Direct and indirect effects of SARS-CoV-2 on wastewater treatment

The novel SARS-CoV-2 is expanding internationally. While the current focus is on limiting its transmission from direct contact with infected patients and surfaces during the pandemic, the secondary transmission potential via sewage should not be underestimated, especially in low-income and developin...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of water process engineering 2021-08, Vol.42, p.102193-102193, Article 102193
Main Authors: Teymoorian, Termeh, Teymourian, Targol, Kowsari, Elaheh, Ramakrishna, Seeram
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cleaning products
Coronavirus
COVID-19
Disinfectants
Pharmaceuticals
Wastewater treatment
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The novel SARS-CoV-2 is expanding internationally. While the current focus is on limiting its transmission from direct contact with infected patients and surfaces during the pandemic, the secondary transmission potential via sewage should not be underestimated, especially in low-income and developing countries with weak wastewater treatment technologies. Recent studies have indicated SARS-CoV-2 positivity also be detected in the feces of patients. Therefore, the risk of transmission and infection can be increased into sewage by the fecal-oral way, mainly in some parts of the globe with a high amount of open defecation. This review collected scattered data and recent studies about the direct and indirect effects of coronavirus in the water cycle. The direct impacts of COVID-19 on wastewater are related to the presence of the coronavirus and suitable viral removal methods in different phases of treatment in wastewater treatment plants. The indirect effects of COVID-19 on wastewater are related to the overuse of cleaning and disinfecting products to protect against viral infection and the overuse of certain drugs to protect against virus or novel mental problems and panic to COVID-19 and consequently their presence in wastewater. This unexpected situation leads to changes in the quality of wastewater and brings adverse and harmful effects for the human, aquatic organisms, and the environment. Therefore, applying effective wastewater treatment technologies with low toxic by-products in wastewater treatment plants will be helpful to prevent the increasing occurrence of these extra contaminants in the environment. [Display omitted] •Evidence for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater•Possible pathways of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in water cycle•Evaluation emerging contaminants such as disinfectants and pharmaceutical compounds•Various wastewater treatment methods during the COVID-19 pandemic
ISSN:2214-7144
2214-7144
DOI:10.1016/j.jwpe.2021.102193