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Population response to ozone application in wastewater: an on-site microcosm study with Gammarus fossarum (Crustacea: Amphipoda)

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Abstract

We assessed possible ecotoxicological implications of ozone application to secondary treated wastewater from a municipal wastewater treatment plant on Gammarus fossarum, an aquatic leaf shredding amphipod. Our 10-week study exposed G. fossarum populations to ozone-treated, non-ozone treated wastewater, or tap water in replicated outdoor flow-through stream microcosms. Feeding activity, an indicator for organic matter decomposition, of amphipod populations exposed to ozone treated wastewater was significantly higher compared to those exposed to non-ozone treated wastewater (repeated measure ANOVA, p = 0.0002, df = 44). Also the population size was at the end of the experiment with approximately 150% significantly (t-test, p = 0.0059, n = 4) increased in ozone treated wastewater compared to non-ozone treated wastewater. Additionally, chlorophyll-a concentration, an indicator for algal biomass, was significantly higher in ozone treated wastewater (repeated measure ANOVA, p = 0.0404, df = 65). Thus, from an ecotoxicological viewpoint, we conclude that ozonation may improve wastewater quality, which should translate into positive ecological outcomes in the receiving waters. However, because ozonation also can cause toxic transformation products, the process may best be considered on a case-by-case basis.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) as part of the project “Strategy MicroPoll” (project number 07.0142.PJ/G341–1833). The authors are grateful for comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript by J. P. Zubrod, S. Stehle, R. Ohliger, D. Elsaesser, A. Dabrunz and two anonymous reviewer. S. Brocker, D. Rensch, C. Ort and the staff of the WWTP Wüeri are acknowledged for their support during the on-site experiments.

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  1. Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, 76829, Landau/Palatinate, Germany

    Mirco Bundschuh & Ralf Schulz

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  1. Mirco Bundschuh
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  2. Ralf Schulz
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Correspondence to Mirco Bundschuh.

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Bundschuh, M., Schulz, R. Population response to ozone application in wastewater: an on-site microcosm study with Gammarus fossarum (Crustacea: Amphipoda). Ecotoxicology 20, 466–473 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-011-0599-z

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