Day 2 :
Keynote Forum
Claudia Gallert
University of Applied Science Emden Leer, Germany
Keynote: Multiresistant bacteria in aqueous environment
Time : 10.00-11-00
Biography:
Claudia Gallert is an Environmental Microbiologist with research experience in the field of wastewater and waste treatment, soil remediation and biotechnological production of value-added products since 25 years. She has published more than 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals and is a member of different professional NGOs.
Abstract:
The discovery and use of antibiotics is one of the major scientific achievements of the last century which helped to improve human and animal health by treating infectious diseases. The increased use of these naturally synthesized and sometimes chemically modified antibiotics to treat infections of humans and animals by microorganisms results in excretion of the mother compound or of biotransformed metabolites with urine or feces and release into the aqueous environment. Besides pollution of all ecosystems, antibiotics or their transformation products can also create or induce different resistant types in microorganisms against which they should be active. This ambivalent mode of action causes increasing antibiotic resistance and is one of the major threats for human health in the 21st century. The rapid appearance of drug-resistant bacteria upon antibiotic exposure implies that resistance and resistance mechanisms have co-evolved with application of the drugs. The transfer of antibiotic resistance can occur either by antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) or by antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Elements that favor moving of genes within and between genomes include plasmids, transposons, integrons, insertion sequences and integrative conjugative elements. These elements and the genes they carry are designated as “Mobilomes”. They are called “Resistomes” when they carry antibiotic resistant genes. There are two ways of acquisition of antibiotic resistance: vertical evolution via mutation and selection or horizontal evolution via exchange of genes between strains and different species via transformation (uptake of "naked" DNA), conjugation (exchange of plasmids or transposons) or transduction (bacteriophage as DNA shuttles). In literature four main “genetic reactors” in which antibiotic resistance evolves were identified: a) human and animal microbiota, b) hospitals, long-term care facilities and animal farms, or any other place in which susceptible individuals are crowded and exposed to microbial contact, c) wastewater and any type of biological residues and d) the soil and the surface or ground water environments, where the bacterial organisms originated in the previous reactors, mix and counteract with environmental organisms. From this point of view it is no wonder that ARGs are nowadays considered as “emerging contaminants” or as xenogenetic pollutants, but with the critical distinction that they replicate rather than degrade when they are released and pollutes natural environments.
- Drinking Water Microbiology and Wastewater Treatment, |Water Borne Disease, Water Safety
Chair
Claudia Gallert
University of Applied Science Emden Leer, Germany
Session Introduction
Xiaohui Bai
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Title: The drinking water treatment process as a potential source of affecting the bacterial antibiotic resistance
Biography:
Xiaohui Bai has completed his PhD from Harbin Institute of Technology and Post-doctoral studies from Zhejiang University School of Environment and Resources. He is the Director and Associate Professor of lab of water biology and process technology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. He has published more than 10 papers in Wat. Res., Sci. Total Environ., J Water Health, Wat. Sci. Tech. and 4 books related to Ecological Engineering, Water Quality in Distribution System, Digital Water Quality and Drinking Water Quality Guideline.
Abstract:
Two waterworks, with source water derived from the Huangpu or Yangtze River in Shanghai, were investigated, and the effluents were plate-screened for antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) using five antibiotics: ampicillin (AMP), kanamycin (KAN), rifampicin (RFP), chloramphenicol (CM) and streptomycin (STR). The influence of water treatment procedures on the bacterial antibiotic resistance rate and the changes that bacteria underwent when exposed to the five antibiotics at concentration levels ranging from 1 to 100 μg/mL were studied. Multi-drug resistance was also analyzed using drug sensitivity tests. The results indicated that bacteria derived from water treatment plant effluent that used the Huangpu River rather than the Yangtze River as source water exhibited higher antibiotic resistance rates against AMP, STR, RFP and CM but lower antibiotic resistance rates against KAN. When the antibiotic concentration levels ranged from 1 to 10 μg/mL, the antibiotic resistance rates of the bacteria in the water increased as water treatment progressed. Biological activated carbon (BAC) filtration played a key role in increasing the antibiotic resistance rate of bacteria. Chloramine disinfection can enhance antibiotic resistance. Among the isolated ARB, 75% were resistant to multiple antibiotics. Ozone oxidation, BAC filtration and chloramine disinfection can greatly affect the relative abundance of bacteria in the community. Ozone oxidation can give a great effect on ARGs removal. Relative abundances of ARGs, transposases, and integrons increased significantly after biological activated carbon filtration. The final chloramine disinfection can’t guarantee the deactivation of ARGs.
