Monitoring of carbamazepine concentrations in wastewater and groundwater to quantify sewer leakage

2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 205-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Fenz ◽  
A.P. Blaschke ◽  
M. Clara ◽  
H. Kroiss ◽  
D. Mascher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Groundwater Pollution ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Domestic Wastewater ◽  
Limit Of Quantification ◽  
Wide Scale ◽  
The City ◽  
Bank Infiltration ◽  
Dry Weather Flow

Monitoring of carbamazepine concentrations in wastewater and groundwater enables us to identify and quantify sewer exfiltration. The antiepileptic drug carbamazepine is hardly removed in wastewater treatment plants and not or just slightly attenuated during bank infiltration and subsoil flow. Concentrations in wastewater are generally 1,000 times higher than the limit of quantification. In contrast to many other wastewater tracers carbamazepine is discharged to the environment only via domestic wastewater. The results from this study carried out in Linz, Austria indicate an average exfiltration rate of 1%, expressed as percentage of the dry weather flow that is lost to the groundwater on the city-wide scale. This rate is lower than sewage losses reported in most other studies which attempted to quantify exfiltration on the basis of groundwater pollution. However, it was also possible to identify one area with significantly higher sewage losses. This method seems to be very suitable for the verification of leakage models used to assess sewer exfiltration on a regional scale.

Quantification of sewer exfiltration using the anti-epileptic drug carbamazepine as marker species for wastewater

2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (9) ◽  
pp. 209-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Fenz ◽  
A.P. Blaschke ◽  
M. Clara ◽  
H. Kroiss ◽  
D. Mascher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Groundwater Pollution ◽  
Limit Of Quantification ◽  
Anti Epileptic Drug ◽  
Wide Scale ◽  
The City ◽  
Bank Infiltration ◽  
Dry Weather Flow

The anti-epileptic drug carbamazepine was used as marker species in wastewater to identify and quantify sewer exfiltration. In several studies carbamazepine turned out to be hardly removed in wastewater treatment and not or just slightly attenuated during bank infiltration. Concentrations in wastewater are generally 1000 times higher than the limit of quantification. In contrast to many other marker species a “young” drug as carbamazepine is discharged to the environment only by wastewater. The results from this study carried out in Linz, Austria indicate an average exfiltration rate, expressed as percentage of the dry weather flow that is lost on the city-wide scale, of 1%. This rate is lower than sewage losses reported in most other studies which attempted to quantify exfiltration on the basis of groundwater pollution. However, it was also possible to identify one area with significant higher sewage losses.

Bottlenecks in the Implementation of On-Site Wastewater Treatment Plants on a Large Scale in The Netherlands

1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 291-298
Author(s):  
Frits A. Fastenau ◽  
Jaap H. J. M. van der Graaf ◽  
Gerard Martijnse
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Domestic Wastewater ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Definition Of

More than 95 % of the total housing stock in the Netherlands is connected to central sewerage systems and in most cases the wastewater is treated biologically. As connection to central sewerage systems has reached its economic limits, interest in on-site treatment of the domestic wastewater of the remaining premises is increasing. A large scale research programme into on-site wastewater treatment up to population equivalents of 200 persons has therefore been initiated by the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment. Intensive field-research work did establish that the technological features of most on-site biological treatment systems were satisfactory. A large scale implementation of these systems is however obstructed in different extents by problems of an organisational, financial and/or juridical nature and management difficulties. At present research is carried out to identify these bottlenecks and to analyse possible solutions. Some preliminary results are given which involve the following ‘bottlenecks':-legislation: absence of co-ordination and absence of a definition of ‘surface water';-absence of subsidies;-ownership: divisions in task-setting of Municipalities and Waterboards; divisions involved with cost-sharing;-inspection; operational control and maintenance; organisation of management;-discharge permits;-pollution levy;-sludge disposal. Final decisions and practical elaboration of policies towards on-site treatment will have to be formulated in a broad discussion with all the authorities and interest groups involved.

Model-based evaluation of nitrogen removal in a tannery wastewater treatment plant

2004 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 251-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.S. Moussa ◽  
A.R. Rojas ◽  
C.M. Hooijmans ◽  
H.J. Gijzen ◽  
M.C.M. van Loosdrecht
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Computer Modelling ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Domestic Wastewater ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Accurate Estimation ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Biological Tests

Computer modelling has been used in the last 15 years as a powerful tool for understanding the behaviour of activated sludge wastewater treatment systems. However, computer models are mainly applied for domestic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Application of these types of models to industrial wastewater treatment plants requires a different model structure and an accurate estimation of the kinetics and stoichiometry of the model parameters, which may be different from the ones used for domestic wastewater. Most of these parameters are strongly dependent on the wastewater composition. In this study a modified version of the activated sludge model No. 1 (ASM 1) was used to describe a tannery WWTP. Several biological tests and complementary physical-chemical analyses were performed to characterise the wastewater and sludge composition in the context of activated sludge modelling. The proposed model was calibrated under steady-state conditions and validated under dynamic flow conditions. The model was successfully used to obtain insight into the existing plant performance, possible extension and options for process optimisation. The model illustrated the potential capacity of the plant to achieve full denitrification and to handle a higher hydraulic load. Moreover, the use of a mathematical model as an effective tool in decision making was demonstrated.

