Research examines contaminants in recycled water

Student Will McCance sampling recycled water during the research project.

What they found raises questions about the level of contamination from everyday household chemicals in treated and stored wastewater.In a project funded by the American National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation (NGWREF), the researchers found low levels of artificial sweeteners, detergents, pesticides and pharmaceuticals in the source water for an aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) scheme sampled over four months.

ASR involves pumping highly treated wastewater into a depleted aquifer to replenish supply and then recovering it when needed.

Dr Matthew Currell said the chemicals they found were considered to be contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) - chemicals in water that have previously either not been detected or which are now being detected at levels significantly different than expected.

"We don't know what happens to any pollutants that are in the water once they enter the aquifer," said he said.

"They might still be there once the water is recovered."

A hydrogeologist in theSchool of Civil, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Dr Currell teamed up with Dr Oliver Jones, from theSchool of Applied Sciences, to study an ASR scheme in Melbourne.

Dr Jones said it was one of the first times an ASR scheme had been investigated for CECs.

"While we don't drink recycled water, it is still used as household grey water so you might use it for things like washing the car or your bike or watering the plants and vegetables," he said.

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Taxonomy

• Contaminant Removal
• Waste to Value
• Environment