Micropollutants in source separated wastewater streams and recovered resources of source separated sanitation

Occurrence and fate of CECs (OMPs, ARGs and pathogens) during decentralised treatment of black water and grey water

Decentralised wastewater treatment is becoming a suitable strategy to reduce cost and environmental impact. In this research, the performance of two technologies treating black water (BW) and grey water (GW) fractions of urban sewage is carried out in a decentralised treatment of the wastewater produced in three office buildings. An Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (AnMBR) treating BW and a Hybrid preanoxic Membrane Bioreactor (H-MBR) containing small plastic carrier elements, treating GW were operated at pilot scale. Their potential on reducing the release of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) such as Organic Micropollutants (OMPs), Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) and pathogens was studied. After 226 d of operation, a stable operation was achieved in both systems: the AnMBR removed 92.4 ± 2.5 % of influent COD, and H-MBR removed 89.7 ± 3.5 %. Regarding OMPs, the profile of compounds differed between BW and GW, being BW the matrix with more compounds detected at higher concentrations (up to μg L-1). For example, in the case of ibuprofen the concentrations in BW were 23.63 ± 3.97 μg L-1, 3 orders of magnitude higher than those detected in GW. The most abundant ARGs were sulfonamide resistant genes (sul1) and integron class 1 (intl1) in both BW and GW. Pathogenic bacteria counts were reduced between 1 and 3 log units in the AnMBR. Bacterial loads in GW were much lower than in BW, being no bacterial re-growth observed for the GW effluents after treatment in the H-MBR. None of the selected enteric viruses was detected in GW treatment line.

Risks of benzalkonium chlorides as emerging contaminants in the environment and possible control strategies from the perspective of ecopharmacovigilance

An unprecedented increase in the use of disinfection products triggered by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is resulting in aggravating environmental loads of disinfectants as emerging contaminants, which has been considered a cause for worldwide secondary disasters. This review analyzed the literature published in the last decade about occurrence, bioaccumulation, and possible environmental risks of benzalkonium chlorides (BKCs) as emerging contaminants. Results indicated that BKCs globally occurred in municipal wastewater, surface water, groundwater, reclaimed water, sludge, sediment, soil, roof runoff, and residential dust samples across 13 countries. The maximum residual levels of 30 mg/L and 421 μg/g were reported in water and solid environmental samples, respectively. Emerging evidences suggested possible bioaccumulation of BKCs in plants, even perhaps humans. Environmentally relevant concentrations of BKCs exert potential adverse impacts on aquatic and terrestrial species, including genotoxicity, respiratory toxicity, behavioural effects and neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption and reproductive impairment, phytotoxicity, etc. Given the intrinsic biocidal and preservative properties of disinfectants, the inductive effects of residual BKCs in environment in terms of resistance and imbalance of microorganisms have been paid special attention. Considering the similarities of disinfectants to pharmaceuticals, from the perspective of ecopharmacovigilance (EPV), a well-established strategy for pharmaceutical emerging contaminants, we use the control of BKC pollution as a case, and provide some recommendations for employing the EPV measures to manage environmental risks posed by disinfectant emerging contaminants.

Detection of Acetaminophen in Groundwater by Laccase-Based Amperometric Biosensors Using MoS2 Modified Carbon Paper Electrodes

The use of enzyme-based biosensors for the detection and quantification of analytes of interest such as contaminants of emerging concern, including over-the-counter medication, provides an attractive alternative compared to more established techniques. However, their direct application to real environmental matrices is still under investigation due to the various drawbacks in their implementation. Here, we report the development of bioelectrodes using laccase enzymes immobilized onto carbon paper electrodes modified with nanostructured molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). The laccase enzymes were two isoforms (LacI and LacII) produced and purified from the fungus Pycnoporus sanguineus CS43 that is native to Mexico. A commercial purified enzyme from the fungus Trametes versicolor (TvL) was also evaluated to compare their performance. The developed bioelectrodes were used in the biosensing of acetaminophen, a drug widely used to relieve fever and pain, and of which there is recent concern about its effect on the environment after its final disposal. The use of MoS2 as a transducer modifier was evaluated, and it was found that the best detection was achieved using a concentration of 1 mg/mL. Moreover, it was found that the laccase with the best biosensing efficiency was LacII, which achieved an LOD of 0.2 µM and a sensitivity of 0.108 µA/µM cm2 in the buffer matrix. Moreover, the performance of the bioelectrodes in a composite groundwater sample from Northeast Mexico was analyzed, achieving an LOD of 0.5 µM and a sensitivity of 0.015 µA/µM cm2. The LOD values found are among the lowest reported for biosensors based on the use of oxidoreductase enzymes, while the sensitivity is the highest currently reported.

