Care Products In Wastewater Research Articles

Synthesis and characterization of coconut coir biochar as potential adsorbent for removal of pharmaceutical and personal care products in wastewater

Abstract Biochar, a solid by-product of pyrolysis has attracted the attention of researchers because of it properties which is suitable for use as an adsorbent as well as energy source. As an adsorbent, biochar has similar properties to activated carbon which has high surface area, large pore volume, environmental stability, generous functional group, and high resource recovery. On the other hand, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products (PPCPs) – a class of growing environmental contaminants, are increasing public concerns for their possible effects on the ecosystem and human health. Some PPCPs are pervasive, persistent, and bioaccumulative which thus makes them easily found and currently increase in the environment, including groundwater and surface water. The main source of surface water contamination with PPCPs is due to municipal wastewater discharge that has not been adequately treated. Furthermore, due to coconut coir having a significant amount of lignin, it may be thermochemically converted into biochar with a high yield, meeting the requirements for biochar and its use in the adsorption process. This study aims to synthesize biochar from coconut coir, characterize it and determine its potential as an adsorbent for PPCPs. The biochar used for this study were characterized based on their chemical, structural and textural characteristics. The study that demonstrated good results on the adsorption of paracetamol from the aqueous phase of biochar has the potential to eliminate this pollutant by around 92%.

Enhanced Selective Degradation of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products by β-Cyclodextrin-Decorated ZIF-67 Nanocomposites in Reclaimed Water.

A peroxymonosulfate oxidation system was developed via modification of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) on the surface of Fe2+-doped ZIF-67 (CD/Fe@ZIF-67) as an activator. The 99.7% carbamazepine, 91.3% bisphenol A (BPA), and 95.4% diclofenac (DCF) degradation efficiency were achieved within 10 min, 60, and 1 min, respectively. The hydrophobicity of these three pollutants is positively correlated with their adsorption kinetic constants by CD/Fe@ZIF-67 due to the introduction of β-CD. Scavenger experiments and electron spin resonance spectra confirmed that carbamazepine was preferentially oxidized by SO4•- [λ(SO4•-)(70.5%) > λ(•OH)(28.2%) > λ(O2•-)(1.3%)], where SO4•- and O2•- played dominant roles in the degradation of BPA [λ(SO4•-)(71.7%) > λ(O2•-)(22.8%) > λ(•OH)(5.5%)], and O2•- was responsible for DCF removal [λ(O2•-) = 93.2%]. Additionally, the particulate catalyst was immobilized in the shell side of a ceramic membrane in a membrane reactor for catalyst recovery. This reactor achieved nearly 100% removal efficiency under optimal conditions: 0.036 wt % catalyst loading, 0.5 mM peroxymonosulfate concentration, 1 L inflow, 10 mg/L initial carbamazepine concentration, and 0.012 L/min hydraulic retention time. In summary, this study elucidates the active role of β-CD in a polymetallic/peroxymonosulfate system and provides valuable insights into the development of effective oxidation methods for pharmaceutical and personal care products in wastewater.

Comparative study of degradation of pharmaceutical and personal care products in wastewater by advanced oxidation processes: Fenton, UV/H2O2, UV/TiO2

AbstractIn conventional wastewater treatment plants, micropollutants mix with the aquatic environment because they cannot be removed entirely due to their nonbiodegradable structure. Advanced oxidation processes can be considered an alternative solution to this problem. In this study, five different pharmaceutical and personal care products, carbamazepine, diclofenac, ibuprofen, paracetamol, and triclosan, which are commonly found in aquatic environments, were selected as target pollutants. The removal of these target pollutants was investigated using advanced oxidation methods such as the Fenton and UV processes (UV, UV/H2O2, and UV/TiO2). The feasibility of processes in terms of cost was investigated. In the study, both initial and final pharmaceutical concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry to accurately calculate removal efficiency. It has been determined that processes other than the UV process have removal efficiency >99.9%. The UV process showed removal efficiency of 40% for carbamazepine, 90% for diclofenac, 85% for ibuprofen, 86% for paracetamol and 85% for triclosan. Among the processes with high removal efficiency, the Fenton process has been integrated into wastewater treatment plants and has been shown to be the most suitable system in terms of both performance and cost in solving the micropollutant problem.

Electrochemical-based approaches for the treatment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater

In recent times, emerging contaminants (ECs) like pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in water and wastewater have become a major concern in the environment. Electrochemical treatment technologies proved to be more efficient to degrade or remove PPCPs present in the wastewater. Electrochemical treatment technologies have been the subject of intense research for the past few years. Attention has been given to electro-oxidation and electro-coagulation by industries and researchers, indicating their potential to remediate PPCPs and mineralization of organic and inorganic contaminants present in wastewater. However, difficulties arise in the successful operation of scaled-up systems. Hence, researchers have identified the need to integrate electrochemical technology with other treatment technologies, particularly advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Integration of technologies addresses the limitation of indiviual technologies. The major drawbacks like formation of undesired or toxic intermediates, s, energy expenses, and process efficacy influenced by the type of wastewater etc., can be reduced in the combined processes. The review discusses the integration of electrochemical technology with various AOPs, like photo-Fenton, ozonation, UV/H2O2, O3/UV/H2O2, etc., as an efficient way to generate powerful radicals and augment the degradation of organic and inorganic pollutants. The processes are targeted for PPCPs such as ibuprofen, paracetamol, polyparaben and carbamezapine. The discussion concerns itself with the various advantages/disadvantages, reaction mechanisms, factors involved, and cost estimation of the individual and integrated technologies. The synergistic effect of the integrated technology is discussed in detail and remarks concerning the prospects subject to the investigation are also stated.

