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Ajaz S, Aly Hassan A, Michael RN, Leusch FDL. Removal of organic micropollutants in biologically active filters: A systematic quantitative review of key influencing factors. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 353:120203. [PMID: 38325285 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Biofiltration utilizes natural mechanisms including biodegradation and biotransformation along with other physical processes for the removal of organic micropollutants (OMPs) such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides and industrial compounds found in (waste)water. In this systematic review, a total of 120 biofiltration studies from 25 countries were analyzed, considering various biofilter configurations, source water types, biofilter media and scales of operation. The study also provides a bibliometric analysis to identify the emerging research trends in the field. The results show that granular activated carbon (GAC) either alone or in combination with another biofiltration media can remove a broad range of OMPs efficiently. The impact of pre-oxidation on biofilter performance was investigated, revealing that pre-oxidation significantly improved OMP removal and reduced the empty bed contact time (EBCT) needed to achieve a consistently high OMP. Biofiltration with pre-oxidation had median removals ranging between 65% and >90% for various OMPs at 10-45 min EBCT with data variability drastically reducing beyond 20 min EBCT. Biofiltration without pre-oxidation had lower median removals with greater variability. The results demonstrate that pre-oxidation greatly enhances the removal of adsorptive and poorly biodegradable OMPs, while its impact on other OMPs varies. Only 19% of studies we reviewed included toxicity testing of treated effluent, and even fewer measured transformation products. Several studies have previously reported an increase in effluent toxicity because of oxidation, although it was successfully abated by subsequent biofiltration in most cases. Therefore, the efficacy of biofiltration treatment should be assessed by integrating toxicity testing into the assessment of overall removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sana Ajaz
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Parklands Dr, Southport, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | - Ashraf Aly Hassan
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, PO Box, 15551, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ruby N Michael
- Green Infrastructure Research Labs (GIRLS), Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Queensland, 4111, Australia
| | - Frederic D L Leusch
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Parklands Dr, Southport, Queensland, 4222, Australia.
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Shuliakevich A, Schröder K, Nagengast L, Muz M, Pipal M, Brückner I, Hilscherova K, Brack W, Schiwy S, Hollert H. Morphological and behavioral alterations in zebrafish larvae after exposure to contaminated river sediments collected in different weather conditions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 851:157922. [PMID: 35961394 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are the primary source of micropollutants in aquatic ecosystems. Many micropollutants tend to bind to sediments and persist until remobilizion by bioturbation or flood events. Advanced effluent treatment by ozonation has been proven to eliminate most micropollutants. The present study characterizes sediments' toxic potential regarding zebrafish embryo development, which highly complex nervous system is vulnerable to exposure to neurotoxic substances. Furthermore, behavioral changes can be induced even at low pollutant concentrations and do not cause acute toxicity. The study area includes stretches of the main waterbody, the Wurm River (sampling sites W1-W5), and its tributary the Haarbach River (sampling sites H1, and H2) in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany. Both waterbodies serve as recipients of WWTPs' effluents. The effluent entering the Haarbach River is conventionally treated, while the Wurm River receives ozonated effluent from the Aachen-Soers WWTP. Seven sampling sites up- and downstream of the WWTPs were investigated in June of two subsequent years. The first sampling campaign in 2017 was characterized by prolonged dry weather. The second sampling campaign in 2018 occurred after prolonged rain events and the release of the rainwater overflow basin. Direct exposure of zebrafish embryos to native sediments using the sediment contact test represented an ecologically realistic scenario and showed no acute sublethal effects. Exposure of the zebrafish embryo to freeze-dried sediments representing the ecotoxicological status of sediments during flood events unfolded acute sublethal toxicity. Behavioral studies with zebrafish larvae were an essential part of environmental neurotoxicity testing. Zebrafish larvae exposed to sediments' concentrations causing no acute effects led to behavioral changes signalizing neurotoxic substances in sediments. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and nitroaromatic compounds were identified as potential toxicity drivers, whereby the rainwater overflow basin served as a possible source of pollution. Mixture toxicity, effect-directed analysis, and further sediment monitoring are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aliaksandra Shuliakevich
- Goethe University Frankfurt/Main, Department Evolutionary Ecology and Environmental Toxicology, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 13, 60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Katja Schröder
- RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Biology V, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Laura Nagengast
- RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Biology V, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Melis Muz
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Marek Pipal
