Microbial Contamination of Screenings from Wastewater Treatment Plants

摘要

Screenings represent the type of waste resulting from the primary treatment of wastewater. Their content varies significantly and it depends on numerous factors. The microbial contamination of screenings has not yet been monitored in detail; therefore, information in this area is either insufficient or unavailable. Our objective was to analyze the indicative microorganisms present in the screenings from wastewater treatment plants. Faecal thermo-tolerant coliform bacteria, coliform bacteria, and enterococci were monitored during microbial analyses. All tested samples proved the presence of the aforementioned microorganisms (in different concentrations). Furthermore, some samples confirmed the presence of Salmonella sp. bacteria, which originate from the faecal solids getting to the trash screens of the wastewater treatment plants together with contaminated water.