Modelling micropollutant fate in sewer systems – A new systematic approach to support conceptual model construction based on in-sewer hydraulic retention time

Compagni, Riccardo Delli; Polesel, Fabio; Borries, Kerstin J. F. von; Zhang, Zhen; Turolla, Andrea; Antonelli, Manuela; Vezzaro, Luca

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.05.139

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The value of v was assumed to be constant and equal to the value (0.8 [m/s]) used for the Milan sewer network [ 38 ] due to the similarities between the two sewer systems. This value falls within the typical range of the average velocity (0.3–0.91) in the cross section of combined sewers [ 39 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology for SARS-CoV-2 in Northern Italy: A Spatiotemporal Model

Fondriest,

Vaccari,

Aldrovandi

et al. 2024

IJERPH

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The study investigated the application of Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) as a tool for monitoring the SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in a city in northern Italy from October 2021 to May 2023. Based on a previously used deterministic model, this study proposed a variation to account for the population characteristics and virus biodegradation in the sewer network. The model calculated virus loads and corresponding COVID-19 cases over time in different areas of the city and was validated using healthcare data while considering viral mutations, vaccinations, and testing variability. The correlation between the predicted and reported cases was high across the three waves that occurred during the period considered, demonstrating the ability of the model to predict the relevant fluctuations in the number of cases. The population characteristics did not substantially influence the predicted and reported infection rates. Conversely, biodegradation significantly reduced the virus load reaching the wastewater treatment plant, resulting in a 30% reduction in the total virus load produced in the study area. This approach can be applied to compare the virus load values across cities with different population demographics and sewer network structures, improving the comparability of the WBE data for effective surveillance and intervention strategies.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology for SARS-CoV-2 in Northern Italy: A Spatiotemporal Model

Fondriest,

Vaccari,

Aldrovandi

et al. 2024

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The value of v was assumed to be constant and equal to the value (0.8 [m/s]) used for the sewer network in Milan [38] due to the similarities between the two sewer systems. This value falls within the typical range of average velocity (0.3 -0.91) in the cross section of combined sewers [39].…”

Section: Biodegradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology for SARS-CoV-2 in Northern Italy: A Spatiotemporal Model

Fondriest,

Vaccari,

Aldrovandi

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The study investigated the application of Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) as a tool for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in a city in Northern Italy from October 2021 to May 2023. Starting from a widely applied deterministic model, this study proposed a variation to take into account population characteristics and virus biodegradation in the sewer network. The model calculated virus loads and corresponding COVID-19 cases over time in different areas of the city and was validated with healthcare data while considering viral mutations, vaccinations, and testing variability. The correlation between the predicted and reported cases was high across the three waves that occurred in the considered period, demonstrating the model’s capacity to predict relevant fluctuations in the number of cases. Population characteristics did not substantially influence the predicted and reported infection rates. Conversely, biodegradation significantly reduced the virus load reaching the wastewater treatment plant, resulting in a 30% reduction in the total virus load produced in the study area. This approach can be applied for comparing virus load values across cities with varying population demographics and sewer network structures, enhancing the comparability of WBE data for effective surveillance and intervention strategies.

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“…With the current approach to model biotransformation as DT 50 s, sewer residence time is by far the most important parameter. To estimate catchment specific residence times, the stochastic approach by McCall et al ( 2017 ) and Delli Compagni et al ( 2019 ) or a GIS-based approach as described in Kapo et al ( 2017 ) could be applied. Especially the approach taken by Kapo et al ( 2017 ) to estimate sewer residence time for gravity sewers based on the road network of a city is relatively straight-forward and easy to implement in ArcGIS.…”

Section: Integrated Fate Modelling Of Cecs In Sewersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mean sewer residence time could be accounted for by adapting the hydraulic retention time (HRT) within SimpleTreat. If more specific information on the sewer system is available, a more refined approach could be implemented to model sub-catchment and related residence times as a series of activated sludge basins similar to the approach described in Delli Compagni et al ( 2019 ). However, the performance of SimpleTreat is suboptimal as shown in a number of studies (e.g., Douziech et al 2018 ; Lautz et al 2017 ).…”

Section: Integrated Fate Modelling Of Cecs In Sewersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of the sewer system in estimating urban emissions of chemicals of emerging concern

Zillien

Posthuma

Roex

et al. 2022

Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol

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The use of chemicals by society has resulted in calls for more effective control of their emissions. Many of these chemicals are poorly characterized because of lacking data on their use, environmental fate and toxicity, as well as lacking detection techniques. These compounds are sometimes referred to as contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Urban areas are an important source of CECs, where these are typically first collected in sewer systems and then discharged into the environment after being treated in a wastewater treatment plant. A combination of emission estimation techniques and environmental fate models can support the early identification and management of CEC-related environmental problems. However, scientific insight in the processes driving the fate of CECs in sewer systems is limited and scattered. Biotransformation, sorption and ion-trapping can decrease CEC loads, whereas enzymatic deconjugation of conjugated metabolites can increase CEC loads as metabolites are back-transformed into their parent respective compounds. These fate processes need to be considered when estimating CEC emissions. This literature review collates the fragmented knowledge and data on in-sewer fate of CECs to develop practical guidelines for water managers on how to deal with in-sewer fate of CECs and highlights future research needs. It was assessed to what extent empirical data is in-line with text-book knowledge and integrated sewer modelling approaches. Experimental half-lives (n = 277) of 96 organic CECs were collected from literature. The findings of this literature review can be used to support environmental modelling efforts and to optimize monitoring campaigns, including field studies in the context of wastewater-based epidemiology. Graphical abstract

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Modelling micropollutant fate in sewer systems – A new systematic approach to support conceptual model construction based on in-sewer hydraulic retention time

Cited by 7 publications

References 45 publications

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology for SARS-CoV-2 in Northern Italy: A Spatiotemporal Model

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology for SARS-CoV-2 in Northern Italy: A Spatiotemporal Model

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology for SARS-CoV-2 in Northern Italy: A Spatiotemporal Model

The role of the sewer system in estimating urban emissions of chemicals of emerging concern

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