At the Ben-Gurion University Water Research Institute, evidence was found for corona in wastewater that has undergone biological treatment • "In order not to take risks, the wastewater must be neutralized"
The oxidation pools of the Ashkelon Sewage Treatment Institute
Photography:
Raphael Ben Ari
Sewage is another threat to the re-emergence of the corona virus, according to a study conducted at the Institute of Water Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
The researchers found that conventional sewage treatment does not eliminate the risk of the corona virus spreading and even recommended treating them beyond the usual treatment, in order to eliminate the virus inside sewage treatment plants.
Most sewage in the Western world is purified by biological treatment and then released to the environment. In Israel, most sewage is also disinfected with chlorine and then settled for agricultural use. During the first closure in April and during the second wave in July, sewage samples were collected In the raw sewage and after the biological treatment.In one case even the genetic material of the virus was detected at the exit of the treatment plant after disinfection.
Corona virus is known to reach the effluent mainly through the feces of carriers.
If these effluents are not properly treated and released to the environment, or used for irrigation they may infect people who come in contact with them.
The risk is even greater for sewage workers and treatment plants whose exposure to sewage is increased.
In addition the virus may infect and be preserved in wildlife and may create a more resistant mutation, which can prevent the epidemic from becoming eradicated.
"If we do not want to risk repeated waves of outbreaks of corona virus, we must also neutralize the wastewater," says Dr. Oded Nir, the leading researcher at the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research at Ben-Gurion University. Minimize the risk of virus spread and infection.
In all the cases we examined, in which the effluent treated properly by chlorine was sinned, the virus was no longer detectable.
Hence, the solution exists and we must adopt it, "Nir concluded.
Dr. Oded Nir is leading the research together with Prof. Ariel Kushmero of the Avraham and Stella Goldstein-Biotechnology Engineering Department, and other researchers have been working on the research alongside them.