Increased (Antibiotic-resistant) pathogen indicator organism removal during (hyper)thermophilic anaerobic digestion of concentrated black water for safe nutrient recovery
Source separated toilet water is a valuable resource for energy and fertilizers as it has a high concentration of organics and nutrients, which can be reused in agriculture. Recovery of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (NPK) decreases the dependency on energy-intensive processes or processes that rely on depleting natural resources. In new sanitation systems, concentrated black water (BW) is obtained by source-separated collection of toilet water. BW-derived products are often associated with safety issues, amongst which pathogens and antibiotic-resistant pathogens. This study presents results showing that thermophilic (55–60◦C) and hyperthermophilic (70◦C) anaerobic treatments had higher (antibiotic-resistant) culturable pathogen indicators removal than mesophilic anaerobic treatment. Hyperthermophilic and thermophilic anaerobic treatment successfully removed Escherichia coli and extended-spectrum β-lactamases producing E. coli from source-separated vacuum collected BW at retention times of 6–11 days and reached significantly higher removal rates than mesophilic (35◦C) anaerobic treatment (p < 0.05). The difference between thermophilic and hyperthermophilic treatment was insignificant, which justifies operation at 55◦C rather than 70◦C. This study is the first to quantify (antibiotic-resistant) E. coli in concentrated BW (10–40 gCOD/L) and to show that both thermophilic and hyperthermophilic anaerobic treatment can adequately remove these pathogen indicators.
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article/Letter to editor biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | (hyper-)thermophilic anaerobic digestion, Antibiotics resistance, Black water, Nutrient recovery, Pathogen removal, Source separation, |
| Online Access: | https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/increased-antibiotic-resistant-pathogen-indicator-organism-remova |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|