Removal and fate of emerging contaminants combining biological, flocculation and membrane treatments

An experimental study combining biological treatment with flocculation (F) and ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technology was conducted, separately and in combination, seeking to increase insight into the capability of such treatment processes to remove emerging contaminants (ECs). The occurrence and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water science and technology 2013-01, Vol.67 (4), p.877-885
Main Authors: MELO-GUIMARAES, Anemir, TORNER-MORALES, Francisco J, DURAN-ALVAREZ, Juan C, JIMENEZ-CISNEROS, Blanca E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activated sludge
Applied sciences
Biodegradability
Biodegradation
Biological treatment
Biomass
Bioreactors
Cations
Contaminants
Cosmetics - isolation & purification
Dioctyl phthalate
Esters
Exact sciences and technology
Flocculation
General purification processes
Membranes
Membranes, Artificial
Nonylphenol
Pharmaceutical Preparations - isolation & purification
Phenolic compounds
Phenols
Phthalate esters
Phthalic acid
Plasticizers - isolation & purification
Pollution
Removal
Sewage
Sludge
Suspended particulate matter
Suspended solids
Ultrafiltration
Wastewater
Wastewater treatment
Wastewaters
Water Pollutants, Chemical - isolation & purification
Water Purification
Water treatment and pollution
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Summary:An experimental study combining biological treatment with flocculation (F) and ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technology was conducted, separately and in combination, seeking to increase insight into the capability of such treatment processes to remove emerging contaminants (ECs). The occurrence and removal efficiencies of 17 ECs are reported for wastewater from Mexico City. Results showed that activated sludge (AS) is the predominant process for removing acidic pharmaceutical compounds, and the use of a cationic flocculant increases the biodegradability of these compounds as well as that of 4-nonylphenol. The UF process alone showed greater removal of phenolic compounds than AS. However, the contribution of flocculation to EC removal by the UF unit was fairly limited. In general, the F + AS + UF processes yielded better results than their separate use, leading to the highest removal rates of 15 of the 17 compounds. In the case of some phenolic compounds and the phthalic acid esters, a competitive sorption process between the membrane and the sludge steps seemed to take place. Bis-2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP) was found to be significantly sorbed onto sludge. The F + AS + UF process operated as a membrane bioreactor (MBR) using 16 gL(-1) of suspended solids in the mixed liquor (MLSS) yielded the highest removal efficiencies for the ECs tested.
ISSN:0273-1223
1996-9732
DOI:10.2166/wst.2012.640