Quality indices of the final effluents of two sub-urban-based wastewater treatment plants in Amathole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
- Authors: Gcilitshana, Onele
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Whole effluent toxicity testing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sewage disposal plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Water -- Purification -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Effluent quality -- Testing , Viruses -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Water reuse -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Microbiology)
- Identifier: vital:11288 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1019816 , Whole effluent toxicity testing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sewage disposal plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Water -- Purification -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Effluent quality -- Testing , Viruses -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Water reuse -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Worldwide, water reuse is promoted as an alternative for water scarcity, however, wastewater effluents have been reported as possible contaminants to surface water. The failure of some wastewater treatment processes to completely remove organic matter and some pathogenic microorganisms allows them to initiate infections. This manifests more in communities where surface water is used directly for drinking. To assess water quality, bacteria alone cannot be used as it may be absent in virus-contaminated water. This study was carried out to assess the quality of two wastewater treatment plant effluents from the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Physicochemical parameters and microbiological parameters like faecal coliforms, adenovirus, rotavirus, hepatitis A virus, norovirus and enterovirus were evaluated over a projected period of one year. Physicochemical parameters were measured on site using multiparameters, faecal coliforms enumerated using culture-based methods and viruses are detected using both conventional and real-time PCR. Physicochemical parameters like electrical conductivity, turbidity, free chlorine and phosphates were incompliant with the standards set by the Department of Water affairs for effluents to be discharged. Faecal coliform counts were nil for one plant (WWTP-R) where they correlated inversely (P < 0.01) with the high free chlorine. For WWTP-K, faecal coliforms were detected in 27% of samples in the range of 9.9 × 101 to 6.4× 104 CFU/100ml. From the five viruses assessed, three viruses were detected with Rotavirus being the most abundant (0-2034176 genome copies/L) followed by Adenovirus (0–275 genome copies/L) then Hepatitis A virus (0–71 genome copies/L) in the WWTP-K while none of the viruses was detected in WWTP-R. Species B, species C and Adv41 serotypes were detected from the May 2013 and June 2013 samples where almost all parameters were incompliant in the plant. The detection of these viruses in supposedly treated effluents is suggestive of these being the sources of contamination to surface water and therefore renders surface waters unsafe for direct use and to aquatic life. Although real-time PCR is more sensitive and reliable in detection of viruses, use of cell-culture techniques in this study would have been more efficient in confirming the infectivity of the viruses detected, hence the recommendation of these techniques in future projects of this nature.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Gcilitshana, Onele
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Whole effluent toxicity testing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sewage disposal plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Water -- Purification -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Effluent quality -- Testing , Viruses -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Water reuse -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Microbiology)
- Identifier: vital:11288 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1019816 , Whole effluent toxicity testing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sewage disposal plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Water -- Purification -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Effluent quality -- Testing , Viruses -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Water reuse -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Worldwide, water reuse is promoted as an alternative for water scarcity, however, wastewater effluents have been reported as possible contaminants to surface water. The failure of some wastewater treatment processes to completely remove organic matter and some pathogenic microorganisms allows them to initiate infections. This manifests more in communities where surface water is used directly for drinking. To assess water quality, bacteria alone cannot be used as it may be absent in virus-contaminated water. This study was carried out to assess the quality of two wastewater treatment plant effluents from the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Physicochemical parameters and microbiological parameters like faecal coliforms, adenovirus, rotavirus, hepatitis A virus, norovirus and enterovirus were evaluated over a projected period of one year. Physicochemical parameters were measured on site using multiparameters, faecal coliforms enumerated using culture-based methods and viruses are detected using both conventional and real-time PCR. Physicochemical parameters like electrical conductivity, turbidity, free chlorine and phosphates were incompliant with the standards set by the Department of Water affairs for effluents to be discharged. Faecal coliform counts were nil for one plant (WWTP-R) where they correlated inversely (P < 0.01) with the high free chlorine. For WWTP-K, faecal coliforms were detected in 27% of samples in the range of 9.9 × 101 to 6.4× 104 CFU/100ml. From the five viruses assessed, three viruses were detected with Rotavirus being the most abundant (0-2034176 genome copies/L) followed by Adenovirus (0–275 genome copies/L) then Hepatitis A virus (0–71 genome copies/L) in the WWTP-K while none of the viruses was detected in WWTP-R. Species B, species C and Adv41 serotypes were detected from the May 2013 and June 2013 samples where almost all parameters were incompliant in the plant. The detection of these viruses in supposedly treated effluents is suggestive of these being the sources of contamination to surface water and therefore renders surface waters unsafe for direct use and to aquatic life. Although real-time PCR is more sensitive and reliable in detection of viruses, use of cell-culture techniques in this study would have been more efficient in confirming the infectivity of the viruses detected, hence the recommendation of these techniques in future projects of this nature.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Productions of high quality wastewater final effluents remain a challenge in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