Cosmetic Preservatives: Hazardous Micropollutants in Need of Greater Attention?

In recent years, personal care products (PCPs) have surfaced as a novel class of pollutants due to their release into wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and receiving environments by sewage effluent and biosolid-augmentation soil, which poses potential risks to non-target organisms. Among PCPs, there are preservatives that are added to cosmetics for protection against microbial spoilage. This paper presents a review of the occurrence in different environmental matrices, toxicological effects, and mechanisms of microbial degradation of four selected preservatives (triclocarban, chloroxylenol, methylisothiazolinone, and benzalkonium chloride). Due to the insufficient removal from WWTPs, cosmetic preservatives have been widely detected in aquatic environments and sewage sludge at concentrations mainly below tens of µg L-1. These compounds are toxic to aquatic organisms, such as fish, algae, daphnids, and rotifers, as well as terrestrial organisms. A summary of the mechanisms of preservative biodegradation by micro-organisms and analysis of emerging intermediates is also provided. Formed metabolites are often characterized by lower toxicity compared to the parent compounds. Further studies are needed for an evaluation of environmental concentrations of preservatives in diverse matrices and toxicity to more species of aquatic and terrestrial organisms, and for an understanding of the mechanisms of microbial degradation. The research should focus on chloroxylenol and methylisothiazolinone because these compounds are the least understood.

Influences of human waste-based ectopic fermentation bed fillers on the soil properties and growth of Chinese pakchoi

The reuse of human wastes as biofertilizer resources offers a new option for meeting the growing demand for food and addressing poor soil productivity. Feces and black water are ubiquitous human wastes that usually require proper treatment, such as composting and anaerobic digestion, to remove potentially harmful substances before they can be applied as fertilizers. As an effective treatment technology for livestock farming wastes, the ectopic fermentation bed system (EFS) provides a new means of treating human waste and producing organic fertilizer from decomposed filler. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the nutrient content and fertilizer potential of decomposed fillers obtained after EFS treatment of human feces and black water under different application conditions. The results showed that the application of fillers increased the yield of pakchoi by 3.60⁓29.32% and nutrient uptake by 8.09⁓83.45% compared to the CK, which could effectively promote the growth of pakchoi. This approach also improved the quality of pakchoi and enhanced soil fertility, and differences were observed in the effects of different kinds and application amounts of fillers. Soil EC was the soil property that had the greatest effect on the growth characteristics of pakchoi in this study. These findings help to better clarify the agronomic value of human wastes, but the effects of long-term filler application need to be further explored.

Domestic wastewater in Indonesia: generation, characteristics and treatment

With a 270 million Indonesian population, domestic wastewater is one of the major contributors to wastewater generated from human activities. This review aimed to give an overview of the current state of domestic wastewater generation, characteristics and treatment systems in Indonesia. Overall, grey water quantity in Indonesia was 1 to 4 times higher than black water quantity, while the quantity of untreated grey water was 3 to 6 times higher than untreated black water. Parameters of concern include suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, oil and grease, nitrogen and coliforms. Our analysis shows that grey water can be a significant source of water pollution due to the large quantity and lack of treatment. In addition, black water treatment that relies mainly on on-site treatment is often inadequate due to the lack of quality control for the infrastructure, operation and maintenance. An incentive or penalty scheme to build and ensure the quality of domestic wastewater treatment is required and can be applied at the household, community or central (city) level.

