Nanoclay for Micropollutant Removal in Wastewater-Effective Alternative?

2014 ◽  
Vol 1024 ◽  
pp. 11-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamad Faiz Mohd Amin ◽  
S.G.J. Heijman ◽  
L.C. Rietveld

The effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is an important source of priority substances and is, therefore, one of the bottlenecks in achieving the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) objectives. At various locations in the Netherlands, standard for priority substances are exceeded. The current concern regarding the cost and treatment method of these micropollutants in receiving waters may call for new approaches in wastewater treatment. In this study, a new treatment alternative is developed to remove micropollutant and wastewater parameter effectively and in a more cost effective way. A potential solution is the used of clay coupled with biodegradable polymer flocculants. Clay is naturally abundant and relatively inexpensive compared to currently conventional used adsorbent which can also act as coagulants. Experimental studies were carried out with four different nanoclay to select the best nanoclay for further optimisation. The atrazine removal percentage archived is in the range of 10-99% based on the nanoclay concentration of 0.01-50 g/L. Optimisation of best nanoclay performer leads towards atrazine reduction of >99% with dosage of 0.1 g/L. The best and underperformed nanoclay then tested in other experiments with the addition of cationic starch flocculants. In this experiment, the addition of polymer increased the atrazine removal for the underperformer nanoclay to 46% with only 0.01 g/L clay dosages. This new approach in dealing with both micropollutant and wastewater parameter is promising and might help in reducing the compound concentration and the operational cost. However, further analysis and optimisation is required before any conclusion can be made.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adamo R. Petosa ◽  
Monica Nowierski ◽  
Viviane Yargeau

Abstract Bioanalytical tools, namely in vitro bioassays, can be employed in tandem with chemical analyses to assess the efficacy of wastewater treatment and the potential for adverse effects from the discharges of wastewater into receiving waters. In the present study, samples of untreated wastewater (i.e. influent) and treated wastewater (i.e. effluent) were collected from two wastewater treatment plants and a wastewater treatment lagoon serving municipalities in southern Ontario, Canada. In addition, grab samples of surface water were collected downstream of the lagoon discharge. After solid phase extraction (SPE) using ion-exchange columns for basic/neutral and acidic compounds, respectively, the extracts were analyzed for a suite of 16 indicator compounds. The two SPE extracts were combined for analysis of biological responses in four in vitro cell-based bioassays. The concentrations of several indicator compounds, including the estrogens, 17β-estradiol and 17α-ethinylestradiol, were below the limits of detection. However, androstenedione and estrone were detected in several influent samples. The concentrations of these steroid hormones and some of the other indicator compounds declined during treatment but acesulfame K, carbamazepine, trimethoprim and DEET persisted in the effluent. The MTS- CellTiter 96® AQueous One Solution Cell Proliferation Assay (MTS) indicated that cell viability was not affected by exposure to the extracts. The Qiagen Nuclear Receptors 10-Pathway Reporter Array indicated that several cellular pathways were upregulated, with the greatest upregulation observed with the estrogen receptor (i.e. induction ratios 12 to 47) and the liver X receptor (i.e. induction ratios 10 to 45). The ERα CALUX assay indicated that estrogenic activity was lower in effluents compared to influents, with the greatest estrogenic activity observed for grab samples of influent from the lagoon (i.e. 56-215 ng L-1 17β-estradiol equivalents). Finally, the results of the Nrf2 Luciferase Luminescence Assay indicated a lower oxidative stress in the effluent samples. Overall, the present study demonstrates that chemical analyses are limited in their ability to predict or explain reductions in the toxicity of treated wastewater. There are thus advantages to using a combination of chemical analyses and in vitro bioassays to monitor the treatment efficiency of wastewater treatment plants and to predict the potential impacts of wastewater discharges into receiving waters.


mSystems ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Y. Camejo ◽  
Ben O. Oyserman ◽  
Katherine D. McMahon ◽  
Daniel R. Noguera

“CandidatusAccumulibacter phosphatis” is widely found in full-scale wastewater treatment plants, where it has been identified as the key organism for biological removal of phosphorus. Since aeration can account for 50% of the energy use during wastewater treatment, microaerobic conditions for wastewater treatment have emerged as a cost-effective alternative to conventional biological nutrient removal processes. Our report provides strong genomics-based evidence not only that “Ca. Accumulibacter phosphatis” is the main organism contributing to phosphorus removal under microaerobic conditions but also that this organism simultaneously respires nitrate and oxygen in this environment, consequently removing nitrogen and phosphorus from the wastewater. Such activity could be harnessed in innovative designs for cost-effective and energy-efficient optimization of wastewater treatment systems.


Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1414 ◽  
Author(s):  
I-Tae Kim ◽  
Young-Seok Yoo ◽  
Young-Han Yoon ◽  
Ye-Eun Lee ◽  
Jun-Ho Jo ◽  
...  