- Authors: Gusha, Siyabulela Stability
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Water-supply, Rural -- Health aspects -- South Africa , Pathogenic microorganisms -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Water-supply, Rural -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Effluent quality -- Testing , Sewage disposal plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Escherichia coli
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Microbiology)
- Identifier: vital:11265 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/489 , Water-supply, Rural -- Health aspects -- South Africa , Pathogenic microorganisms -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Water-supply, Rural -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Effluent quality -- Testing , Sewage disposal plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Escherichia coli
- Description: Water is an indispensible and yet a difficult resource to be renewed, thus water scarcity has become one of the major challenges faced worldwide, with the Southern regions of Africa being the most impacted and affected, especially the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa where rural communities depend on receiving waterbodies that are often negatively impacted by wastewater final effluents. This present study was conducted between August and December 2010 to assess the physicochemical and microbial qualities of the final effluents of peri-urban and rural communities based wastewater treatment plants in the Eastern Cape Province. The physicochemical parameters were determined on site and in the laboratory, while bacteriological qualities were determined using culture based techniques. The virological qualities were determined by molecular methods using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for the target RNA virus and the conventional polymerase chain reaction for the target DNA virus. For both wastewater treatment plants, the physicochemical parameters ranged as follows: chemical oxygen demand (5.95-45 mg/L); total dissolved solids (114.5-187.0 mg/L); salinity (0.12-0.20 psu); temperature (14.2-25.7oC); pH (6.0-7.6); nitrate and nitrites (1.55-6.7 mg/L and 0.023-1.15 mg/L respectively); biological oxygen demand (3.5-7.8 mg/L); turbidity (1.49-6.98 NTU); and chlorine residual (0-2.97 mg/L). Feacal indicator bacteria counts ranged as follows: feacal coliforms (0-1.25×104 cfu/100 ml); total coliforms (0-3.95×104 cfu/100 ml); and enterococci (0-5.0×103 cfu/100 ml). xviii Seventy five percent of the rural community based plant and 80 percent of the peri-urban community based plant were positive for coxsackie A virus, while hepatitis A virus was detected in all the rural community based plant 80 percent of the peri-urban community based plant. This study suggests the need for intervention by appropriate regulatory agencies to ensure regular monitoring of the qualities of final effluents of wastewater treatment facilities in the Eastern Cape Province and ensure compliance to established guidelines.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Gusha, Siyabulela Stability
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Water-supply, Rural -- Health aspects -- South Africa , Pathogenic microorganisms -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Water-supply, Rural -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Effluent quality -- Testing , Sewage disposal plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Escherichia coli
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Microbiology)
- Identifier: vital:11265 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/489 , Water-supply, Rural -- Health aspects -- South Africa , Pathogenic microorganisms -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Water-supply, Rural -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Effluent quality -- Testing , Sewage disposal plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Escherichia coli
- Description: Water is an indispensible and yet a difficult resource to be renewed, thus water scarcity has become one of the major challenges faced worldwide, with the Southern regions of Africa being the most impacted and affected, especially the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa where rural communities depend on receiving waterbodies that are often negatively impacted by wastewater final effluents. This present study was conducted between August and December 2010 to assess the physicochemical and microbial qualities of the final effluents of peri-urban and rural communities based wastewater treatment plants in the Eastern Cape Province. The physicochemical parameters were determined on site and in the laboratory, while bacteriological qualities were determined using culture based techniques. The virological qualities were determined by molecular methods using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for the target RNA virus and the conventional polymerase chain reaction for the target DNA virus. For both wastewater treatment plants, the physicochemical parameters ranged as follows: chemical oxygen demand (5.95-45 mg/L); total dissolved solids (114.5-187.0 mg/L); salinity (0.12-0.20 psu); temperature (14.2-25.7oC); pH (6.0-7.6); nitrate and nitrites (1.55-6.7 mg/L and 0.023-1.15 mg/L respectively); biological oxygen demand (3.5-7.8 mg/L); turbidity (1.49-6.98 NTU); and chlorine residual (0-2.97 mg/L). Feacal indicator bacteria counts ranged as follows: feacal coliforms (0-1.25×104 cfu/100 ml); total coliforms (0-3.95×104 cfu/100 ml); and enterococci (0-5.0×103 cfu/100 ml). xviii Seventy five percent of the rural community based plant and 80 percent of the peri-urban community based plant were positive for coxsackie A virus, while hepatitis A virus was detected in all the rural community based plant 80 percent of the peri-urban community based plant. This study suggests the need for intervention by appropriate regulatory agencies to ensure regular monitoring of the qualities of final effluents of wastewater treatment facilities in the Eastern Cape Province and ensure compliance to established guidelines.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
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