Comparing conventional and green fracturing fluids by chemical characterisation and effect-based screening

There is public and scientific concern about air, soil and water contamination and possible adverse environmental and human health effects as a result of hydraulic fracturing activities. The use of greener chemicals in fracturing fluid aims to mitigate these effects. This study compares fracturing fluids marketed as either 'conventional' or 'green', as assessed by their chemical composition and their toxicity in bioassays. Chemical composition was analysed via non-target screening using liquid chromatography - high resolution mass spectrometry, while toxicity was evaluated by the Ames fluctuation test to assess mutagenicity and CALUX reporter gene assays to determine specific toxicity. Overall, the results do not indicate that the 'green' fluids are less harmful than the 'conventional' ones. First, there is no clear indication that the selected green fluids contain chemicals present at lower concentrations than the selected conventional fluids. Second, the predicted environmental fate of the identified compounds does not seem to be clearly distinct between the 'green' and 'conventional' fluids, based on the available data for the top five chemicals based on signal intensity that were tentatively identified. Furthermore, Ames fluctuation test results indicate that the green fluids have a similar genotoxic potential than the conventional fluids. Results of the CALUX reporter gene assays add to the evidence that there is no clear difference between the green and conventional fluids. These results do not support the claim that currently available and tested green-labeled fracturing fluids are environmentally more friendly alternatives to conventional fracturing fluids.

Structured photocatalytic systems: photocatalytic coatings on low-cost structures for treatment of water contaminated with micropollutants-a short review

The persistence of many micropollutants in water and wastewater is of great concern to the contemporary scientific community. Several types of advanced techniques such as heterogeneous photocatalysis are being used for the degradation of micropollutants in waters from domestic, industrial, and agricultural activities. Thus, structured photocatalytic systems are a great alternative in the development of photocatalytic reactors and continuous water treatment systems, as they present good autonomy during the treatment process. Many aspects such as type and geometry of the catalytic structure to be developed must be carefully chosen for the proper functioning of the system, as well as the best routes by which the photocatalysts will be immobilized. In this sense, this work brings the main photocatalytic coating techniques in low-cost structures for the treatment of water and wastewater contaminated with micropollutants. The methodologies and synthesis parameters that can influence the final result of the coating were highlighted, as well as the ability to reuse photocatalysts and methods for pretreating the structural surface. The dip-coating technique was the most reported among the current works due to its simplicity and, predominantly, the pretreatment techniques of the structure are still cleaning the surface with water, soap, and also some alcohols.

Biodegradation of Emerging Pharmaceuticals from Domestic Wastewater by Membrane Bioreactor: The Effect of Solid Retention Time

Although conventional biological treatment plants can remove basic pollutants, they are ineffective at removing recalcitrant pollutants. Membrane bioreactors contain promising technology and have the advantages of better effluent quality and lower sludge production compared to those of conventional biological treatment processes. In this study, the removal of pharmaceutical compounds by membrane bioreactors under different solid retention times (SRTs) was investigated. To study the effect of SRT on the removal of emerging pharmaceuticals, the levels of pharmaceuticals were measured over 96 days for the following retention times: 20, 30, and 40-day SRT. It was found that the 40-day SRT had the optimum performance in terms of the pharmaceuticals’ elimination. The removal efficiencies of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) for each selected SRT were higher than 96% at steady-state conditions. The highest degradation efficiency was observed for paracetamol. Paracetamol was the most removed compound followed by ranitidine, atenolol, bezafibrate, diclofenac, and carbamazepine. The microbial community at the phylum level was also analyzed to understand the biodegradability of pharmaceuticals. It was noticed that the Proteobacteria phylum increased from 46.8% to 60.0% after 96 days with the pharmaceuticals. The Actinobacteria class, which can metabolize paracetamol, carbamazepine, and atenolol, was also increased from 9.1% to 17.9% after adding pharmaceuticals. The by-products of diclofenac, bezafibrate, and carbamazepine were observed in the effluent samples.

