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Wagner TV, Rempe F, Hoek M, Schuman E, Langenhoff A. Key constructed wetland design features for maximized micropollutant removal from treated municipal wastewater: A literature study based on 16 indicator micropollutants. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 244:120534. [PMID: 37659177 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
The removal of micropollutants from wastewater by constructed wetlands (CWs) has been extensively studied and reviewed over the past years. However, most studies do not specifically focus on the removal of micropollutants from the effluent of conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) that still contains micropollutants, but on the removal of micropollutants from raw wastewater. Raw wastewater has a significantly different composition compared to WWTP effluent, which positively or negatively affects micropollutant removal mechanisms. To determine the optimal CW design for post-treatment of WWTP effluent to achieve additional micropollutant removal, this review analyzes the removal of 16 Dutch indicator micropollutants for post-treatment technology evaluation from WWTP effluent by different types of CWs. It was concluded that CW systems with organic enhanced adsorption substrates reach the highest micropollutant removal efficiency as a result of adsorption, but that the longevity of the enhanced adsorption effect is not known in the systems studied until now. Aerobic biodegradation and photodegradation are other relevant removal mechanisms for the studied micropollutants. However, a current knowledge gap is whether active aeration to stimulate the aerobic micropollutant biodegradation results in an increased micropollutant removal from WWTP effluent. Further knowledge gaps that impede the wider application of CW systems for micropollutant removal from WWTP effluent and allow a fair comparison with other post-treatment technologies for enhanced micropollutant removal, such as ozonation and activated carbon adsorption, relate to i) saturation of enhanced adsorption substrate; ii) the analysis of transformation products and biological effects; iii) insights in the relationship between microbial community composition and micropollutant biodegradation; iv) plant uptake and in-plant degradation of micropollutants; v) establishing design rules for appropriate hydraulic loading rates and/or hydraulic retention times for CWs dedicated to micropollutant removal from WWTP effluent; and vi) the energy- and carbon footprint of different CW systems. This review finishes with detailed suggestions for future research directions that provide answers to these knowledge gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas V Wagner
- Department of Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P. O. Box 17, 6700 EV, Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Fleur Rempe
- TAUW B.V., Handelskade 37, 7400 AC Deventer, the Netherlands
| | - Mirit Hoek
- TAUW B.V., Handelskade 37, 7400 AC Deventer, the Netherlands
| | - Els Schuman
- LeAF B.V., Bornse Weilanden 9, 6708 WG Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Alette Langenhoff
- Department of Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P. O. Box 17, 6700 EV, Wageningen, the Netherlands
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Rios-Miguel AB, Jhm van Bergen T, Zillien C, Mj Ragas A, van Zelm R, Sm Jetten M, Jan Hendriks A, Welte CU. Predicting and improving the microbial removal of organic micropollutants during wastewater treatment: A review. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 333:138908. [PMID: 37187378 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Organic micropollutants (OMPs) consist of widely used chemicals such as pharmaceuticals and pesticides that can persist in surface and groundwaters at low concentrations (ng/L to μg/L) for a long time. The presence of OMPs in water can disrupt aquatic ecosystems and threaten the quality of drinking water sources. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) rely on microorganisms to remove major nutrients from water, but their effectiveness at removing OMPs varies. Low removal efficiency might be the result of low concentrations, inherent stable chemical structures of OMPs, or suboptimal conditions in WWTPs. In this review, we discuss these factors, with special emphasis on the ongoing adaptation of microorganisms to degrade OMPs. Finally, recommendations are drawn to improve the prediction of OMP removal in WWTPs and to optimize the design of new microbial treatment strategies. OMP removal seems to be concentration-, compound-, and process-dependent, which poses a great complexity to develop accurate prediction models and effective microbial processes targeting all OMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana B Rios-Miguel
- Department of Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Tamara Jhm van Bergen
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Caterina Zillien
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Ad Mj Ragas
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Rosalie van Zelm
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Mike Sm Jetten
- Department of Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - A Jan Hendriks
- Department of Environmental Science, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Cornelia U Welte