The development of cost-effective methods, which generate minimal chemical wastewater, for methanol production is an important research goal. In this study, treated wastewater (TWW) was utilized as a culture solution for methanol production by mixed methanotroph species as an alternative to media prepared from commercial or chemical agents, e.g., nitrate mineral salts medium. Furthermore, a realistic alternative for producing methanol in wastewater treatment plants using biogas from anaerobic digestion was proposed. By culturing mixed methanotroph species with nitrate and phosphate-supplemented TWW in municipal wastewater treatment plants, this study demonstrates, for the first time, the application of biogas generated from the sludge digester of municipal wastewater treatment plants. NaCl alone inhibited methanol dehydrogenase and the addition of 40 mM formate as an electron donor increased methanol production to 6.35 mM. These results confirmed that this practical energy production method could enable cost-effective methanol production. As such, methanol produced in wastewater treatment plants can be used as an eco-friendly energy and carbon source for biological denitrification, which can be an alternative to reducing the expenses required for the waste water treatment process.


1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 307-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Y. G. Andoh ◽  
C. Declerck

Rapid urbanisation and its consequent increase in impermeable surface areas and changes in land use has generally resulted in problems of flooding and heavy pollution of urban streams and other receiving waters. This has often been coupled with ground water depletion and a threat to water resources. The first part of this paper presents an alternative drainage philosophy and strategy which mimics nature's way by slowing down (attenuating) the movement of urban runoff. This approach results in cost-effective, affordable and sustainable drainage schemes. The alternative strategy can be described as one of prevention rather than cure by effecting controls closer to source rather than the traditional approach which results in the transfer of problems downstream, resulting in its cumulation and the need for large scale, centralised control. The second part describes a research project which has been launched in order to quantify the cost and operational benefits of source control and distributed storage. Details of the methodology of the modelling and simulation processes which are being followed to achieve this target are presented.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1567
Author(s):  
Francesco Triggiano ◽  
Carla Calia ◽  
Giusy Diella ◽  
Maria Teresa Montagna ◽  
Osvalda De Giglio ◽  
...  

Scientific studies show that urban wastewater treatment plants (UWWTP) are among the main sources of release of antibiotics, antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) into the environment, representing a risk to human health. This review summarizes selected publications from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2019, with particular attention to the presence and treatment of ARG and ARB in UWWTPs in Italy. Following a brief introduction, the review is divided into three sections: (i) phenotypic assessment (ARB) and (ii) genotypic assessment (ARG) of resistant microorganisms, and (iii) wastewater treatment processes. Each article was read entirely to extract the year of publication, the geographical area of the UWWTP, the ARB and ARG found, and the type of disinfection treatment used. Among the ARB, we focused on the antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterococci in UWWTP. The results show that the information presented in the literature to date is not exhaustive; therefore, future scientific studies at the national level are needed to better understand the spread of ARB and ARG, and also to develop new treatment methods to reduce this spread.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shun-hwa Lee ◽  
Yeon-jung Cho ◽  
Miran Lee ◽  
Byung-Dae Lee

We surveyed the variation in perfluorinated compound (PFC) concentrations entering urban wastewater treatment plants and then designed an optimal PFCs treatment method based on a pilot test. The PFCs influent concentration was found to be affected by the types of industries and operating rate. The concentration of PFCs in the wastewater treatment effluent was slightly lower than that of the influent. Thus, PFCs had not been adequately removed by the existing biological treatments. The pilot test results showed that about 10% of PFCs was removed by coagulation and precipitation, and the ozone and chlorine test showed that few, if any, PFCs were removed regardless of the oxidant dose. The activated carbon adsorption test showed that the removal significantly increased with empty bed contact time, with about a 60% removal in five minutes and over 90% removal in over 15 minutes. Therefore, a more stable and higher PFCs removal would result from continuous oxidation processes, such as ozone and adsorption processes involving activated carbon, rather than a single biological treatment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 160-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeshi Cao ◽  
M. C. M. Van Loosdrecht ◽  
Glen. T. Daigger

Abstract Since about the 1990s China has achieved remarkable progress in urban sanitation. The country has built very extensive infrastructure for wastewater treatment, with 94.5% treatment coverage in urban areas and legally mandated nation-wide full nutrient removal implemented. However, municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in China are still confronted with issues rooted in the unique sewage characteristics. This study compares energy recovery, cost of nutrient removal and sludge production between Chinese municipal WWTPs and those in countries with longer wastewater treatment traditions, and highlights the cause-effect relationships between Chinese sewage characteristics – high inorganic suspended solids (ISS) loads, and low COD and C/N ratio, and municipal WWTP process performance in China. Integrated design and operation guidelines for municipal WWTPs are imperative in relation to the unique sewage characteristics in China. Cost-effective measures and solutions are proposed in the paper, and the potential benefits of improving the sustainability of municipal WWTPs in China are estimated.


2017 ◽  
Vol 75 (12) ◽  
pp. 2964-2972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Marc Choubert ◽  
Samuel Martin Ruel ◽  
Cécile Miege ◽  
Marina Coquery

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.


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