sludge bed and laboratory. At each sampling point, time, temperature, relative humidity (Soleimani et al.), wind speed and particulate matter were recorded. In order to identify the bacteria, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and culture-based methods were applied. It was also found that there was not a significant relationship between bacterial count and RH, wind direction, wind speed and temperature. Regarding fungi, the results showed that RH and wind direction and wind has a significant relationship with the concentration of fungi. The most predominant bacteria and fungi were as follows: Staphylococcus , Enterobacteriaceae , Bacillus , Acinetobacter , Micrococcus , Enterococcus , Neisseria , Listeria , and Pseudomonas and Penicillium , Aspergillus flavus. The concentration of bacteria in the air was significantly correlated with 
ISSN:0393-5965
1573-3025
DOI:10.1007/s10453-022-09740-z