Grantee Research Project Results
Advancing Safety and Reliability to Protect Public Health, Identifying Quantitative Reductions of Viral Pathogens and Surrogates for Water Reuse Applications
EPA Grant Number: R840260Title: Advancing Safety and Reliability to Protect Public Health, Identifying Quantitative Reductions of Viral Pathogens and Surrogates for Water Reuse Applications
Investigators: Jang, Grace , Gerba, Charles P. , Achilli, Andrea , Betancourt, Walter , Pepper, Ian L. , Reynolds, Kelly A.
Current Investigators: Jang, Grace , Pepper, Ian L. , Reynolds, Kelly A. , Gerba, Charles P. , Achilli, Andrea , Betancourt, Walter
Institution: Water Research Foundation , University of Arizona
EPA Project Officer: Ludwig-Monty, Sarah
Project Period: August 1, 2021 through April 25, 2025
Project Amount: $1,239,813
RFA: Viral Pathogen and Surrogate Approaches for Assessing Treatment Performance in Water Reuse (2021) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Water Treatment
Objective:
The overall goal of this project is to improve public health protection through the development of quantitative data on the removal of human enteric viruses by treatment processes where wastewater is the source water. These data can be used by the water sector, communities, and regulators to provide log reduction values (LRV) to meet desired risk goals. The specific objectives of this project are to: 1) quantify the removal of selected human enteric viruses by different treatment trains and processes at five full-scale water reuse facilities across the United States; 2) define appropriate surrogates of human enteric virus removal for each treatment process; 3) validate virus and surrogate removal by challenge testing at engineering-scale systems, and further evaluate the usefulness of surrogates at full-scale facilities; 4) determine risk reduction and LRVs including the variability of the process in virus removal using quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA); 5) develop standardized protocols for detection of pathogenic viruses (including virus viability assessment) to determine LRVs; and 6) conduct outreach to share the results and recommendations with audiences of interest.
Approach:
The project is divided into four phases: Phase 1 includes monitoring of the selected five full-scale treatment facilities for virus and surrogate removal after various treatment processes. In this phase, we will create an extensive database to assess virus removal and identify potential surrogate by leveraging a current WRF project and expanding our sampling activities in this study. In Phase 2, we will assess the initial data to identify viruses and surrogates to be included in subsequent studies using our established and demonstrated standard operating procedures (SOPs), including concentration methods and the most useful primer sets for virus detection by molecular methods. We will also conduct viability assessment of the viruses by cell culture and molecular methods. Furthermore, we will use on-line fluorescence and other on-line indicators to monitor viral removal by the unit processes. Phase 3 includes validating the usefulness of surrogates for assigning LRVs for the different treatment processes. We will conduct engineering-scale studies to further assess removal of viruses and surrogates, and the usefulness of surrogates to identify treatment process failures in terms of removal of human enteric viruses. Upon selection of the most suitable surrogates, we will return to the full-scale facilities to further validate the usefulness of the surrogates and provide additional data on virus removal for assigning LRVs. Our studies will involve a statistical assessment of the data to assign LRVs based on QMRA. In Phase 4, we will conduct extensive outreach and engagement to share the results and recommendations.
Expected Results:
Our completed work will identify chemical and/or viral surrogates for human enteric virus reduction during treatment processes in real-world systems, and will generate recommended LRVs for each treatment process. The outcomes from this study will contribute to a toolbox that includes, at a minimum, standardized protocols for detection of pathogenic viruses, application of virus LRVs and surrogates, and examples of how the results of this project can be used in practice to protect public health by providing robust virus LRV credits for water reuse treatment processes.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Water Reuse, Risk Assessment, Viruses, Surrogate, TreatmentProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.