Occurrences of benzalkonium chloride in streams near a pharmaceutical manufacturing complex in Korea and associated ecological risk

Benzalkonium chloride (BKC) is a commonly used preservative in personal care products and pharmaceutical preparations. However, its ecological risks are not well understood because of lack of monitoring data and ecotoxicological information. In the present study, occurrence of BKC was investigated in the waters near a pharmaceutical manufacturing complex of South Korea and its acute and chronic ecotoxicities were evaluated using Daphnia magna and Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes). Associated ecological risks were estimated by calculating hazard quotients (HQs). In addition, endocrine disruption potency of BKC was compared with those of other frequently used preservatives using human adrenal (H295R) and rat pituitary (GH3) cells. High concentration of BKC was detected at locations near the pharmaceutical manufacturing plants, i.e., 35.8 μg/L for dodecyl benzyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (BKC-C₁₂), and 21.6 μg/L tetradecyl benzyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (BKC-C₁₄). In Daphnia, 48 h immobilization EC₅₀ and 21 d reproduction NOEC were determined at 41.1 μg/L and ≥10.8 μg/L, respectively. For O. latipes, 96 h LC₅₀ was determined at 246 μg/L while the growth inhibition NOEC was ≥113.4 μg/L following early life stage exposure. BKC significantly up-regulated vitellogenin gene of juvenile fish, indicating its endocrine disrupting potential in fish. Exposure to BKC increased steroid hormone level in H295R cells, and induced cytotoxicity in GH3 cells. HQ values of BKC were determined at greater than one in the ambient water near pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. Considering high ecological risk and endocrine disrupting potential, long-term consequences of BKC contamination in aquatic ecosystem need to be examined.

Cultivating microalgae in wastewater for biomass production, pollutant removal, and atmospheric carbon mitigation; a review

Water shortage is one of the leading global problems along with the depletion of energy resources and environmental deterioration. Recent industrialization, global mobility, and increasing population have adversely affected the freshwater resources. The wastewater sources are categorized as domestic, agricultural and industrial effluents and their disposal into water bodies poses a harmful impact on human and animal health due to the presence of higher amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, heavy metals and other organic/inorganic pollutants. Several conventional treatment methods have been employed, but none of those can be termed as a universal method due to their high cost, less efficiency, and non-environment friendly nature. Alternatively, wastewater treatment using microalgae (phycoremediation) offers several advantages over chemical-based treatment methods. Microalgae cultivation using wastewater offers the highest atmospheric carbon fixation rate (1.83 kg CO₂/kg of biomass) and fastest biomass productivity (40-50% higher than terrestrial crops) among all terrestrial bio-remediators with concomitant pollutant removal (80-100%). Moreover, the algal biomass may contain high-value metabolites including omega-3-fatty acids, pigments, amino acids, and high sugar content. Hence, after extraction of high-value compounds, residual biomass can be either directly converted to energy through thermochemical transformation or can be used to produce biofuels through biological fermentation or transesterification. This review highlights the recent advances in microalgal biotechnology to establish a biorefinery approach to treat wastewater. The articulation of wastewater treatment facilities with microalgal biorefinery, the use of microalgal consortia, the possible merits, and demerits of phycoremediation are also discussed. The impact of wastewater-derived nutrient stress and its exploitation to modify the algal metabolite content in view of future concerns of cost-benefit ratios of algal biorefineries is also highlighted.

Pharmaceuticals in source separated sanitation systems: Fecal sludge and blackwater treatment

This study investigated, for the first time, the occurrence and fate of 29 multiple-class pharmaceuticals (PhACs) in two source separated sanitation systems based on: (i) batch experiments for the anaerobic digestion (AD) of fecal sludge under mesophilic (37 °C) and thermophilic (52 °C) conditions, and (ii) a full-scale blackwater treatment plant using wet composting and sanitation with urea addition. Results revealed high concentrations of PhACs in raw fecal sludge and blackwater samples, with concentrations up to hundreds of μg L^-1 and μg kg^-1 dry weight (dw) in liquid and solid fractions, respectively. For mesophilic and thermophilic treatments in the batch experiments, average PhACs removal rates of 31% and 45%, respectively, were observed. The average removal efficiency was slightly better for the full-scale blackwater treatment, with 49% average removal, and few compounds, such as atenolol, valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide, showed almost complete degradation. In the AD treatments, no significant differences were observed between mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. For the full-scale blackwater treatment, the aerobic wet composting step proved to be the most efficient in PhACs reduction, while urea addition had an almost negligible effect for most PhACs, except for citalopram, venlafaxine, oxazepam, valsartan and atorvastatin, for which minor reductions (on average 25%) were observed. Even though both treatment systems reduced initial PhACs loads considerably, significant PhAC concentrations remained in the treated effluents, indicating that fecal sludge and blackwater fertilizations could be a relevant vector for dissemination of PhACs into agricultural fields and thus the environment.

