Unlocking the Mystery of Removing Micropollutants: Over a span of 10 years, a study was conducted using 15 distinct biological reactors.🌍Intr...
Published on by Hossein Ataei Far, Deputy Manager of the Research, Technology Development, and Industry Relations Center at NWWEC
🌍Introduction:
The study focuses on the 🔄 removal of organic micropollutants in 15 biological reactors through short-term (batch experiments) and long-term experiments(municipal wastewater treatment).
🌍Objective:
The study aims to understand the impact of sludge age, redox conditions, and substrate concentrations on the removal of micropollutants.
🌍Methodology:
Reactor Setups and Sampling Procedures:
▶️Lab-scale reactors were employed for the experiments.
▶️Wastewater from three different sources, including synthetic and two municipal origins, was used.
▶️Municipal wastewater was collected after primary treatment at two locations.
🌍Key Findings:
▶️Micropollutant degradation rates were not strongly affected by sludge-age increases from 25 to 80 days.
▶️Long-term exposure to micropollutants at typical municipal wastewater concentrations was generally not a necessary trigger for degradation.
▶️The main substrates for microbial growth were not a major trigger or strong inhibitor of micropollutant degradation.
▶️Certain micropollutants were almost ubiquitously degraded in aerobic wastewater treatment processes.
▶️Combining different aerobic and anaerobic treatment conditions broadened the spectrum of micropollutants susceptible to biological degradation, but improvements were limited to a few compounds.
🌍Implications:
▶️Targeted removal of resistant micropollutants is possible with anaerobic conditions and various post-treatment systems.
▶️The improvement in micropollutant removal is restricted to a limited number of compounds.
▶️Challenges include the persistence of many micropollutants, potential ecotoxicological effects, and practical difficulties in enlarging wastewater treatment plants.
🌍Conclusion:
In a 10-year study involving 15 different biological reactors, researchers discovered that the time the sludge has been active doesn't significantly impact the breakdown of micropollutants. Exposure to micropollutants over time doesn't necessarily lead to their breakdown, and the substances that aid microbial growth don't strongly affect this process. Combining aerobic and anaerobic treatments expands the range of micropollutants that can be broken down, but their effectiveness is limited. Due to the persistence of many micropollutants, complete removal poses challenges. While targeting and removing specific pollutants is feasible, the practicality and cost of upgrading the system for this purpose remain uncertain. 🌱🌍💧
🔗 Reference:
Per Falås et al., (2016)
#MicropollutantRemoval
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Table (1)- Reactor setups and sampling procedures.