Enhanced removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products from real municipal wastewater using an electrochemical membrane bioreactor

The pollution of water sources by endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) is a growing concern, as conventional municipal wastewater treatment systems are not capable of completely removing these contaminants. A continuous stir tank reactor incorporating a modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) catalyst and dosed with hydrogen peroxide in a heterogeneous Fenton’s process was used at pilot scale to remove these compounds from wastewater that has undergone previous treatment via a conventional wastewater treatment system. The treatment system was effective at ambient temperature and at the natural pH of the wastewater. High levels of both natural and synthetic hormones (EDCs) and PPCPs were found in the effluent after biological treatment of the wastewater. The treatment system incorporating the modified PAN catalyst/H2O2decomposed >90% of the EDCs and >40% of PPCPs using 200 mgL−1H2O2, 3 hr residence time. The estrogenic potency EE2-EQ was removed by 82.77%, 91.36%, and 96.13% from three different wastewater treatment plants. BOD was completely removed (below detection limits); 30%–40% mineralisation was achieved and turbidity reduced by more than 68%. There was a <4% loss in iron content on the catalyst over the study period, suggesting negligible leaching of the catalyst.

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Removal characteristics of pharmaceuticals and personal care products: Comparison between membrane bioreactor and various biological treatment processes

Chemosphere ◽

10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.03.135 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 179 ◽

pp. 347-358 ◽

Cited By ~ 65

Author(s):

Junwon Park ◽

Naoyuki Yamashita ◽

Chulhwi Park ◽

Tatsumi Shimono ◽

Daniel M. Takeuchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Treatment ◽

Membrane Bioreactor ◽

Personal Care Products ◽

Personal Care ◽

Treatment Processes

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Effect of O3 Dose on the O3/UV Treatment Process for the Removal of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Secondary Effluent

ChemEngineering ◽

10.3390/chemengineering3020053 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 53 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

N. Evelin Paucar ◽

IIho Kim ◽

Hiroaki Tanaka ◽

Chikashi Sato

Keyword(s):

Municipal Wastewater ◽

Treatment Process ◽

Limit Of Detection ◽

Personal Care Products ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Pilot Scale ◽

Secondary Effluent ◽

Municipal Wastewater Treatment ◽

Personal Care ◽

Uv Treatment

A municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is a melting pot of numerous pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) together with many other substances. The removal of PPCPs using advanced oxidation processes within a WWTP is one way to reduce the amount of PPCPs that potentially enter an aquatic environment. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the ozone (O3)/UV treatment process, especially, the effects of O3 dose and reaction time, on the removal of PPCPs in the secondary effluent of a WWTP. Experiments were conducted using a pilot-scale treatment process that consisted of two flow-through reactors connected in series. Each reactor was equipped with three 65 W lamps (UV65W). The experimental variables were ozone dosage (1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 mg L−1) and hydraulic retention time (HRT; 5 and 10 min). On the basis of the PPCP concentrations after O3/UV65W treatment and their limit of detection (LOD), 38 PPCPs detected in the secondary effluent were classified into 5 groups ranging from the category of “sensitive” to O3/UV65W or “unstable” in the O3/UV65W process to the category of “insensitive” to O3/UV65W or “very stable” in the O3/UV65W process.

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Assessing emerging wastewater regulations to minimize the risk from pharmaceuticals and personal care products

Management of Environmental Quality An International Journal ◽

10.1108/meq-12-2014-0171 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 26 (6) ◽

pp. 966-983 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Benjamin Blair ◽

Jenny Kehl ◽

Rebecca Klaper

Keyword(s):

Membrane Bioreactor ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Personal Care Products ◽

Personal Care ◽

Industrial Countries ◽

Content Type ◽

Reduction Strategies ◽

Management Alternative ◽

Treatment Technologies ◽

The Cost

Purpose – Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) and phosphorus are pollutants that can cause a wide array of negative environmental impacts. Phosphorus is a regulated pollutant in many industrial countries, while PPCPs are widely unregulated. Many technologies designed to remove phosphorus from wastewater can remove PPCPs, therefore the purpose of this paper is to explore the ability of these technologies to also reduce the emission of unregulated PPCPs. Design/methodology/approach – Through meta-analysis, the authors use the PPCPs’ risk quotient (RQ) to measure and compare the effectiveness of different wastewater treatment technologies. The RQ data are then applied via a case study that uses phosphorus effluent regulations to determine the ability of the recommended technologies to also mitigate PPCPs. Findings – The tertiary membrane bioreactor and nanofiltration processes recommended to remove phosphorus can reduce the median RQ from PPCPs by 71 and 81 percent, respectively. The ultrafiltration technology was estimated to reduce the median RQ from PPCPs by 28 percent with no cost in addition to the costs expected under the current phosphorus effluent regulations. RQ reduction is expected with a membrane bioreactor and the cost of upgrading to this technology was found to be $11.76 per capita/year. Practical implications – The authors discuss the management implications, including watershed management, alternative PPCPs reduction strategies, and water quality trading. Originality/value – The evaluation of the co-management of priority and emerging pollutants illuminates how the removal of regulated pollutants from wastewater could significantly reduce the emission of unregulated PPCPs.

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