Yu-Zhong Zhang
Shandong University, China
Title: Kinetically regulated utilization and detoxification of acrylate is a key mechanism for marine bacterial DMSP metabolism
Time : 14.10-15.40
Biography:
Yu-Zhong Zhang is a Professor of the State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, China. He obtained his PhD degree in Marine Biology from Institute of Oceanography, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1995. He has been In-charge of several important projects in China, such as 863 key projects and NSFC key projects. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers, some of which are published in well-known international journals, such as PNAS, the ISME Journal, Molecular Microbiology and Journal of Biological Chemistry etc. He is now an Editor of FEMS Microbiology Letters and an Editor in Board of Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
Abstract:
Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) cleavage, yielding dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and acrylate, provides vital carbon sources to marine bacteria, is a key component of the global sulfur cycle and effects atmospheric chemistry and potentially climate. Acrylate and its metabolite acryloyl-CoA are toxic, if allowed to accumulate within cells. Thus, organisms cleaving DMSP require effective systems for both the utilization and detoxification of acrylate. Here, we examine the mechanism of acrylate utilization and detoxification in roseobacters, an abundant group of marine alphaproteobacteria that catabolise DMSP. We propose acrylate-CoA ligase (PrpE) and acryloyl-CoA reductase (AcuI) as the key enzymes involved and through structural and mutational analyses, provide explanations of their catalytic mechanisms. In most cases, the efficiency and substrate affinities of the enzymes involved in DMSP catabolism and acrylate detoxification increases in the order DmdAs≈DMSP lyases˃PrpEs>>AcuIs. We propose a kinetic regulation model for DMSP catabolism and acrylate detoxification in roseobacters. This study provides insight on acrylate metabolism and detoxification and a possible explanation for the high Km values that have been noted for some DMSP lyases. Since acrylate/acryloyl-CoA is probably produced by lactate, propionate, ï¢-alanine and glucose metabolism, and AcuI and PrpE are conserved in many marine and terrestrial organisms across all domains of life, the models proposed here are likely relevant to many metabolic processes and environments just above DMSP catabolism.
Li Gu
Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, China
Title: Design and performance of a water treatment system suitable for rice planting
Biography:
Li Gu has completed his PhD from Institute of Hydrobiology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is Professor of Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture of China. He has been specializing in the research of pond culture facility and ecological engineering technology and has published more than 60 papers in journals.
Abstract:
In this study, a novel water treatment system suitable for rice planting was designed and constructed to treat and recycle wastewater from aquaculture ponds. According to the performance results of the system, the water purification efficiency was optimal when the hydraulic load was 0.29-0.58 m/d and the gas water ratio was 2-4. The removal rates of TAN, TN, TP and CODMn from wastewater were 33.75%-34.31%, 59.21%-64.53%, 68.43%- 73.75% and 71.66%-74.37% respectively when the hydraulic load was 0.58 m/d and the gas water ratio was 2. Meanwhile, rice yield reached 7127.01 kg/hm2. Therefore, this water treatment system which can efficiently reuse nutrients from wastewater and purify water is a new technology for the treatment of aquaculture wastewater in agriculture-aquaculture system in China.
