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Updated: May 5, 2026
Experimental Protocol to Investigate Particle Aerosolization of a Product Under Abrasion and Under Environmental Weathering
Published on: September 16, 2016
Aerosol particles released from grit chambers of nine urban wastewater treatment plants in typical regions: Fugitive
Wenwen Wang1, Kaixiong Yang2, Lin Li1
1State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco- Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Abstract:
The flow through the grit chamber is non-biochemically treated wastewater, which contains microorganisms mainly from the source of wastewater generation. There are limited reports on aerosol particles generated by grit chambers compared with those produced by biochemical treatment tanks. This study analyzed the fugitive characteristics of aerosol particles produced in grit chambers at nine wastewater treatment plants in three regions of China. There were 160.41-432.13 μg/m3 of total particles and 455 ± 34-2181 ± 221 CFU/m3 of bacteria in aerosol particles. The chemicals in aerosol particles contained 7.35-53.70 μg/m3 of total organic carbon and 36.10-227.94 μg/m3 of water-soluble inorganic ions. The aerated grit chambers produced significantly more aerosol particles than the vortex-type grit chambers. Indoor treatment facilities were more prone to aerosol particle accumulation than outdoor facilities. The microorganisms in wastewater were the main contributing source of dominant microorganisms in aerosol particles, with a degree of explanation of 73.33 % ± 35.56 %. Mantel analysis and the partial least squares path modeling determined that the components and biodiversity of wastewater were direct determinants of aerosol emission levels and biodiversity, respectively. Geographic regions contributed to the differences in aerosol particles, primarily indirectly by affecting the components of wastewater. The bubble bursting trajectory simulation experiment simulated the bioaerosol generation process in aerated grit chambers and predicted droplet behaviours. A higher number of small film droplets corresponded to a higher concentration of bioaerosols. Arcobacter, Aeromonas, Acinetobacter, and Flavobacterium were the major pathogenic genera in aerosol particles produced by grit chambers. The annual probability of infection and the disease burden of these pathogenic bacteria cannot be ignored. This study provides a scientific basis for further understanding of aerosol particle generation and potential hazards in grit chambers of wastewater treatment plants.
