1
|
Fekete-Kertész I, Pous N, Feigl V, Márton R, Berkl Z, Ceballos-Escalera A, Balaguer MD, Puig S, Molnár M. Ecotoxicity characterization assisted performance assessment of electro-bioremediation reactors for nitrate and arsenite elimination. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:250-265. [PMID: 37881108 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
The performance of combined reduction of nitrate (NO3 - ) to dinitrogen gas (N2 ) and oxidation of arsenite (As[III]) to arsenate (As[V]) by a bioelectrochemical system was assessed, supported by ecotoxicity characterization. For the comprehensive toxicity characterization of the untreated model groundwater and the treated reactor effluents, a problem-specific ecotoxicity test battery was established. The performance of the applied technology in terms of toxicity and target pollutant elimination was compared and analyzed. The highest toxicity attenuation was achieved under continuous flow mode with hydraulic retention time (HRT) = 7.5 h, with 95%, nitrate removal rate and complete oxidation of arsenite to arsenate. Daphnia magna proved to be the most sensitive test organism. The results of the D. magna lethality test supported the choice of the ideal operational conditions based on chemical data analysis. The outcomes of the study demonstrated that the applied technology was able to improve the groundwater quality in terms of both chemical and ecotoxicological characteristics. The importance of ecotoxicity evaluation was also highlighted, given that significant target contaminant elimination did not necessarily lower the environmental impact of the initial, untreated medium, in addition, anomalies might occur during the technology operational process which in some instances, could result in elevated toxicity levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ildikó Fekete-Kertész
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Narcís Pous
- LEQUiA, Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Viktória Feigl
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Rita Márton
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsófia Berkl
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Maria D Balaguer
- LEQUiA, Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Sebastià Puig
- LEQUiA, Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Mónika Molnár
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Dai W, Pang JW, Ding J, Wang YQ, Zhang LY, Ren NQ, Yang SS. Study on the removal characteristics and degradation pathways of highly toxic and refractory organic pollutants in real pharmaceutical factory wastewater treated by a pilot-scale integrated process. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1128233. [PMID: 36970662 PMCID: PMC10034018 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1128233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
IntroductionPharmaceutical wastewater frequently contains high levels of toxic pollutants. If they are discharged untreated, they pose a threat to the environment. The traditional activated sludge process and the advanced oxidation process do not sufficiently remove toxic and conventional pollutants from pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plants (PWWTPs).MethodsWe designed a pilot-scale reaction system to reduce toxic organic pollutants and conventional pollutants from pharmaceutical wastewater during the biochemical reaction stage. This system included a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), an expanded sludge bed reactor (EGSB), and a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR). We used this system to further investigate the benzothiazole degradation pathway.Results and discussionThe system effectively degraded the toxic pollutants (benzothiazole, pyridine, indole, and quinoline) and the conventional chemicals (COD, NH4+-N, TN). During the stable operation of the pilot-scale plant, the total removal rates of benzothiazole, indole, pyridine, and quinoline were 97.66, 94.13, 79.69, and 81.34%, respectively. The CSTR and MECs contributed the most to the removal of toxic pollutants, while the EGSB and MBBR contributed less to the removal of the four toxic pollutants. Benzothiazoles can be degraded via two pathways: the benzene ring-opening reaction and the heterocyclic ring-opening reaction. The heterocyclic ring-opening reaction was more important in degrading the benzothiazoles in this study.ConclusionThis study provides feasible design alternatives for PWWTPs to remove both toxic and conventional pollutants at the same time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Ji-Wei Pang
- China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group, CECEP Talroad Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Jie Ding
- National Engineering Research Center for Bioenergy, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
- *Correspondence: Jie Ding,
| | - Yu-Qian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Lu-Yan Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, China
| | - Nan-Qi Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Shan-Shan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
- Shan-Shan Yang,
| |
Collapse
|