Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is a common way to disinfect drinking water, but some viruses are very resistant to UV. Drinking water was disinfected with UV after spiking with MS2 and 18 different coliphages isolated from municipal wastewater effluent. In addition, some coliphages were disinfected with combined treatment of chlorine/UV or vice versa with UV/chlorine. A UV-dose of 22 mWs/cm² caused less than 2 Log₁₀-reductions of 10 UV-resistant strains, while it caused up to 7 Log₁₀-reductions for 9 UV-sensitive or intermediate strains. The high dose (117 mWs/cm²) caused only 3 Log₁₀-reductions in some UV-resistant coliphages, including MS2, which proved to be a good indicator for viruses in UV-disinfection tests. The combined treatment with 0.1 or 0.5 mg Cl/L (free Cl-dosage 0.04 or 0.2 mg/L, respectively) for 10 min followed by UV irradiation of 22 mWs/cm² inactivated all coliphages tested by >3.6 Log₁₀-units. Synergy was obtained for most coliphages tested by using a Cl/UV combination, and the inactivation using first low Cl-dosages followed by low UV-dosages was higher than if using high Cl- or UV-dosages alone. The opposite treatment with UV/Cl was less effective. Therefore, the combination treatment using first chlorine and then UV can be recommended as a disinfection method for viruses.

UV-LEDs are a new method of disinfecting drinking water. Some viruses are very resistant to UV and the efficiency of UV-LEDs to disinfect them needs to be studied. Drinking water was disinfected with UV-LEDs after spiking the water with MS2 and four UV- and/or Cl-resistant coliphages belonging to RNA or DNA coliphages isolated from municipal wastewater. UV-LEDs operating at a wavelength of 270 nm for 2 min with 120 mW of irradiation caused 0.93–2.73 Log₁₀-reductions of coliphages tested in a reactor of a 5.2 L volume. Irradiation time of 10 min in the same system increased the Log₁₀-reductions to 4.30–5.16. Traditional mercury UV (Hg-UV) lamp at a 254 nm wavelength caused 0.67–4.08 Log₁₀-reductions in 2 min and 4.56–7.21 Log₁₀-reductions in 10 min in 10 mL of water. All coliphages tested except MS2 achieved 4 Log₁₀-reductions with UV-LEDs at a dose that corresponded to 70 mWs/cm² using Hg-UV. Thus, UV-LEDs are a promising method of disinfecting UV- and/or Cl-resistant viruses.

Sand filters have been shown to be an economic and effective solution for wastewater treatment in private households, although the removal of phosphorus (P) may be insufficient. However, P removal can be improved by adding a P-adsorbing material, such as biotite, into the sand filters. The physico-chemical characteristics and the microbial quality of the effluents of family-scale sand filters without adsorbing media (SF), sand filters with a biotite layer (B), and sand filters with a modular filter (MB) were followed for one year. Sand filters with a biotite layer displayed the highest capacity to remove nitrogen (N) and biological oxygen demand BOD₇. The efficiency of these filters did not depend on the age of the filter or the season. The P load of the effluent did not differ between sand filters with and without a biotite layer, but the modular sand filter failed to adequately reduce P. The treatment efficiency of sand filters without biotite decreased with increasing age. These private household sand filters can be a good way to treat domestic wastewaters, since these generally comply with the minimum requirements of a Finnish Decree (157/2017). However, enteric viruses (noro- and adenoviruses) were commonly found in the effluents, and the numbers of Escherichia coli were often above 10³ colony forming units (CFU) 100 mL⁻¹ (limit for the the EU Bathing Water Directive 2006/7/EC) for good water quality), signifying a risk of microbial contamination of nearby drinking water wells, as well as bathing and irrigation waters.

Sewage sludge contains a significant amount of phosphorus (P), which could be recycled to address the global demand for this non-renewable, important plant nutrient. The P in sludge can be solubilized and recovered so that it can be recycled when needed. This study investigated the P solubilization from sewage sludge using Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. The experiment was conducted by mixing 10 mL of sewage sludge with 90 mL of different water/liquid medium/inoculum and incubated at 30 °C. The experiment was conducted in three semi-continuous phases by replacing 10% of the mixed incubated medium with fresh sewage sludge. In addition, 10 g/L elemental sulfur (S) was supplemented into the medium in the third phase. The pH of the A. thiooxidans and A. ferrooxidans treated sludge solutions was between 2.2 and 6.3 until day 42. In phase 3, after supplementing with S, the pH of A. thiooxidans treated sludge was reduced to 0.9, which solubilized and extracted 92% of P. We found that acidithiobacilli supplemented with S can be used to treat sludge, i.e., achieve hygienization, removal of heavy metals, and solubilization and recovery of P.

Clostridia are anaerobic spore-forming bacteria, which degrade carbohydrates to butyric acid, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and other compounds. These bacteria are commonly found in feces of ruminants, from where they can enter to udders and milk via manure or fodder. This study was done to find a sustainable sanitation method to control the resistant clostridial spores as they are difficult to control in the food processing industry. Clostridia spoil cheeses and other dairy products, and thereby increase the carbon footprint of products and cause economical losses in the dairy industry. The efficacy of two organic peroxides; peracetic acid (PAA) and performic acid (PFA) was tested against 30 clostridia strains isolated from cattle slurry, silage, or spoiled cheeses. PAA, at a concentration of 220 mg L⁻¹, only eliminated 6/30 clostridia strains, whereas PFA totally eliminated 26/30 clostridia strains at a concentration of 120 mg L⁻¹. PFA therefore seems to be a more potent disinfectant than the more commonly used PAA. PFA is an effective disinfectant against Clostridium tyrobutyricum and other resistant clostridia at 120 mg L⁻¹ for 5–10 min contact time at room temperature.

In order to find the best management practices for forest nursery waste composting, organic waste was composted without or with horse manure or urea in six windrows for two years. The windrows were built in four consecutive years during 1999–2002. In 1999, no extra-nutrients were added to the windrow (N99). In 2000, urea fertilizer was used as a nitrogen source (U00). Despite this, the process did not function properly. In 2001, two windrows were built, one (H01) with and the other (N01) without horse manure. Horse manure slightly accelerated the heating process. Consequently, two windrows with more horse manure were built in 2002. One was aerated passively (H02) as earlier windrows, and the other was aerated forcedly (HA02). Horse manure and forced aeration were needed to keep the temperature above 55°C for long enough to ensure microbial hygiene of the material. The degradation of cellulose was greater during the curing stage. Nutrient leaching was low, although the additives increased leaching in conjunction with the inefficient process. The results showed that forest nursery waste alone is ineffective at raising the temperature of the compost, and degrades slowly due to its low nutrient and easily available carbon content. The best management practice for forest nursery waste composting is to use horse manure and aeration to ensure the heating process. Environmental contamination can be avoided by collecting the leachates. Further research is needed to evaluate the usability of the compost.