Aerobiologia
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-022-09740-z
ORIGINAL PAPER
Airborne bacteria and fungi in a wastewater treatment
plant: type and characterization of bio‑aerosols, emission
characterization and mapping
Hanna Jari · Afshin Maleki · Saeed Dehestani Athar · Ebrahim Mohammadi · Ebrahim Darvishi ·
Manouchehr Ahmadi Hedayati · Nader Marzban · Van Tai Tang · Bejan Nouri
Received: 20 August 2021 / Accepted: 18 February 2022
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2022
Abstract Exposure to bioaerosols causes infec-
tion, over-sensitivity, respiratory, and lung diseases.
This study was conducted at Sanandaj wastewater
treatment plant in three seasons of winter, spring and
summer to investigate the type and density of bio-
aerosols. Sampling was performed using a sampling
pump with a discharge rate of 28.3 L/min at a height
of 1.5 m above the ground; the samples were taken
from five stations: treatment plant entrance, aeration
tank, grit chamber, drying sludge bed and laboratory.
At each sampling point, time, temperature, relative
humidity (Soleimani et al.), wind speed and particu-
late matter were recorded. In order to identify the
bacteria, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and cul-
ture-based methods were applied. It was also found
that there was not a significant relationship between
bacterial count and RH, wind direction, wind speed
H. Jari
Student Research Committee, Kurdistan University
of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
A. Maleki (*) · S. Dehestani Athar · E. Mohammadi ·
E. Darvishi
Environmental Health Research Center, Research Institute
for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical
Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
e-mail: maleki43@yahoo.com
M. Ahmadi Hedayati
Liver and Digestive Research Center, Research Institute
for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical
Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
and temperature. Regarding fungi, the results showed
that RH and wind direction and wind has a signifi-
cant relationship with the concentration of fungi. The
most predominant bacteria and fungi were as follows:
Staphylococcus, Enterobacteriaceae, Bacillus, Acine-
tobacter, Micrococcus, Enterococcus, Neisseria, Lis-
teria, and Pseudomonas and Penicillium, Aspergillus
flavus. The concentration of bacteria in the air was
significantly correlated with < 4, < 5, < 7 and < 10 μm
suspended particles. However, there was a correlation
between particle number of 10 μm and fungi concen-
tration in the air.
Keywords Meteorological parameters · Molecular
detection · Aeration tank · Seasonal change
N. Marzban
Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering
and Bioeconomy, Max‑Eyth‑Allee 100,
14469 Potsdam‑Bornim, Germany
V. T. Tang
Green Technology and Sustainable Development
in Construction Research Group, Van Lang school
of Engineering and Technology, Van Lang University,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
B. Nouri
Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Research
Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University
of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
Vol.: (0123456789)
13