- Department of Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Schumann P, Müller D, Eckardt P, Muschket M, Dittmann D, Rabe L, Kerst K, Lerch A, Reemtsma T, Jekel M, Ruhl AS. Pilot-scale removal of persistent and mobile organic substances in granular activated carbon filters and experimental predictability at lab-scale. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 884:163738. [PMID: 37116805 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Present knowledge about the fate of persistent and mobile (PM) substances in drinking water treatment is limited. Hence, this study assesses the potential of fixed-bed granular activated carbon (GAC) filters to fill the treatment gap for PM substances and the elimination predictability from lab-scale experiments. Two parallel pilot filters (GAC bed height 2 m, diameter 15 cm) with different GAC were operated for 1.5 years (ca. 47,000 BV throughput) alongside rapid small-scale column tests (RSSCT) designed based on the proportional diffusivity (PD) and the constant diffusivity (CD) approaches. Background dissolved organic matter (DOM) and a set of 17 target substances were investigated, among them 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate (AAMPS), adamantan-1-amine (ATA), melamine (MEL) and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TFMSA). Nine substances were predominantly present in the drinking water used as pilot filter influent (frequencies of detection above 80 %, median concentrations 0.003-1.868 μg/L) and their breakthrough behaviors could be observed: TFMSA was not retained at all, four substances including AAMPS and ATA reached complete breakthrough below 20,000 BV, three compounds were partially retained until the end of operation and oxypurinol was retained completely. The comparable PM candidate and DOM removal performances of both GAC aligns with their very similar surface characteristics and elemental compositions. The agreement of results between RSSCT with the pilot-scale filters were substance specific and no superior RSSCT design could be identified. However, CD-RSSCT provide a conservative removal prediction for most studied compounds. MEL adsorption was significantly underestimated by both RSSCT designs. Using the criterion of a carbon usage rate (with respect to 50 % breakthrough) below 25 mgGAC/Lwater for an economic retention by fixed-bed GAC filters, five (out of nine) substances met the requirement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Schumann
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Section II 3.3, Schichauweg 58, 12307 Berlin, Germany; Technische Universität Berlin, Sekr. KF 4, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Dario Müller
- Technische Universität Dresden, Institute of Urban and Industrial Water Management, 01062 Dresden, Germany; Kommunale Wasserwerke Leipzig, Johannisgasse 7/9, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Paulina Eckardt
- Technische Universität Berlin, Sekr. KF 4, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthias Muschket
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Daniel Dittmann
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Section II 3.3, Schichauweg 58, 12307 Berlin, Germany
| | - Luisa Rabe
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Section II 3.3, Schichauweg 58, 12307 Berlin, Germany; Technische Universität Berlin, Sekr. KF 4, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Kristin Kerst
- Technische Universität Dresden, Institute of Urban and Industrial Water Management, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - André Lerch
- Technische Universität Dresden, Institute of Urban and Industrial Water Management, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Thorsten Reemtsma
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin Jekel
- Technische Universität Berlin, Sekr. KF 4, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Aki Sebastian Ruhl
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Section II 3.3, Schichauweg 58, 12307 Berlin, Germany; Technische Universität Berlin, Sekr. KF 4, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany
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Aumeier BM, Georgi A, Saeidi N, Sigmund G. Is sorption technology fit for the removal of persistent and mobile organic contaminants from water? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 880:163343. [PMID: 37030383 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Persistent, Mobile, and Toxic (PMT) and very persistent and very mobile (vPvM) substances are a growing threat to water security and safety. Many of these substances are distinctively different from other more traditional contaminants in terms of their charge, polarity, and aromaticity. This results in distinctively different sorption affinities towards traditional sorbents such as activated carbon. Additionally, an increasing awareness on the environmental impact and carbon footprint of sorption technologies puts some of the more energy-intensive practices in water treatment into question. Commonly used approaches may thus need to be readjusted to become fit for purpose to remove some of the more challenging PMT and vPvM substances, including for example short chained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). We here critically review the interactions that drive sorption of organic compounds to activated carbon and related sorbent materials and identify opportunities and limitations of tailoring activated carbon for PMT and vPvM removal. Other less traditional sorbent materials, including ion exchange resins, modified cyclodextrins, zeolites and metal-organic frameworks are then discussed for potential alternative or complementary use in water treatment scenarios. Sorbent regeneration approaches are evaluated in terms of their potential, considering reusability, potential for on-site regeneration, and potential for local production. In this context, we also discuss the benefits of coupling sorption to destructive technologies or to other separation technologies. Finally, we sketch out possible future trends in the evolution of sorption technologies for PMT and vPvM removal from water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt M Aumeier
- RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Mies-van-der-Rohe-Strasse 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
| | - Anett Georgi
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Environmental Engineering, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Navid Saeidi
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Environmental Engineering, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gabriel Sigmund
- Department of Environmental Geosciences, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, 1090 Wien, Austria; Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands.
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