Abstract
Direct potable reuse of wastewater is attractive as the demand for potable water increases. However, the presence of organic micropollutants in industrial and domestic wastewater is a major health and environmental concern. Conventional wastewater treatment processes are not designed to remove these compounds. Further many of these emerging pollutants are not regulated. Membrane bioreactor based biological wastewater treatment has recently become a preferred method for treating municipal and other industrial wastewaters. Here the removal of five selected micropollutants representing different classes of emerging micropollutants has been investigated using a membrane bioreactor. Acetaminophen, amoxicillin, atrazine, estrone, and triclosan were spiked into wastewaters obtained from a local wastewater treatment facility prior to introduction to the membrane bioreactor containing both anoxic and aerobic tanks. Removal of these compounds by adsorption and biological degradation was determined for both the anoxic and aerobic processes. The removal as a function of operating time was investigated. The results obtained here suggest that removal may be related to the chemical structure of the micropollutants.
Highlights
The increasing need for direct water reuse requires that wastewater treatment facilities comply with more restrictive effluent regulations, aimed at reducing or eliminating the adverse effects of trace organic compounds on human health [1]
The initial high NO3 -N concentration in the anoxic and aerobic tanks indicates that nitrification had occurred
Experiments were performed to investigate the removal of five selected micropollutants from wastewater using a recirculating membrane bioreactor (MBR) system consisting of an anoxic tank, an aerobic tank and separate membrane filtration unit
Summary
The increasing need for direct water reuse requires that wastewater treatment facilities comply with more restrictive effluent regulations, aimed at reducing or eliminating the adverse effects of trace organic compounds on human health [1]. Direct potable reuse refers to the introduction of treated municipal wastewater directly into the municipal water system after appropriate treatment and monitoring. The presence of organic micropollutants in industrial and municipal wastewater has become a major concern [2]. These emerging pollutants include pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial chemicals, pesticides, fire retardants, etc. Given that most existing wastewater treatment technologies were not designed for removal of these compounds they could survive in the treated wastewater.
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