Fahrenfeld, Nicole

Nicole Fahrenfeld is an Associate Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Rutgers The State University of New Jersey. Her lab works on a variety of water quality issues including microbial source tracking, microplastics, and pathogen fate and treatment.

Titles from this speaker

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria and Genes in Bioaerosols at Wastewater Treatment Plant: Should I Be Worried?

Abstract

Background Air is potentially an important exposure pathway for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and bacteria (ARBs) in some environments (1). However, most studies on environmental antibiotic resistance focus on water, leaving air as an understudied matrix (2, 3). There is more to learn about the sources, nature and human health risks of the airborne antibiotic resistance (as reviewed in 4). Specifically, most studies focus on air as an isolated matrix, overlooking the interrelationships with antibiotic resistance in the other surrounding environmental matrices such as water, soil, animals, or insects (5). WWTPs are a source of ARG emissions to the atmosphere (3), and understanding the concentrations of and therefore potential exposure to ARBs via bioaerosols at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is of particular interest given the immediate hazard posed. Moreover, the ARB methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is not only a major cause of hospital-acquired infections, but also community-acquired infections (6). This antibiotic resistant opportunistic pathogen can be transmitted to humans through humans, fomites, and, most importantly for the present study, air (7). Objectives The objectives of this study were to a) detect the presence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus in air from the grit chamber and UV room of a WWTP, b) compare the concentrations of select ARGs in water and bioaerosols at these locations and b) study the resistome, microbiome, and mobilome of air samples in comparison to paired wastewater influent and effluent samples. A combination of culturing, qPCR, and metagenomic sequencing were used in this study. Methodology Samples were collected from two locations (grit and UV chamber) at a tertiary WWTP. The treatment train includes bar screens, grit chamber, primary clarification, trickling filtration, secondary clarification, aeration basins for nitrification, final clarifiers, pressure filtration, and UV disinfection. Air samples were collected in replicates using the stationary Electrostatic Bioaerosol Sampler (SEBS, 8) at 20 L/min. Samplers were operated for 7.5 hours and samples were collected on five days at each site in fall 2022. Paired composite water samples (influent and effluent) were collected at the time of air sampling. Air and water samples were split for biomolecular (qPCR and metagenomics on total samples) and cultivation-based analyses (heterotrophs via TSA and MRSA via CHROMAgar MRSA). All of the colonies growing on TSA were also analyzed via qPCR for select ARGs. Results Similar concentrations of cultivable bacteria (reported as CFUs/m3) were observed for air samples collected from the grit chamber and UV-effluent site (paired Wilcoxon test, p= 0.4). While CFUs were measurable on most days (N=4/5) in air samples from UV disinfection room, the paired disinfected water samples (N=2/5) did not necessarily show growth on TSA. To understand the potential hazard posed by the cultivable bacteria, ARGs were quantified in the colonies collected from the TSA agar plates. For air samples, the colonies collected from TSA plates contained qacE genes, encoding for quaternary ammonium compound resistance, at both sites in most of the samples (N=4/5, 80%). The genes sul1, blaTEM, and tet(G) were detected in only one sample, encoding for sulfonamide, beta lactam, and tetracycline resistance. In water samples, all of the four targeted ARGs were detected and quantified in four of the influent samples. These ARGs were generally not detected in effluent water samples. One antibiotic resistant pathogen was cultivated in the present study: MRSA. MRSA was detected on four days at the grit-chamber and two days in air samples at the UV-effluent. MRSA was not previously reported in air sampled using different techniques at a WWTP from a study conducted in Poland (9). MRSA was detected on four days in the wastewater influent samples and in none of the effluent samples. For samples analyzed via direct biomolecular analysis, bacterial 16S rRNA was detected in all samples. As expected, sul1 was detected in all influent and effluent samples, it was detected only in three air samples (Fig. 1). The three ARGs detected via metagenomics analysis in the air were tet(K), mdtB and muxB encoding for tetracycline, aminocoumarin, and multidrug resistance (Table 1). mdtB and tet(K) were detected in both air and water paired samples. The ARGs detected in air represent a very small portion of the ARGs observed in the paired wastewater where hundreds of ARGs were annotated in each sample. Significance Protecting public health of utility operators requires considering the potential hazards posed by various pathogen exposure routes. These data presented will help answer some questions about the relationship between bioaerosols and wastewater at two stages of treatment.

