Removal of pharmaceutical compounds from urban wastewater by an advanced bio-oxidation process based on fungi Trametes versicolor immobilized in a continuous RBC system

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2018-12, Vol.25 (35), p.34884-34892
• Main Authors: del Álamo, Ana Cruz, Pariente, María Isabel, Vasiliadou, Ioanna, Padrino, Beatriz, Puyol, Daniel, Molina, Raúl, Martínez, Fernando
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Advanced Oxidation Processes for Water/Wastewater Treatment; Anaerobic digestion; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Biodegradability; Biodegradation; Biological treatment; Contaminants; Coriolus versicolor; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Energy recovery; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Fungi; Hydraulic retention time; Methane; methane production; Nutrients; Oxidation; Oxidation process; Pharmaceuticals; Retention time; Rot; Sludge; Sludge digestion; Waste Water Technology; wastewater; Wastewater treatment; Wastewater treatment plants; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Water treatment
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-1053-4

Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are not able to remove completely some emerging contaminants, such as residual pharmaceutical compounds (PCs) with potential ecotoxicity to water bodies. An advanced bio-oxidation process (ABOP) using white-rot fungi (WRF) has been proposed as alternative biological treatment for degradation of non-biodegradable compounds. A synthetic and real wastewater spiked with 12 PCs at 50 μg L −1 was treated by means of ABOP based on WRF in a rotating biological contactor (RBC) at 1 day of hydraulic retention time (HRT). The ABOP achieved a remarkable biological performance in terms of TOC removal and reduction of N-NH 4 + and P-PO 4 3− nutrients. Likewise, 5 of the 12 PCs were eliminated with removal efficiencies ranging from 80 to 95%, whereas 6 of 12 PCs were eliminated with removal values ranging from 50 to 70%. The anaerobic digestion of the fungal sludge generated upon the treatment was also evaluated, obtaining a methane yield of 250 mL CH 4 g VS −1 . These results evidenced that the proposed ABOP is a promising alternative for the sustainable wastewater treatment of urban effluents, combining advanced oxidation with biological operation for the removal of emerging PCs and energy recovery.