scholarly journals Study of the Potential of Water Treatment Sludges in the Removal of Emerging Pollutants

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 1010
Author(s):  
Rita Dias ◽  
Diogo Sousa ◽  
Maria Bernardo ◽  
Inês Matos ◽  
Isabel Fonseca ◽  
...  

Presently, water quantity and quality problems persist both in developed and developing countries, and concerns have been raised about the presence of emerging pollutants (EPs) in water. The circular economy provides ways of achieving sustainable resource management that can be implemented in the water sector, such as the reuse of drinking water treatment sludges (WTSs). This study evaluated the potential of WTS containing a high concentration of activated carbon for the removal of two EPs: the steroid hormones 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2). To this end, WTSs from two Portuguese water treatment plants (WTPs) were characterised and tested for their hormone adsorbance potential. Both WTSs showed a promising adsorption potential for the two hormones studied due to their textural and chemical properties. For WTS1, the final concentration for both hormones was lower than the limit of quantification (LOQ). As for WTS2, the results for E2 removal were similar to WTS1, although for EE2, the removal efficiency was lower (around 50%). The overall results indicate that this method may lead to new ways of using this erstwhile residue as a possible adsorbent material for the removal of several EPs present in wastewaters or other matrixes, and as such contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets.

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Baghoth ◽  
M. Dignum ◽  
A. Grefte ◽  
J. Kroesbergen ◽  
G. L. Amy

For drinking water treatment plants that do not use disinfectant residual in the distribution system, it is important to limit availability of easily biodegradable natural organic matter (NOM) fractions which could enhance bacterial regrowth in the distribution system. This can be achieved by optimising the removal of those fractions of interest during treatment; however, this requires a better understanding of the physical and chemical properties of these NOM components. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) and liquid chromatography with online organic carbon detection (LC-OCD) were used to characterize NOM in water samples from one of the two water treatment plants serving Amsterdam, The Netherlands. No disinfectant residual is applied in the distribution system. Fluorescence EEM and LC-OCD were used to track NOM fractions. Whereas fluorescence EEM shows the reduction of humic-like as well as protein-like fluorescence signatures, LC-OCD was able to quantify the changes in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations of five NOM fractions: humic substances, building blocks (hydrolysates of humics), biopolymers, low molecular weight acids and neutrals.


2004 ◽  
Vol 50 (8) ◽  
pp. 81-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.T. Seo ◽  
C.D. Moon ◽  
S.W. Chang ◽  
S.H. Lee

A pilot scale experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of a membrane bioreactor filled with high concentration powdered activated carbon. This hybrid system has great potential to substitute for existing GAC or O3/BAC processes in the drinking water treatment train. The system was installed at a water treatment plant located downstream of the Nakdong river basin, Korea. Effluent of rapid sand filter was used as influent of the system which consists of PAC bio-reactor, submerged MF membrane module and air supply facility. PAC concentration of 20 g/L was maintained at the beginning of the experiment and it was increased to 40 g/L. The PAC has not been changed during the operational periods. The membrane was a hollow fiber type with pore sizes of 0.1 and 0.4 µm. It was apparent that the high PAC concentration could prevent membrane fouling. 40 g/L PAC was more effective to reduce the filtration resistance than 20 g/L. At the flux of 0.36 m/d, TMP was maintained less than 40 kPa for about 3 months by intermittent suction type operation (12 min suction/3 min idling). Adsorption was the dominant role to remove DOC at the initial operational period. However the biological effect was gradually increased after around 3 months operation. Constant DOC removal could be maintained at about 40% without any trouble and then a tremendous reduction of DBPs (HAA5 and THM) higher than 85% was achieved. Full nitrification was observed at the controlled influent ammonia nitrogen concentration of 3 and 7 mg/L. pH was an important parameter to keep stable ammonia oxidation. From almost two years of operation, it is clear that the PAC membrane bioreactor is highly applicable for advanced water treatment under the recent situation of more stringent DBPs regulation in Korea.