Jin Qian
North western Poly-technical University, China
Title: Sulfur cycle-based bioprocess for co-treatment of wet flue gas desulfurization wastes with fresh sewage
Biography:
Jin Qian has completed his Mphil and PhD from Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). After his PhD degree, he carried out Post-doctoral study in HKUST for 1 year. Currently, he is an Associate Professor in Northwestern Polytechnical University, PR China. He has hosted more than 10 research projects funded by Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Shenzhen Science and Technolgy Novelty Commision, Sichuan Science and Technology Department, etc. and published more than 15 papers in top journals and has been invited as the reviewer by reputed journals.
Abstract:
Seawater toilet flushing has been adopted in Hong Kong for more than half a century, resulted in 22% reduction of freshwater demand. Meanwhile the saline swage containing high content of sulfate enables us to develop a novel sulfate reduction-autotrophic denitrification-nitrification integrated (SANI) process with minimal biowastes production. In this presentation, this sulfur cycle-based biological process for co-treatment of wet flue gas desulfurization wastes with freshwater sewage in inland areas will be discussed, including the organic and nitrogen removal performances, biowaste production, involved microorganisms as well as the optimization of the process.
Anabela Rebelo
Portuguese Environment Agency, Portugal
Title: Safety in Water Reuse – Semi-quantitative risk assessment approach for non-potable uses
Biography:
Anabela Rebelo has completed her PhD in 2014 from University of Beira Interior, Portugal. Her PhD studies were related with the chlorination by-products formation in water reuse and related risks. She is a Senior Officer at the Portuguese Environment Agency where she develops works in several areas such as water reuse, water quality, water pollution control and prevention. She is an expert in the ISO TC282 for water reuse and in the working group under the common implementation strategy for the water framework directive. With the same topic, she has published several papers in reputed journals and in international conference proceedings.
Abstract:
On a climate change scenario some alternative water sources are being used to face water scarcity and the increase for water demand. In this context, reclaimed wastewaters are considered a helpful resource for several potable and non-potable purposes, e.g., irrigation, urban or industrial use. However, this kind of uses may present some risks for public health due to its microbiological content and to the environment by the introduction of emergent pollutants (e.g. aquifer recharge). To ensure a safe practice, a risk assessment approach is needed. The World Health Organization published guidelines which defines qualitative and quantitative risk assessment procedures. The Quantitative Microbiological Risk Assessment (QMRA) is very helpful when potable uses and direct intakes may be present. However less attention has being paid for non-potable purposes and for which the dose-response effects are not well known or not determined. For instance, usually drip-irrigation is used on orchards production, where the water does not contact with the fruits and some of these are not also consumed with peel. So, the microbiological pathway from water to the fruit is not easily assessed. Therefore, the development of a semi-quantitative risk assessment methodologies, supported on important scales and in the water microbiological content could present a useful tool when water reuse is in place for non-potable uses, such as orchard drip-irrigation, processed food crops, non-food crops, etc. This kind of methodologies aims to deal with water reuse purposes for which the QMRA is not feasible and a qualitative assessment may give a poor result jeopardizing the public confidence in the practice.
