Toxicity measurement in biological wastewater treatment processes: A review

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials 2015-04, Vol.286, p.15-29
• Main Authors: Xiao, Yeyuan, Araujo, Cecilia De, Sze, Chun Chau, Stuckey, David C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activated sludge; Adenosine Triphosphate - chemistry; Ammonium Compounds - chemistry; Anaerobic digestion; Animals; Bacillus subtilis - drug effects; Biological wastewater treatment; Biosensing Techniques; Biosensor; Carbon Dioxide - chemistry; Daphnia; Electrochemistry; Escherichia coli - drug effects; Methane - chemistry; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Nitrogen - chemistry; Nitrous Oxide - chemistry; Oxidoreductases - chemistry; Oxygen - chemistry; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - drug effects; Sewage; Toxicity; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; Waste Water; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Purification - methods
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2014.12.033

•Different methods for toxicity assessment in WW were critically reviewed.•Laboratory standardization of the anaerobic ATA assay is urgently needed.•Biosensor matrix or a biosensor with multiple reporter organisms needed for real WW.•MFC-based biosensors need correlation with traditional assays in real WWs.•On-line data processing methods need to be developed to interpret data from sensors. Biological wastewater treatment processes (WWTPs), by nature of their reliance on biological entities to degrade organics and sometimes remove nutrients, are vulnerable to toxicants present in their influent. Various toxicity measurement methods have been adopted for biological WWTPs, but most are performed off-line, and cannot be adapted to on-line monitoring tools to provide an early warning for WWTP operators. However, the past decade has seen a rapid expansion in the research and development of biosensors that can be used for toxicity assessment of aquatic environments. Some of these biosensors have also been shown to be effective for use in biological WWTPs. Nevertheless, more research is needed to: examine the sensitivity of assays and sensors based on single organisms to various toxicants and develop a matrix of biosensors or a biosensor incorporating multiple organisms that can protect WWTPs; test the micro fuel cell (MFC)-based biosensors with real wastewaters and correlate the results with the well-established oxygen uptake rate (OUR)-based or CH4-based toxicity assay; and, develop advanced data processing methods for interpreting the results of on-line toxicity sensors in real WWTPs to reduce the noise due to the normal fluctuation in influent quality and quantity.