Interactions between virus surrogates and sewage sludge vary by viral analyte: Recovery, persistence, and sorption

Sewage sludge, as a reservoir of viruses, may pose threats to human health. Understanding how virus particles interact with sludge is the key to controlling virus exposure and transmission. In this study, we investigated the recovery, survivability, and sorption of four typical virus surrogates with different structures (Phi6, MS2, T4, and Phix174) in sewage sludge. The most effective elution method varies by viral analyte, while the ultrafiltration method could significantly reduce the recovery loss for all four viruses. Compared with nonenveloped viruses, the poor recoveries of Phi6 during elution (<15%) limited its efficient detection. The inactivation kinetics of four viruses in solid-containing sludge were significantly faster than those in solid-removed samples at 25 degrees C, indicating that the solid fraction of sludge played an important role in virus inactivation. Although enveloped Phi6 was more vulnerable in both solid-removed and solid-containing sludge samples, it could remain viable for several hours at 25 degrees C and several days at 4 degrees C, which may pose an infection risk during sludge collection, transportation, and treatment process. The adsorption and desorption behavior of viruses in sludge could be affected by virus envelope structure, capsid proteins, and virus particle size. Phi6 adsorption to sludge was great with log KF of 6.51 +/- 0.53, followed by Phix174, MS2, and T4. Additionally, more than 95% of Phi6, MS2, and T4 adsorbed to sludge were strongly bound, and a considerable fraction of strongly-bound virus was confirmed to retain viability. These results shed light on the environmental behavior of viruses in sewage sludge and provide a theoretical basis for the risk assessment for sludge treatment and disposal.

Automated summary

This study investigated the recovery, survivability, and sorption of four virus surrogates in sewage sludge, leading to the discovery of different elution methods and recovery rates for each virus. The role of the solid fraction of sludge in virus inactivation was also found to be significant. Additionally, the analysis of amino acid sequences revealed that certain viruses could remain viable at lower temperatures, posing an infection risk. These findings contribute to our understanding of the environmental behavior of viruses in sewage sludge and provide a theoretical basis for risk assessment in sludge treatment and disposal.