Biography:
Keith McLeroy is a Senior Consultant at Ecolyse, Texas, USA and his research interests are in Bioremediation, Biofilms and Bio fouling: Water System
Abstract:
The Global Petroleum Research Institute (GPRI) at Texas A&M University is distinguished for its high-level assessments of innovative analytical instrumentation and laboratory testing protocols for the chemistry and microbiological examination on various matrices of waters. A Phase 1 laboratory appraisal was performed on the RETEGO TTR-1© Detector portable instrument and on the RETEGO© test assay vial sets categorized as “wet-chemistry”. GPRI evaluated the complete TTR-1 unit, each analyte’s detection ranges, the straightforwardness of written protocols and the quality control/assurance robustness of the software generated data. The test vial sets for hardness/alkalinity, scaling salts, free/total chlorine, iron, and pH were investigated. Laboratory assessments were conducted employing high quality known standards for all analytes. The RETEGO platform utilizes advanced detection and chemical processes that were originally established to provide near real time results for complex matrix industrial water re-use purposes. Liquid samples are added to designated assay testing vials. Each vial contains a stable matrix of chemicals to conduct the colorimetric, turbidimetric or fluorescence test for the analyte. The results of each vial were measured on the TTR-1. The TTR-1 quantifies by conducting a multivariate analysis of a data set obtained through frequencyâ€modulated colorimetric and fluorescence measurements. This quantification is obtained from multiple laser (and other light emitting) diodes having distinctive wavelengths. This presentation will describe the assessments conducted, provide noted outcomes of the protocols, exhibit the assaying results, and detail the QA/QC statistics. The presentation will offer an overall conclusive opinion on both the RETEGO TTR-1 Detector and its wet-chemistry vial sets. Furthermore, discussion about its possible functions for the monitoring and optimization of drinking water distribution systems will also follow and reviewing the use of the TTR-1 as part of a water utility’s infrastructure management program to prevent line scaling, which can lead to possible formation of bacterial bio-filming.
- Water Technology and Its Applications| Biofilms in Drinking Water
Chair
Josef Winter
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology ,Germany
Session Introduction
Mahwish Ali
Quaid-I-Azam University, Pakistan
Title: Evaluation of household level constructed wetland model for domestic wastewater treatment
Time : 13.20-13.50
Biography:
Mahwish Ali has completed her PhD in Environmental Microbiology with topic covered wastewater treatment through constructed wetland. She has her expertise in the topic from George Washington University USA. Further, she is continuing her studies in Ghent University Belgium for advanced and computational research on constructed wetlands. She also served with Critical Green Pvt. limited to give green solutions to industries to treat their wastewater. Currently, she is working with sugar industries to help them treat their wastewater.
Abstract:
In Pakistan, water shortage and water pollution is an evolving situation and there is no proper and effective wastewater collection and treatment and management system for the industrial and domestic wastewater. Constructed wetlands are eco-friendly engineered systems employed for the effective sewage water and domestic wastewater treatment. In current study, hybrid constructed wetlands were designed, built and operated in order to develop a system to improve the quality of discharged effluents, from a single household unit. The system comprised of horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSSF CW) followed by vertical subsurface flow constructed wetland (VSSF CW) and free water surface (FWS) wetland. All subsurface flow units were planted with Typha latifolia and free water surface with Centella asiatica. This hybrid unit was operated at continuous average flow rate of 1.6 liter per day with measured HRT of 8.6 days. Year round performance of the system was monitored for summer and winter seasons. Samples were taken every week from the inlet and outlet of the system and processed for COD, BOD, Nitrite, Nitrate, Sulphate, Phosphate, TSS and MPN count. Significant results were found during the study and effluent of the system meets the national standards of water discharge by giving average removal efficiencies of 89.61% for COD, 89.0% for BOD, 94.0% for NO-2, 81.13% for NO-3, 36.94% for SO4-2, 66.29% for PO4-4, 94.5% for TSS and 96.36% for MPN. Effect of season was also continuously checked throughout the study. It has been observed that low temperature have negative effect on the removal of all contaminants except TSS. Significant removal of contaminants in integrated hybrid system suggests that hybrid constructed wetlands are good option for the treatment of domestic wastewater being cost effective and environmental friendly. This system can be upgraded to field scale under local environmental conditions of Pakistan.
Mahwish Ali
Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan
Title: Evaluation of household level constructed wetland model for domestic wastewater treatment
Biography:
Mahwish Ali has completed her PhD in Environmental Microbiology with topic covered wastewater treatment through constructed wetland. She has her expertise in the topic from George Washington University USA. Further, she is continuing her studies in Ghent University Belgium for advanced and computational research on constructed wetlands. She also served with Critical Green Pvt. limited to give green solutions to industries to treat their wastewater. Currently, she is working with sugar industries to help them treat their wastewater.
