NEWS
2024.07.02
【Report】The 69th AJI Frontier Seminar was held! Dr. Wang Rongxuan: “Removal Performance and Mechanism of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes and Viruses by the Membrane Bioreactor Process”
On June 11, 2024, from 14:00 to 15:00, the 69th AJI Research Frontier Seminar took place online. Dr. Wang Rongxuan, a senior researcher at the Asia-Japan Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University, delivered a presentation entitled “Removal Performance and Mechanism of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes and Viruses by the Membrane Bioreactor Process.”
Viruses and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in wastewater pose a significant global challenge due to their detrimental effects on human health. Therefore, the removal of these emerging contaminants from wastewater is essential. The conventional activated sludge (CAS) process in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is limited to remove ARGs and viruses effectively because their nanostructures are hard to remove. Therefore, more advanced treatment processes are required. In his research, Dr. Wang focused on using the membrane bioreactor (MBR) for the removal of ARGs and viruses. MBR is an advanced wastewater treatment technology that combines biological treatment processes with membrane filtration to produce high-quality effluent. In order to highlight the removal performance of ARGs and viruses’ removal by MBR process, Dr. Wang also compared the removal performance of SARS-CoV-2 by using MBR and CAS processes. His findings indicated that MBR provides more stable removal for SARS-CoV-2 than the CAS process. The pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) was used as an applicability of performance indicator to removal of SARS-CoV-2 in WWTP. Moreover, Dr. Wang revealed the initial behaviors of ARGs in the MBR process. He found that adsorption on sludge particles and rejection by the membrane are the dominant mechanisms for the removal of ARGs in MBR. This finding demonstrated the superior removal performance of ARGs by MBR compared to CAS processes. He concluded that these findings are valuable for practical applications, as they can securely reduce the potential risk of ARGs and viruses in wastewater.
After a very interesting presentation, we moved to the Q&A session. Here, Dr. Wang thoughtfully answered the audience’s questions regarding the experimental setup, operating conditions, factors affecting the treatment performance of the MBR, and the challenges in operating the MBR system on a practical scale. He also gave perspectives on the removal of ARGs and emerging viruses in wastewater for protecting the water environment and decreasing the risk of exposure harmful to human health. Additionally, the discussion covered the potential application of this biological treatment process in both developed and developing countries. Dr. Wang’s use of clear and colorful diagrams and figures undoubtedly enhanced the audience’s understanding and enjoyment of the session. We wish him success in implementing his project.
Dr. Wang delivering his presentation
Please visit the following link for previous AJI Frontier Seminars:
https://en.ritsumei.ac.jp/research/aji/young_researcher/seminar/archive/