Recovery of calcium phosphate granules from black water using a hybrid upflow anaerobic sludge bed and gas-lift reactor

Adding calcium during anaerobic digestion of vacuum collected black water (BW) in an up-flow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor increased the retention of total phosphorus (P) in the reactor from 51% to 87%. However, the insufficient mixing in the reactor caused cementation and relatively high content of organics in the recovered calcium phosphate (CaP) granules, limiting the P recovery. In this study, the UASB reactor was mixed with an internal gas-lift (UASB-GL) to prevent cementation and to enhance the P content in CaP granules. The novel UASB-GL reactor operated for 300 days, treating concentrated BW. At steady state, the removal of total COD and P was 92% and 90%, respectively. The gas injection created a sludge bed with an average total suspended solids concentration of 73 ± 16 g/L at the bottom and 31 ± 5 g/L at the top of the reactor. The concentration of solid P at the bottom of the reactor was 4.58 ± 1.34 gP/L, while at the top a much lower concentration was obtained (0.75 ± 0.32 gP/L). 89% of the CaP granules was found at the bottom of the reactor. The harvested CaP granules (>0.4 mm diameter) contained on average 7.8 ± 0.6 wt% of P. A potential recovery of 57% of P in BW as CaP granules was calculated, considering actual application of the UASB-GL reactor in source separated sanitation.

Adsorption of selected organic micro-pollutants on sewage sludge biochar

In this study, biochar was produced from three differently treated sewage sludge biomasses, in three pyrolytic temperatures, 300 °C, 500 °C and 700 °C, under continuous N₂ supply. The produced samples were physicochemically characterized and their initial metal concentration, along with metal leaching potential, were investigated. Moreover, the application of the biochar samples as adsorbents for the removal of seven emerging organic micro-pollutants from table water and treated wastewater matrices was investigated. The results showed that even though the biochar samples were not especially enriched in terms of physicochemical characterization, they were effective as adsorptive materials in the respective experiments. Pollutant removal was in the range of 67-99% for the table water experiments, while the removal for the wastewater experiments was 35-97%. The results of this study indicate that sewage sludge biochar has the potential to be an effective, low-cost adsorbent, providing, at the same time, a viable and environmentally friendly solution concerning the difficult task of sludge management.

Calcium addition to increase the production of phosphate granules in anaerobic treatment of black water

Simultaneous recovery of calcium phosphate granules (CaP granules) and methane from vacuum collected black water (BW), using an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor was previously investigated. It was calculated that only 2% of the total phosphorus (P) fed was present as CaP granules whereas 51% of the P accumulated dispersed in the reactor, limiting the applicability of this process for recovery of phosphate. This study proposes adding calcium to increase the P accumulation in the reactor and the production of CaP granules. Calcium was added in a lab-scale UASB reactor fed with BW. An identical UASB reactor was used as reference, to which no calcium was added. The treatment performance was evaluated by weekly monitoring of influent, effluent and produced biogas. Sludge bed development and CaP granulation were assessed through particle size analysis. The composition and structure of CaP granules were chemically and optically assessed. Calcium addition increased accumulation of P in the reactor and formation and growth of granules with size > 0.4 mm diameter (CaP granules). Moreover, with calcium addition, CaP granules contained 5.6 ± 1.5 wt% of P, while without calcium a lower P content was observed (3.7 ± 0.3 wt%). By adding Ca, 89% of the incoming P from BW accumulated in the reactor and 31% was sampled as CaP granules (> 0.4 mm diameter). Addition of 250 mgCa L^-1 of BW was the optimum loading found in this study. Furthermore, no significant reduction in COD_Total removal (> 80%) and CH₄ production (0.47 ± 0.10 gCOD-CH₄ g^-1COD_Total-BW) was observed. Therefore, adding calcium can significantly increase the CaP granulation without inhibiting the simultaneous CH₄ recovery. This further indicates the potential of this process for phosphate recovery.