Abstract:
In Pakistan, water shortage and water pollution is an evolving situation and there is no proper and effective wastewater collection and treatment and management system for the industrial and domestic wastewater. Constructed wetlands are eco-friendly engineered systems employed for the effective sewage water and domestic wastewater treatment. In current study, hybrid constructed wetlands were designed, built and operated in order to develop a system to improve the quality of discharged effluents, from a single household unit. The system comprised of horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSSF CW) followed by vertical subsurface flow constructed wetland (VSSF CW) and free water surface (FWS) wetland. All subsurface flow units were planted with Typha latifolia and free water surface with Centella asiatica. This hybrid unit was operated at continuous average flow rate of 1.6 liter per day with measured HRT of 8.6 days. Year round performance of the system was monitored for summer and winter seasons. Samples were taken every week from the inlet and outlet of the system and processed for COD, BOD, Nitrite, Nitrate, Sulphate, Phosphate, TSS and MPN count. Significant results were found during the study and effluent of the system meets the national standards of water discharge by giving average removal efficiencies of 89.61% for COD, 89.0% for BOD, 94.0% for NO-2, 81.13% for NO-3, 36.94% for SO4-2, 66.29% for PO4-4, 94.5% for TSS and 96.36% for MPN. Effect of season was also continuously checked throughout the study. It has been observed that low temperature have negative effect on the removal of all contaminants except TSS. Significant removal of contaminants in integrated hybrid system suggests that hybrid constructed wetlands are good option for the treatment of domestic wastewater being cost effective and environmental friendly. This system can be upgraded to field scale under local environmental conditions of Pakistan.
- Water Technology and Its Applications| Biofilms in Drinking Water
Chair
Josef Winter
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology ,Germany
Session Introduction
Mahwish Ali
Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan
Title: Evaluation of household level constructed wetland model for domestic wastewater treatment
Biography:
Mahwish Ali has completed her PhD in Environmental Microbiology with topic covered wastewater treatment through constructed wetland. She has her expertise in the topic from George Washington University USA. Further, she is continuing her studies in Ghent University Belgium for advanced and computational research on constructed wetlands. She also served with Critical Green Pvt. limited to give green solutions to industries to treat their wastewater. Currently, she is working with sugar industries to help them treat their wastewater.
Abstract:
In Pakistan, water shortage and water pollution is an evolving situation and there is no proper and effective wastewater collection and treatment and management system for the industrial and domestic wastewater. Constructed wetlands are eco-friendly engineered systems employed for the effective sewage water and domestic wastewater treatment. In current study, hybrid constructed wetlands were designed, built and operated in order to develop a system to improve the quality of discharged effluents, from a single household unit. The system comprised of horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSSF CW) followed by vertical subsurface flow constructed wetland (VSSF CW) and free water surface (FWS) wetland. All subsurface flow units were planted with Typha latifolia and free water surface with Centella asiatica. This hybrid unit was operated at continuous average flow rate of 1.6 liter per day with measured HRT of 8.6 days. Year round performance of the system was monitored for summer and winter seasons. Samples were taken every week from the inlet and outlet of the system and processed for COD, BOD, Nitrite, Nitrate, Sulphate, Phosphate, TSS and MPN count. Significant results were found during the study and effluent of the system meets the national standards of water discharge by giving average removal efficiencies of 89.61% for COD, 89.0% for BOD, 94.0% for NO-2, 81.13% for NO-3, 36.94% for SO4-2, 66.29% for PO4-4, 94.5% for TSS and 96.36% for MPN. Effect of season was also continuously checked throughout the study. It has been observed that low temperature have negative effect on the removal of all contaminants except TSS. Significant removal of contaminants in integrated hybrid system suggests that hybrid constructed wetlands are good option for the treatment of domestic wastewater being cost effective and environmental friendly. This system can be upgraded to field scale under local environmental conditions of Pakistan.
