Adam Paruch
Research Professor
Links
Min side i Nasjonalt vitenarkiv (NVA) / My profile on the Norwegian Research Information Repository (NVA): Min side i ORCID / My profile on ORCID: Min side i ResearchGate / My profile on ResearchGate: TEMA - Kildesporing av fekal forurensing i vann SUBJECTS - Determining the source of fecal contamination in waterBiography
Adam M. Paruch is a Research Professor at the Division of Environment and Natural Resources.
He holds degrees of engineer (BSc) in environmental engineering, master (MSc) in land reclamation and environmental protection, and doctor (PhD) in environmental development. His key qualifications refer to:
- ecological engineering specialising in wastewater treatment and water protection measures
- quality assessment of water (surface, drainage, groundwater and runoff)
- microbiology of water, wastewater (white-, grey-, black-, brown-, and yellowwater), treatment filter media and compost material
- faecal water contamination (anthropogenic and zoogenic) originated from various point and nonpoint / diffuse pollution sources
- microbial / faecal source tracking (E. coli, Bacteroidales DNA markers, host-specific genetic markers, RT-qPCR)
- microbial and molecular analyses of viral and bacterial pathogens (gram-negative/-positive bacteria, viruses and parasitic protozoans)
- natural systems for water and wastewater management and purification
- sustainability assessment of on-site sanitation systems
- wastewater reclamation and reuse
- properties of soils irrigated with wastewater
- composting of organic wastes including hygienisation of human excreta
Abstract
Nature-based solutions (NBS) have been broadly adopted to strengthen water and wastewater sanitation by effectively removing microbial pollutants and limiting significant health risks to aquatic environments and humans. However, temporal variations of pathogen removal efficiencies in NBS and the specific link with faecal pollutants remain understudied. In this study, a Norwegian urban NBS operating as a nature-based treatment system (NBTS) for water purification was monitored on pathogen removal capacities and faecal source tracking through a 1-year study. Applying coupled molecular analyses, i.e., pathogen molecular detection and genetic microbial source tracking, enabled the systemic assessment of this NBTS’s remediation performance while unveiling the intrinsic link between pathogen prevalence and the faecal pollution sources. Notably, the system exhibited stronger pathogen attenuation activity on Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Clostridium perfringens, and Legionella pneumophila (linked closely to human origin in the studied NBTS) than Shigella species and Giardia lamblia sourced mainly from animals. Moreover, the studied system displayed temporal dynamics of its functioning. As such, more fluctuations often occurred in cold months than in the warm period and under varying impacts of measured environmental conditions (i.e., water temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, salinity, and oxidation reduction potential). Collectively, the findings of this study consolidate the functional potential of NBS in combating the microbial pollution that results specifically from waterborne enteric pathogens in a tight link with faecal contamination. The disclosed performance seasonality also calls for extra consideration for better-informed system management and remediation enhancement. Last but not least, the holistic study outcomes underscored the explicit value of applying complementary molecular approaches to achieve deeper insights into the functional status of a target NBS over time.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Lisa Paruch Adam Paruch Iulia Elena Neblea Tanta-Verona Iordache Andreea Gabriela Olaru Anita-Laura Chiriac Andrei SarbuAbstract
No abstract has been registered