Themed collection Environmental Science – coronavirus research

Brian Pecson and Daniel Gerrity present an Editorial Perspective which focuses on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the water industry.

Vincenzo Naddeo and Haizhou Liu present an ‘Editorial Perspective’ on coronavirus in wastewater and discuss the water research needs to combat viral outbreaks.

This perspective article reports the possible relationships between climate change and the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic and vice versa.

This review summarizes the role of graphene-based nanomaterials, which show antimicrobial behavior and have antiviral efficacy, in reducing the spread of COVID-19.

While “avoiding stagnation” has been the mantra of building water experts, support for how this terminology is used is not overly convincing. Carefully nuanced COVID stagnation studies can improve water quality research and communication strategies.

Pollutant particulate matter and ultrafine particles have been related to the rise of neurodegenerative diseases and other brain disorders. It is necessary to understand their potential health impacts in order to develop strategies to reduce risks.

This critical review presents the best remedy to protect human health by efficient materials-based air filters that can be used to air-purify and kill the dangerous SARS-CoV-2 virus and remove the other air pollutants.

Nanoparticle (NP)-based colorimetric methods are extensively used for the rapid detection of different substances and SARS-CoV-2 in various fields such as environmental science, virology, pollution research, food industry, as well as biomedicine.

This review provides a comprehensive look at whether a pandemic enveloped virus would pose challenges for the wastewater and drinking water industries.

Direct deposition of nano-dry-salt on nonwovens was developed as a process that can be incorporated into conventional nonwoven production for timely application of biosafe anticoronaviral surfaces and reliable aerosol filtration performance.

We propose a minimum set of meta-information to accompany the reporting of SARS-CoV-2 occurrence in wastewater for improved data interpretation.

DTRs from February to June during the COVID-19 pandemic are greater than 3 standard deviations above the climatological mean DTR.

Wastewater analysis provides insights into population lifestyle and health status during the coronavirus pandemic.

Concentrations of pharmaceuticals (sulfamethoxazole, sulfamethoxazole hydroxylamine, prednisolone and ivermectin) showed good correlation with the number of COVID-19 infections in South Africa.

Significant cross-correlation was observed between daily wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA abundance and clinical case numbers (with a two-day lag) after prewhitening and normalization of the time series data.

Wastewater-based SARS-CoV-2 monitoring is an effective tool for rapid management of the pandemic. Evaluating methodologies during the height of this crisis strengthens the field to ensure reproducibility across states, nations, and the globe.

The ZIF-8, MoS₂ and h-BN based PEI MMMs are fabricated to investigate their removal performance for antibiotics (favipiravir, ivermectin and azithromycin) using the MBR system. The MMMs show significant removal of antibiotics from synthetic wastewater.

An effective, eco-friendly and easily scalable nanosilver-based technology offers affordable and broad-spectrum antimicrobial solutions against SARS-CoV-2 and Escherichia coli.

Microfibers released from the simulated daily wiping process of disposable wipes and masks were studied, with emphasis on the effects of wiping conditions and fabric properties.

We assessed and compared indoor and outdoor residential aerosol particles in a third-floor apartment from August through September 2020.

Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA using self-enhancing ruthenium compounds attached to ZIF-8 and CRISPR–Cas12a trans-cleavage properties.

SARS-CoV-2 binds to microplastics which facilitates viral host infection with enhanced inflammatory responses.

Recent applications of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) have demonstrated its ability to track the spread and dynamics of COVID-19 at the community level.

Corticosteroids (CSs) with two double bonds in ring A are sensitive to UV. CSs were poorly removed by individual Cl₂, NH₂Cl, and H₂O₂ treatment. Combining UV with Cl₂, NH₂Cl, or H₂O₂ promoted UV-insensitive CS removal.

SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in New York City were significantly correlated with clinical case rates in corresponding sewersheds.

SARS-CoV-2 community wastewater surveillance across a range of scales to establish optimal sampling strategies.

We compared SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in primary settled solids and raw wastewater samples matched in date to investigate the relationship between the two matrices.

Hydrological model demonstrated a reduction in wastewater travel time by more than 60% when using a novel metric for placement of upstream samplers within a large sewershed, thus reducing SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA degradation.

An ECL biosensor based on entropy-driven amplification and CRISPR-Cas12a shear for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp gene in environmental surveillance was reported.

Speech generates droplets averaged 6 μm in size. Their settling time and SARS-CoV-2 viral viability inside those droplets, both calculated from temperature and relative humidity, predict COVID transmission rates within one-sigma interval.

We demonstrate the application of a rapid pre-concentration protocol and a magnetic bead-based RNA extraction method for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from raw wastewater without the need for extensive sample treatment.

This study evaluated a passive sampling and rapid LAMP detection of SARS-CoV-2 for near-source (i.e., building-level) wastewater based epidemiology applications.

Temporal measurement of wastewater SARS-CoV-2 can be used to monitor the disease burden on multiple communities. Estimates of the Covid-19 infected population from wastewater SARS-CoV-2 data provide a complementary comparison to clinical data.

Comparison of diurnally-average NO_x pre- and during phase-I lockdown in two Indian cities. This work highlights that ambient levels post-lockdown were a complex interaction between emissions, meteorology, and chemistry.

Extensive building closures due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic resulted in long-term water stagnation within the plumbing of large buildings.

A simple passive sampling protocol using cheesecloth and electronegative filters coupled with a Tween®20-based elution technique provided reliable detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater at targeted locations in a region of low COVID-19 prevalence.

Our results indicate that lockdown measures induced a mild increase in secondary organic aerosol (SOA) concentrations in areas with substantial reductions in nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations, i.e. the “Greater Milan” area.

Impact of lockdown measures on the air pollutants and particle number size distribution.

Sub-micron aerosol filtration of non-woven materials and fabric treatments were investigated. Select low-cost, readily available and easily cut non-woven materials were identified as suitable filter inserts for cloth-based masks.

The reproducibility and sensitivity of 36 methods for quantifying the genetic signal of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater was evaluated in a nationwide interlaboratory assessment in the U.S.

Reduced anthropogenic activities during COVID-19 lockdowns improved air quality and dampened LST in highly populated and polluted Indian megacities.

A commercially-available UV disinfection system used for hospital room disinfection was characterized and used for N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) material disinfection.