Fahad Munir Abbasi
COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Pakistan
Title: Peristalsis of water based nanofluids with variable thermal conductivity and viscosity
Time : 14.50-15.10
Biography:
Fahad Munir Abbasi has completed his PhD in Mathematics from Quaid-I-Azam University Islamabad, Pakistan. His field of expertise include fluid mechanics, biofluid mechanics, nanofluid mechanics and differential equations. He is among motivated young researchers and his articles are published in well reputed international journals of the field.
Abstract:
Peristalsis about nanofluids has a wide range of applications in Biomedicine, Lubrication, Pharmacological Engineering etc. In my talk, I will present the theoretical analysis for the two-dimensional peristaltic flow of water based nanofluid subject to temperature dependent viscosity and thermal conductivity. This analysis will consider the mechanical aspects of the flow along with the heat transfer effects. Reduction of the well-known Navier-Stokes equations subject to the long wavelength and low Reynolds number approximations will be presented. Numerical solutions to the resulting equations will be offered. The physical characteristics namely velocity, pressure gradient, temperature, heat transfer and streamlines will be discussed with the variation of various embedded parameters and illustrated graphically. Key findings of the study will be summarized at the end.
- Workshop
Chair
Karina Gin Yew-Hoong
University of Singapore, Singapore
Session Introduction
Karina Gin Yew-Hoong
University of Singapore, Singapore
Title: Monitoring and modeling pathogens in recreational waters
Biography:
Karina Gin Yew-Hoong is an Associate Professor with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS). She has received her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Melbourne in 1988 and Doctor of Science (ScD) jointly from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 1996. Her research specialisation is in the area of water quality and ecosystem processes. She has been a Principle Investigator of research projects totalling more than $16 m and is a Dean’s Chair at the Faculty of Engineering, NUS. Her research and professional experience includes member of WHO Expert Working Group on Antimicrobial Resistance and Water Safety and Hygiene and Chairman of National Committee of Future Earth (formerly known as International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP)).
Abstract:
Rapid urbanisation has increased the pressure to meet the water demands of an expanding population for whom drinking water, drainage, waste water and sanitation services have to be provided. However, greater economic growth generally also increases contamination of water resources and impairs water quality. As a result, many waterborne or water-related infectious illness have been reported worldwide. Current water quality monitoring schemes are based on the detection of fecal indicator bacteria (i.e. E. coli and Enterococcus) but this has been questioned due to the lack of correlation with several pathogens especially in tropical areas. In Singapore, approximately two-thirds of the land surface is used as water catchment: rainwater is collected through a comprehensive network of drains, canals, rivers and stormwater collection ponds before it is channeled to 17 reservoirs for storage. Field data was collected over a period of 5 years from different reservoirs and catchments in Singapore to study the occurrence and distribution of pathogens and microbial indicators. A total of 25 targets were tested, including fecal indicator bacteria, coliphages (somatic and male specific coliphages, FRNA G1-G4), human specific markers (Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Methanobrevibacter smithii, human polyomavirus), bacterial pathogens (Salmonella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa), enteric viruses (Adenovirus, Norovirus G1 & G2, Rotavirus, Astrovirus, Enterovirus, Hepatitis A virus, Hepatitis E virus, Aichi virus, Sapovirus, Influenza A virus), parasitic pathogens (Naegleria fowleri, Microsporidia) and a plant virus (Pepper mild mottle virus). Predictive models for the occurrence of pathogens have been developed through several mathematical approaches, including machine learning (e.g. Bayesian network and decision tree). Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) offers a framework to assess the possible health risk brought by each pathogen. Through the integration of QMRA with a suitable predictive model for the occurrence of pathogens, a better evaluation of human health risks associated with the usage of surface waters can be made.