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ira Brückner
- Eifel-Rur Waterboard (WVER), Eisenbahnstr. 5, 52354 Düren, Germany
| | - Klara Hilscherova
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Werner Brack
- Goethe University Frankfurt/Main, Department Evolutionary Ecology and Environmental Toxicology, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 13, 60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sabrina Schiwy
- Goethe University Frankfurt/Main, Department Evolutionary Ecology and Environmental Toxicology, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 13, 60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Henner Hollert
- Goethe University Frankfurt/Main, Department Evolutionary Ecology and Environmental Toxicology, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 13, 60438 Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
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Zhu H, Zou H. Ultra-efficient catalytic degradation of malachite green dye wastewater by KMnO 4-modified biochar (Mn/SRBC). RSC Adv 2022; 12:27002-27011. [PMID: 36320839 PMCID: PMC9494031 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra04263k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In this work, KMnO4-modified biochar was prepared from spirulina residue as the research object. Herein, we report the synthesis, characterization, and catalytic degradation performance of KMnO4-modified biochar, given that heterogeneous catalytic oxidation is an effective way to treat dye wastewater rapidly. The Mn/SRBC catalyst prepared by KMnO4 modification was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption–desorption and laser Raman spectroscopy. In addition, we compared the results with that of the unmodified SRBC. The results showed that the Mn/SRBC catalyst prepared by KMnO4 modification had a rich pore structure, which provided sufficient contact area for the catalytic reaction. In the presence of H2O2, the catalyst could be used to catalyze the oxidative degradation of malachite green in aqueous solution with ultra-high efficiency. In the experiment, the initial pH values of the reaction system had a significant influence on the reaction rate. The removal effect of biochar on the malachite green was poor in an alkaline environment. Within a specific range, the removal rate of malachite green was proportional to the concentration of H2O2 in the reaction system. The degradation rate of malachite green dye at 8000 mg L−1 was about 99% in the presence of the catalyst over 5 mmol L−1 hydrogen peroxide for 30 min. These results show the potential application of algae residue biochar and carbon-based composite catalysts for degrading and removing dye wastewater. In this work, KMnO4-modified biochar was prepared from spirulina residue as the research object.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Zhu
- Department of Resource and Environment, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang 233100, People's Republic of China
| | - Haiming Zou
- Department of Resource and Environment, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang 233100, People's Republic of China
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Seiwert B, Nihemaiti M, Bauer C, Muschket M, Sauter D, Gnirss R, Reemtsma T. Ozonation products from trace organic chemicals in municipal wastewater and from metformin: peering through the keyhole with supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 196:117024. [PMID: 33756112 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Ozonation is an important process to further reduce the trace organic chemicals (TrOCs) in treated municipal wastewater before discharge into surface waters, and is expected to form products that are more oxidized and more polar than their parent compounds. Many of these ozonation products (OPs) are biodegradable and thus removed by post-treatment (e.g., aldehydes). Most studies on OPs of TrOCs in wastewater rely on reversed-phase liquid chromatography- mass spectrometry (RPLC-MS), which is not suited for highly polar analytes. In this study, supercritical fluid chromatography combined with high resolution MS (SFC-HRMS) was applied in comparison to the generic RPLC-HRMS to search for OPs in ozonated wastewater treatment plant effluent at pilot-scale. While comparable results were obtained from these two techniques during suspect screenings for known OPs, a total of 23 OPs were only observed by SFC-HRMS via non-targeted screening. Several SFC-only OPs were proposed as the derivatives of methoxymethylmelamines, phenolic sulfates/sulfonates, and metformin; the latter was confirmed by laboratory-scale ozonation experiments. A complete ozonation pathway of metformin, a widespread and extremely hydrophilic TrOC in aquatic environment, was elaborated based on SFC-HRMS analysis. Five of the 10 metformin OPs are reported for the first time in this study. Three different dual-media filters were compared as post-treatments, and a combination of sand/anthracite and fresh post-granular activated carbon proved most effective in OPs removal due to the additional adsorption capacity. However, six SFC-only OPs, two of which originating from metformin, appeared to be persistent during all post-treatments, raising concerns on their occurrence in drinking water sources impacted by wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Seiwert
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Maolida Nihemaiti
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Coretta Bauer
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthias Muschket
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Daniel Sauter
- Berliner Wasserbetriebe, Neue Juedenstr. 1, 10179 Berlin, Germany
| | - Regina Gnirss
- Berliner Wasserbetriebe, Neue Juedenstr. 1, 10179 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thorsten Reemtsma
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; University of Leipzig, Institute for Analytical Chemistry, Linnéstrasse 3, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
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