U of A Professor Wen Zhang Helps to Clarify the Fate of SARS-CoV-2 throughout the Wastewater Treatment Process
University of Arkansas professor Dr. Wen Zhang is evaluating municipal wastewater treatment technologies for effectiveness at removing SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease Covid-19, and assessing risk of environmental spread. Dr. Zhang’s research also contributes to a body of work that is furthering our understanding of how future Covid-19 outbreaks can be predicted, or even prevented, by testing wastewater for SARS-CoV-2.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus can be found in fecal samples of infected individuals due to viral shedding and has been detected in municipal wastewater. Although the likelihood of contracting Covid-19 through feces is low, the potential release of SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater treatment facilities to the environment still poses a threat, especially if the virus is only partially removed by the treatment process.
Dr. Zhang’s research compared different treatment processes used by plants in Arkansas to interpret removal efficiency of the virus. Wastewater was collected from treatment plants in Fayetteville and Little Rock. These plants use different disinfection processes, and some use filtration, but no clear differences were found between plants because so much of the virus was removed prior to those steps.
“The treatment plants are removing very efficiently.” said Dr. Zhang “Most of the samples already had zero detection [prior to disinfection].”
The results of the project will be applied in wastewater-based epidemiology to better understand how to combat Covid-19 spread, including effective wastewater treatment and testing strategies that will not only prevent drinking water contamination and wildlife exposure, but also strengthen contact tracing in communities.
“This approach could expand to different diseases that people are concerned with.” said Dr. Zhang
For both drinking water and wastewater applications, we may be able to find viral or indicators that allow for detection of groups of viruses all at the same time.
Dr. Zhang is hopeful that her research may help to pave the way for viral wastewater testing that would indicate more other types of viruses, such as Hepatitis A.
Dr. Zhang’s project involved Ph.D. student Asal Behzadnezhad, master’s student Aaron Long and an honor’s undergraduate Katie Loethen. The students assist in sample collection, RNA extraction from the wastewater, and PCR analysis on the virus.
This research was funded by the U.S. Geological Survey 104(b) program through the Arkansas Water Resources Center.
Image Caption: Katie Loethen, honors undergraduate student, image submitted by Dr. Wen Zhang