2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 1042-1050 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Sedmak ◽  
David Bina ◽  
Jeffrey MacDonald ◽  
Lon Couillard

ABSTRACT Reoviruses, enteroviruses, and adenoviruses were quantified by culture for various ambient waters in the Milwaukee area. From August 1994 through July 2003, the influent and effluent of a local wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) were tested monthly by a modified U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Information Collection Rule (ICR) organic flocculation cell culture procedure for the detection of culturable viruses. Modification of the ICR procedure included using Caco-2, RD, and HEp-2 cells in addition to BGM cells. Lake Michigan source water for two local drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) was also tested monthly for culturable viruses by passing 200 liters of source water through a filter and culturing a concentrate representing 100 liters of source water. Reoviruses, enteroviruses, and adenoviruses were detected frequently (105 of 107 samples) and, at times, in high concentration in WWTP influent but were detected less frequently (32 of 107 samples) in plant effluent and at much lower concentrations. Eighteen of 204 samples (8.8%) of source waters for the two DWTPs were positive for virus and exclusively positive for reoviruses at relatively low titers. Both enteroviruses and reoviruses were detected in WWTP influent, most frequently during the second half of the year.


2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 610-617
Author(s):  
F. Sacher ◽  
B. Körner ◽  
A. Thoma ◽  
H.-J. Brauch ◽  
D. Khiari

Flame retardants are chemicals that are added to plastic materials in order to prevent them from catching fire and to slow down the burning process. Due to the widespread occurrence of flame retardants in the environment, it can be expected that especially the more hydrophilic compounds already contaminate raw water resources of water utilities. In this paper results of laboratory-scale experiments on the behaviour of ten brominated and chlorinated flame retardants during different steps of drinking water treatment will be presented. The target compounds were selected based on their production volumes and physical-chemical properties. The final list includes 1- and 2-bromostyrene, 2,4- and 2,6-dibromophenol, tetrabromophthalic acid, tetrachlorophthalic anhydride, chlorendic acid, tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate, tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), and tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP). The results obtained from the laboratory-scale experiments clearly indicate that from the selected flame retardants only 1- and 2-bromostyrene are well biodegradable under aerobic conditions whereas the other flame retardants under investigation turned out to be persistent. Flocculation with either iron or aluminium salts is not an efficient option for removal of the selected flame retardants. For 1- and 2-bromostyrene removal rates of ca. 50% can be achieved whereas for the other compounds removal rates are in the range of 10 to 30% even when dosing 50 mg/L of flocculation agent. Oxidation with either ozone or ozone/hydrogen peroxide proved also to be rather inefficient for removal of the flame retardants under investigation, even at elevated doses of oxidant of 10 mg/L. However, results showed that the selected flame retardants adsorb well onto activated carbon and thus GAC adsorption seems to be a promising option for their removal.


2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 321-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Thaveemaitree ◽  
F. Nakajima ◽  
H. Furumai ◽  
S. Kunikane

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), regarded as a toxic substance, is widely used and abundantly contaminated in environments. Via contamination of freshwater, DEHP can enter into drinking water treatment and be adsorbed on solid particles. This study was aimed at understanding the concentration phenomenon of DEHP in drinking water treatment process, focusing on the relationship between DEHP concentration and characteristics of organic matter on the solids formed in the processes as scum, suspended solid and sludge. Solid samples were collected from five drinking water treatment processes in Japan and analyzed by pyrolysis GC/MS. The solids were categorized by the sampling locations, solid types and fragment composition. The specificity of the pyrolysis fragments in each group was summarized into a matrix. When compared with concentration of DEHP and characteristics of organic matter, a solid specifically containing many specific aliphatic fragments contained significantly high concentration of DEHP.


2012 ◽  
Vol 538-541 ◽  
pp. 2466-2469
Author(s):  
Dong Mei Liu ◽  
Yue Wang ◽  
Xue Bin Jia ◽  
Dong Jun Zhang ◽  
Yi Zou ◽  
...  

According to extensive literature research, we introduce and summarize both physical, chemical properties, main hazards of phenol and the recent phenol water pollutions. We get the problem that it’s hardly to meet the standard and ensure the safety of water supply because of the low removal ratio in the process of water treatment when the water source is polluted by sporadic phenol pollution. After we analyze and compare the removal technology in polluted water and potable water respectively, we know the removal ratio of polymeric aluminum chloride-powdered activated carbon and permanganate potassium- activated carbon is significantly higher than activated carbon only, but the output water couldn’t reach the standard when facing high concentration phenol pollution (500μg/L). The biological technologies and membrane methods used in waste water treatment are introducing into the potable water treatment.


RSC Advances ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (35) ◽  
pp. 27970-27977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenzheng Yu ◽  
Luiza Campos ◽  
Tong Shi ◽  
Guibai Li ◽  
Nigel Graham

Combination of KMnO4and NaClO is beneficial and synergistic for removing Mn2+in water with high concentration of organic matter.


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