How do concentrations of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and the microbiome compare between bioaerosols and wastewater? Location within a WWTP? Can we detect methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in either matrix/location? Results of a field study using cultivation-based and biomolecular (i.e., DNA-based) methods will be presented to answer these questions.

SpeakerFahrenfeld, Nicole

Presentation time

08:30:00

08:45:00

Session time

08:30:00

10:00:00

SessionAir Quality Issues Beyond Odors: Bioaerosols and GHGs

Session number505

Session locationRoom 344

TopicAir Quality and Odor Management, Facility Operations and Maintenance, Intermediate Level, Workforce Issues

Author(s)

Fahrenfeld, Nicole, Deshpande, Aishwarya, Byrne, Jim, Han, Taewon, Mainelis, Gediminas

Author(s)N. Fahrenfeld1, A. Deshpande2, J. Byrne1, T. Han1, G. Mainelis1

Author affiliation(s)1Rutgers University, NJ, 2Pacific Northwest National Lab, WA

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date Oct 2024

DOI10.2175/193864718825159540

Volume / Issue

Content sourceWEFTEC

Word count16

Description: Factors Controlling Microplastic Concentrations and Polymer Profiles in Wastewater,...

Factors Controlling Microplastic Concentrations and Polymer Profiles in Wastewater, Storm Water, and Surface Water

Abstract

A critical literature review was performed to document current microplastic occurrence data across freshwater matrices (i.e., drinking water, groundwater, surface water, stormwater, wastewater). A total of 143 studies meeting minimum quality standards were included in the resulting microplastic occurrence database. The various extraction methods, analysis techniques, and quality assurance controls were documented. Results indicated that MP concentrations reported in wastewater varied eight orders of magnitude with generally the highest concentration reported for particles in the smallest size range. Researchers reported one to seventeen polymer types per sample with polyethylene and polypropylene the most commonly observed polymers. Utilities and practitioners should be aware of the impact of various study designs and analysis methods on observed MP concentration and polymer profiles as well as quality assurance issues in the current literature when using it for decision making.

MP concentrations reported in wastewater varied eight orders of magnitude and generally the highest concentration reported for particles in the smallest size range. However, comparison of the literature reporting microplastics across water matrices requires careful evaluation given the wide range of sampling techniques and volumes, extraction techniques, and analytical approaches. Utilities and practitioners should be aware of methods and quality assurance issues in the current literature when

SpeakerFahrenfeld, Nicole

Presentation time

08:30:00

08:50:00

Session time

08:30:00

10:00:00

SessionUpdates on Microplastics Occurrence, Regulation, and Removal

Session locationRoom S404a - Level 4

TopicAdvanced Level, Disinfection and Public Health, Microconstituents and Contaminants of Emerging Concern (Non-PFAS), Research and Innovation

Author(s)

Fahrenfeld, Nicole

Author(s)N.L. Fahrenfeld 1; F. Amurrio 2 ; N. Suresh 1; J. Chan 1; L. Ochoa Romero 1; D. Antoine 3; G. Arbuckle-Keil 4; N.L. Fahrenfeld 1;

Author affiliation(s)Rutgers Camden 1; Rutgers 2 ; Rutgers 1; Rutgers 1; Rutgers 1; Rutgers 3; Rutgers Camden 4; Rutgers 1;

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date Oct 2023

DOI10.2175/193864718825159074

Volume / Issue

Content sourceWEFTEC

Word count15

Description: Inter-Storm Variation in Microplastic Occurrence and Composition in Urban...

