Virus elimination in wastewater treatment systems - determining rates and developing mathematical models

用于饮用水的地表水中的细菌、原生动物和肠道病毒等人类水媒病原体是一个主要的健康问题。在肠道病毒中，腺病毒40/41、诺如病毒、轮状病毒和甲型肝炎病毒在全球范围内广泛存在于粪便污染的水源中。这些水受到病毒污染的主要原因是在废水处理过程中，肠道病毒表现出比细菌更强的抗性模式。因此，污水处理厂的最终污水中存在病毒颗粒，并排放到地表水中。依赖于它们的数量和暴露途径，它们会在人类中引起胃肠炎相关疾病。到目前为止，在废水处理系统中，特别是在活性污泥法和分离系统(沉淀、过滤)中消除长春新菌的情况仍然知之甚少。因此，在这项研究项目中，将根据工艺参数对活性污泥系统中被广泛用作肠道病毒指示剂的F-特异性噬菌体的消除进行测试。在间歇试验中，将确定活性污泥法中用于脱毒的选定参数，如温度、pH值、污泥龄、污泥负荷和水力停留时间等。这些批量试验的结果将为污水处理厂实现最大病毒清除率的工艺参数提供基础知识。此外，还将检查沉淀和过滤过程(分离系统)中的病毒去除情况。获得的数据将用于为现有的活性污泥模型3(ASM3)开发“病毒工具”，该工具演示了关于活性污泥和分离系统的工艺参数的病毒消除。最后，将对模型进行校准、验证，并将其集成到工厂范围的模型中。根据我们的研究伙伴提供的数据，该模型还将用于消除河流中的病毒。

Human waterborne pathogens such as bacteria, protozoa and enteric viruses in surface water, which is used for drinking water purposes, are a major health concern. Among the enteric viruses adenovirus 40/41, norovirus, rotavirus and hepatitis A virus occur to a large extent in faecal contaminated water resources worid wide. The main reason for viral contamination of such waters is that during wastewater treatment processes enteric viruses show stronger resistance patterns than bacteria. Thus viral particles are present in the final effluent of wastewater treatment plants and are discharged into surface waters. Dependent on their numbers and on exposure pathways, they cause gastroenteritis related diseases in humans.Up to now the vinjs elimination in wastewater treatment systems, especially in activated sludge processes and separation systems (sedimentation, filtration) is still poorly understood. Therefore in this research project the elimination of F-specific bacteriophages, which are widely used as indicators for enteric viruses in activated sludge systems will be tested dependent on process parameters. In batch experiments selected parameters such as temperature, pH-value, sludge age, sludge loading and hydraulic retention time etc. for virus elimination in activated sludge processes will be determined. The results obtained from those batch experiments will provide fundamental knowledge on process parameters in wastewater treatment plants to achieve maximal viral elimination rates. Additionally the virus removal in sedimentation and filtration processes (separation systems) will be examined. The obtained data will be used to develop a "virus tool" for the existing activated sludge model No. 3 (ASM3), which demonstrates the viral elimination in respect to process parameters for the activated sludge as well as for separation systems. Finally the model will be calibrated, validated and integrated into a plant-wide model. On the basis of the data from our research partners the model will be also applied for virus elimination in rivers.