Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34656637›Full record

ReviewEnvironmental research2022

Coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2 in sewerage and their removal: Step by step in wastewater treatment plants.

Paola Foladori, Francesca Cutrupi, Maria Cadonna, Serena Manara

Open access · greenAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Environmental research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Detecting SARS-CoV-2 in sludge samples: A systematic review.The Science of the total environment · 2023
    Pooled it
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Paola FoladoriDepartment of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering (DICAM) - University of Trento, via Mesiano, n. 77, 38123, Trento, Italy. Electronic address: paola.foladori@unitn.it.
Francesca CutrupiDepartment of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering (DICAM) - University of Trento, via Mesiano, n. 77, 38123, Trento, Italy.
Maria CadonnaADEP - Agenzia per la Depurazione, Autonomous Province of Trento, via Gilli, n. 3, 38121, Trento, Italy.
Serena ManaraDepartment of Cellular Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO) - University of Trento, via Sommarive, n. 9, 38123, Trento, Italy.
University of Trento · ITProvincia Autonoma di Trento · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The fate of Coronaviruses (CoVs) and in particular SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has not been completely understood yet, but an adequate knowledge on the removal performances in WWTPs could help to prevent waterborne transmission of the virus that is still under debate. CoVs and SARS-CoV-2 are discharged from faeces into the sewer network and reach WWTPs within a few hours. This review presents the fate of SARS-CoV-2 and other CoVs in the primary, secondary and tertiary treatments of WWTPs as well as in sludge treatments. The viral loads decrease progressively along with the treatments from 20 to 3.0E+06 GU/L (Genomic Units/L) in the influent wastewater to concentrations below 2.50E+05 GU/L after secondary biological treatments and finally to negative concentrations (below detection limit) in disinfected effluents. Reduction of CoVs is due to (i) natural decay under unfavourable conditions (solids, microorganisms, temperature) for relatively long hydraulic retention times and (ii) processes of sedimentation, filtration, predation, adsorption, disinfection. In primary and secondary settling, due to the hydrophobic properties, a partial accumulation of CoVs may occur in the separated sludge. In secondary treatment (i.e. activated sludge) CoVs and SARS-CoV-2 loads can be reduced only by about one logarithm (∼90%). To enhance this removal, tertiary treatment with ultrafiltration (Membrane Bioreactors) and chemical disinfection or UV light is needed. CoVs and SARS-CoV-2 in the sludge (1.2E+04-4.6E+08 GU/L) can be inactivated significantly in the thermophilic digestion (55 °C), while mesophilic temperatures (33-37 °C) are not efficient. Additional studies are required to investigate the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in WWTPs, especially in view of increasing interest in wastewater reclamation and reuse.

Indexed as

COVID-19Water PurificationHumansSARS-CoV-2SewageWastewaterSewageWastewaterCoronavirusesSARS-CoV-2SewageSludgeWastewaterWastewater treatment plants

Identifiers

PMID34656637
PMCPMC8516124
OpenAlexW3207947534

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.