Inter-Storm Variation in Microplastic Occurrence and Composition in Urban Stormwater

Abstract

Microplastics (MP) are a commonly reported pollutant in the freshwater, marine, and soil environment. Few studies to date have reported MP concentrations and polymer types observed in stormwater, particularly not for catchments with separate storm sewers.
Objectives
The objectives of this study were to determine the microplastic concentration, polymer fingerprints, and the inter-storm variation of MP in stormwater outfalls and in green infrastructure.
Status
To date, thirteen storm events from five sites have been sampled. All particles from 500-2000 Î¼m from three storms (Bailey et al., 2020), all particles 250-200Î¼m (Boni et al., in press) from nine storms, and 20-80 particles per sample from 63-250Î¼m from eight storms have been analyzed (Parmar et al., in prep). Analysis will continue as will stormwater sampling this year.
Methodology
Composite stormwater samples (~5-10L) were collected for thirteen storm events from five urban areas across rainfall events of varying size. Sampling sites include urban runoff near a busy local highway (City N), bioretention basin next to a parking lot (BBR), stormwater outfalls near artificial turf fields (field P), and urban combined sewer runoff. Particles 63 to 2000 Î¼m were collected on sieves, separated into three size classes, treated with a wet peroxide oxidation, density separated with NaCl, and buoyant particles (fragments, films, and spheres) were collected for analysis with attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) or microscope FTIR for chemical composition. For the smallest size class, MP concentrations were estimated by multiplying the number of synthetic polymers observed by the total number of particles divided by the number of particles analyzed and normalizing to the volume of water sampled: MP composition was determined through spectral library searches and manual interpretation by a chemist. Statistical comparisons between sampling sites and dates were performed on microplastic concentration and polymer profile data.
Findings
#Microplastics were observed in all stormwater samples. Significant differences were observed in the total polymer concentrations between the sampling sites in the largest size range (250-2000Î¼m), potentially due to differences in land use within the catchments sampled (Fig. 1). The smallest microplastics were observed at the highest concentrations based on our preliminary results.
Several different polymer types were observed, both manmade and natural in origin in all size ranges. For the 250-2000Î¼m particles, manmade polymers observed included polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene, copolymer of ethylene-ethyl acrylate, polyethylene terephthalate, and acrylonitrile styrene-butadiene (Fig. 2). Of the 196 particles analyzed, 44 particles (22%) were identified as MP. The most prevalent polymer type in the 63-250 Î¼m size range varied site-to-site and storm-to-storm for a given site. For example, PS was 55% of the particles analyzed for the first storm sampled at City N with no PE observed, whereas PE was prevalent in other samples. Preliminary results may indicate that a greater diversity of MP was observed in the smaller size particles analyzed here compared to the larger particles previously analyzed which for 5/9 samples had over 50% of the MP polymers composed of PS, PP, PE, and PETE (Boni et al., in press). Future work will include statistical comparison of the polymer fingerprints by site, size class, and storm via dissimilarity matrix-based techniques (e.g., nonmetric multidimension scaling, nMDS) to understand the relative importance of these factors.
Natural polymers observed included natural fibers (e.g., cotton), plant matter, and cellulose. It is not surprising that the oxidation step did not remove these natural polymers. We observed leaf litter even in water samples collected for another project that were treated with the cellulose digestion recommended in the current ASTM method.
A weak but significant negative correlation was observed between cumulative rainfall and MP concentrations in the largest size range, but no correlation was observed between antecedent dry days and MP concentrations. These analyses will be repeated including the smaller particle sizes when quantitative data is available.
Significance of the investigation or study
Overall, these results presented provide insight into the loading and character (size, morphology, polymer type) of buoyant MP particles in stormwater that may be useful in designing mitigation strategies.