The eco-efficiency assessment of wastewater treatment plants in the city of Mashhad using emergy and life cycle analyses

2020 ◽  
Vol 249 ◽  
pp. 119327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadegh Alizadeh ◽  
Hamid Zafari-koloukhi ◽  
Fatemeh Rostami ◽  
Masoud Rouhbakhsh ◽  
Akram Avami
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Efficiency Assessment ◽  
The City

Using metazoa to reduce sludge production

1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (11) ◽  
pp. 171-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Rensink ◽  
W. H. Rulkens
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Domestic Wastewater ◽  
Brewery Wastewater ◽  
Trickling Filters ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Nitrification Process ◽  
Sludge Production

Pilot plant experiments have been carried out to study the mineralization of sludge from biological wastewater treatment plants by worms such as Tubificidae. Trickling filters filled with lava slags were continuously fed with a certain quantity of excess activated sludge of a Dutch brewery wastewater treatment plant (Bavaria) by recirculation during 10 to 14 days. At the starting point of each experiment the trickling filters were inoculated with Tubificidae. Recirculation of sludge showed that use of Tubificidae resulted in a COD reduction of the sludge (mixed liquor) of 18–67–. Without worms this reduction was substantially lower. The sludge production in a pilot activated sludge system for treating settled domestic wastewater reduced from 0.40 to 0.15 g MLSS/g COD removed when Tubificidae were added to the system. The lower amounts of sludge were always accompanied by an increase of nitrate and phosphate concentration in the wastewater. There was no disturbance of the nitrification process. Application of Tubificidae or other worms may have interesting potential for practical application.

Experimental study on sequencing batch biofilm reactor with biological filtration (SBBR-BF) for wastewater treatment

2004 ◽  
Vol 48 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 299-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.W. Li ◽  
Y.Z. Peng ◽  
Y.Y. Wang ◽  
G.B. Zhu ◽  
W.Q. Chi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Laboratory Experiment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Domestic Wastewater ◽  
Biofilm Reactor ◽  
Treatment Technology ◽  
Biological Filtration ◽  
Efficient System ◽  
Filtration Cycle ◽  
Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactor

A novel wastewater treatment technology combining a sequencing batch biofilm reactor and biological filtration in an SBBR-BF system was presented. Elastic plastic filaments were fixed as biofilms carrying media. Particle materials (sand or anthracite) and the settled sludge constituted the filtration layer. In the laboratory studies, operating results of SBR, SBBR and SBBR-BF were compared. Better quality and stable water quality of effluent could be achieved in SBBR-BF because the fixed film and filtration layer were added in the reactor. Other laboratory experiment results indicated that slow filtration, cycle water stirring and backwashing making use of the settled supernatant are successful methods for preventing clogging and saving energy. The velocity and headloss of filtration were significantly impacted by different MLSS concentration. The MLSS concentration in the reactor must be less than 1,400 mg/L for optimal results. The average velocity of filtration ranging from 0.6 to 1.0 m/h, the backwash velocity of 10–15 m/h and the backwash time of 20 seconds are recommended according to the laboratory experiment. On-site experiment and study showed that SBBR-BF is a stable and efficient system for domestic wastewater treatment, and is particularly suited for small wastewater treatment plants, because of the simple operation and compact installation.

scholarly journals Rethinking micropollutant removal assessment methods for wastewater treatment plants – how to get more robust data?

2017 ◽  
Vol 75 (12) ◽  
pp. 2964-2972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Marc Choubert ◽  
Samuel Martin Ruel ◽  
Cécile Miege ◽  
Marina Coquery
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Removal Efficiency ◽  
Suspended Solids ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Sampling Strategy ◽  
Sampling Uncertainty ◽  
Limit Of Quantification ◽  
Sources Of Uncertainty ◽  
Micropollutant Removal ◽  
The Impact

This paper covers the pitfalls, recommendations and a new methodology for assessing micropollutant removal efficiencies in wastewater treatment plants. The proposed calculation rules take into account the limit of quantification and the analytical and sampling uncertainty of measured concentrations. We identified six cases for which a removal efficiency value is reliable and four other cases where result is highly variable (uncertain) due to very low or unquantified concentrations in effluent or when the influent–effluent concentrations differential is below the measurement uncertainty. The influence of the proposed calculation rules on removal efficiency values was scrutinized using actual results from a research project. The paper arrives at detailed recommendations for limiting the impact of other sources of uncertainty during sampling (sampling strategy, cleaning and field blank), chemical analyses (suspended solids and sludge) and data processing according to the targeted objectives.

Legionella prevalence in wastewater treatment plants of Taiwan

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 1303-1310 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. W. Huang ◽  
B. M. Hsu ◽  
P. H. Ma ◽  
K. T. Chien
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Domestic Wastewater ◽  
Aquatic Environments ◽  
Human Pathogens ◽  
Wastewater Systems

Legionella is a bacterium that is ubiquitous in natural and artificial aquatic environments. Some species of Legionella are recognized as opportunistic potential human pathogens. We investigated the distribution of Legionella at seventeen WWTPs throughout Taiwan. Legionella were detected in 10 of the 17 WWTPs (58.8%) and 25 of 41 samples (61.0%). In the integrated, hospital, industrial and domestic wastewater systems were 13/18 (72.2%), 7/12 (58.3%), 2/7 (28.6%) and 3/4 (75.0%) of the samples were positive for Legionella, respectively. The most frequently encountered species were L. donaldsonii and uncultured L. spp., which were both found in 10 samples (24.4% of all samples), then followed by L. lytica (4.9%) and L. pneumophila (4.9%). L. anisa was detected in one sample (2.4%). The results of this survey confirm that Legionella are ubiquitous in WWTPs in Taiwan. Therefore, long-term investigations should be conducted to evaluate the overall occurrence of Legionella in WWTPs in Taiwan.

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