The objectives of this study were to determine the microplastic concentration, polymer fingerprints, and the inter-storm variation of MP in stormwater outfalls and in green infrastructure. Relationships between MP concentration, catchment, rainfall, and antecedent dry days were explored. Results may be of interest for performing particle balances and (if/where needed) developing mitigation strategies.

SpeakerFahrenfeld, Nicole

Presentation time

14:05:00

14:20:00

Session time

13:30:00

15:00:00

TopicIntermediate Level, Disinfection and Public Health, Microconstituents and Contaminants of Emerging Concern (Non-PFAS), Research and Innovation, Watershed Management, Water Quality, and Groundwater

Author(s)

Fahrenfeld, Nicole

Author(s)W. Boni1; S. Parmar2; K. Bailey1; G. Arbuckle-Keil2; N. Fahrenfeld1

Author affiliation(s)Civil & Environmental Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 1, Chemistry, Rutgers Camden, Camden, NJ2

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date Oct 2022

DOI10.2175/193864718825158647

Volume / Issue

Content sourceWEFTEC

Word count11

Description: SARS-CoV-2 accumulation in sewer biofilms and Outbreak Surveillance through...

SARS-CoV-2 accumulation in sewer biofilms and Outbreak Surveillance through Wastewater-Based Epidemiology in the State of New Jersey

Abstract

Wastewater based epidemiology grew in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic showing particular utility where individual testing was infeasible due to the cost, lack of testing supplies, non-compliance, and other challenges. Here, a monitoring study was performed across four wastewater collection systems with varying size and design (e.g., two combined sewer systems compared to two separate sanitary sewer systems). Generally, correlations between the previous week’s testing results correlated best with N1 gene copies observed in the sewage. To understand the potential for attenuation and accumulation of SARS-CoV-2 gene copies in sewer biofilms, swabs were collected from select pipes and an annular biofilm reactor was used to simulate the loading and shear in sewer pipes. SARS-CoV-2 was above detection in the simulated sewer biofilm when cases were too low to quantify in the wastewater and accumulated over the second wave of cases in the study region. Results presented here can provide insight into interpretation of wastewater-based epidemiology data.

The following conference paper was presented at WEFTEC 2021, October 16-20, 2021. To read the full abstract, see "Abstract" tab below.

SpeakerFahrenfeld, Nicole

Presentation time

13:45:00

14:00:00

Session time

13:30:00

15:00:00

SessionSpotlight on COVID-19: Wastewater Risks and Unknowns

Session number302

TopicDisinfection and Public Health, Facility Operations and Maintenance, Research and Innovation, Safety and Security

Author(s)

Nicole Fahrenfeld

Author(s)N. Fahrenfeld1; W. Morales Medina1; S. DElia2;

Author affiliation(s)Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey,Piscataway, NJ1Microbial Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ2Civil & Environmental Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ3

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date Oct 2021

DOI10.2175/193864718825158059

Volume / Issue

Content sourceWEFTEC

Word count18

Description: Understanding Antibiotic Resistance in Sewer Biofilm, Sewer Sediments, and...

Understanding Antibiotic Resistance in Sewer Biofilm, Sewer Sediments, and Wastewater through Field and Lab Studies

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to public health. Untreated wastewater has received considerable attention with respect to its role as a pathway for antibiotic resistant bacteria to enter the environment while sewage collection systems have received considerably less attention. There is a motivation to understand in-pipe processes to protect sewage workers health, provide insight into how to decontaminate during an outbreak event, improve interpretation of sewage epidemiology data, and to better understand what is released during sewer over flow events.1 The objective of this research is to assess the prevalence and persistence and of bacteria carrying antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in sewer systems, their distribution across matrices (wastewater, sewer sediment, biofilm), and their susceptibility to disinfection treatments.

SpeakerFahrenfeld, Nicole

Presentation time

15:10:00

15:30:00

Session time

13:30:00

15:30:00

SessionEmerging Topics in Microconstituents

Session number402

TopicMicroconstituents

Author(s)

N. FahrenfeldA. EramoW.R. Morales Medina