Emerging contaminants as global environmental hazards. A bibliometric analysis

This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of peer-reviewed scientific literature on emerging contaminants published from 2000 through 2019. A total of 4968 documents (among research articles and review papers) collected from Scopus database were analyzed using the VOSviewer 1.6.11 software. According to our results, this topic has been capturing researchers’ attention over the years and the latter five years of the analysis timespan corresponds to the period of highest scientific productivity on this subject, when a 70.4% of all analyzed documents were published. United States, China, Spain, Italy and Canada were the top–5 most productive countries in terms of number of published works, while Science of the Total Environment , Chemosphere , Environmental Science and Pollution Research , Environmental Pollution and Water Research stood out as the journals with the highest number of publications, gathering a 31% of papers and 34% of all citations. According to the frequency of author keywords, the main specific research topic assessed by the researchers are the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater and the removal of such pollutants by the application of adsorption and advanced oxidation processes.

Synthesis and characterization of a sulfonic species-based mesoporous sorbent for the pre-concentration of nine personal care products in wastewater and swimming pool water

A mesoporous material functionalized with sulfonic moieties has been synthesized by co-condensation. The functionalized material was characterized and then employed for the solid phase extraction of nine personal care products (UV filters and parabens) in effluent wastewater and swimming pool water. UV filters and parabens were analyzed by ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Validation parameters (linearity, matrix effect, limit of quantitation, trueness and precision) were established according to the EURACHEM Guide using a blank effluent wastewater sample. The new sorbent enabled the selective extraction of the target analytes from the rest of matrix components, with low matrix effect (ME ≤ |20%|) for all analytes, the exception being isopropylparaben with a ME = −27%. The effect of the co-extracted components from the effluent water sample in the recovery study was evaluated using external calibration curves (using standard solutions) and the standard addition method. Similar results were obtained using both methodologies and, according to the validation guide requirements, slightly better results were obtained using the standard addition methodology (75.0−99.6%) compared to external calibration (66.7−115.2%). The quantitation limits ranged between 0.5 and 5.0 ng L−1 in wastewater. Two types of real samples (effluent wastewater and swimming pool water) were pre-concentrated using the optimized methodology. Four parabens (methylparaben, propylparaben, benzylparaben and butylparaben) and two UV filters (4-hydroxybenzophenone and 4,4´-dihydroxybenzophenone) were found in the effluent water sample at ng L−1 concentration levels. In addition, the same four parabens and 4,4´-dihydroxybenzophenone were detected in the swimming pool water at slightly lower concentrations than those found in wastewater.

A single run, rapid polarity switching method for determination of 30 pharmaceuticals and personal care products in waste water using Q-Exactive Orbitrap high resolution accurate mass spectrometry

The analytical capability of the UPLC-Q Exactive™ Orbitrap MS was exploited for simultaneous determination of 30 acidic and basic PPCPs in a single run, using rapid polarity switching of the electrospray ionisation source. Full scan MS mode at resolution of 35,000 FWHM, Automatic gain control (AGC) target of 1E6 ions at injection time of 50 ms provided the optimum parameters for high sensitivity, together with sufficient data points per peak (≥15) for improved reproducibility. In addition to chromatographic retention times, method selectivity was achieved via applying high resolution accurate mass with low mass tolerance filter (<5 ppm) for identification of each target compound. Six-point linear calibration curves (R2 > 0.95) were established for all target analytes over a concentration range of 1–1500 ng/ml. Good results were obtained for method accuracy (% recovery = 76–104%), inter- and intra-day precision (relative standard deviation <15%) at 3 concentration levels. Instrumental detection and quantification limits ranged from (0.02–1.21 ng/ml) and (0.07–4.05 ng/ml), respectively. While optimised MS/MS analysis through parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) mode provided slightly higher sensitivity, Full scan MS mode allowed for higher mass resolution (selectivity), more data points per peak (reproducibility) and more importantly, the potential for post-acquisition screening of non-target compounds. Following solid phase extraction (SPE) of target analytes, the method was successfully applied to provide first data on PPCPs occurrence in effluent and surface water samples (n = 10) from Egypt. Moreover, screening for non-target compounds revealed the presence of bisphenol A, which was further confirmed via matching with an authentic standard. Overall, this study provides first insight into the high analytical capabilities of the Q-Exactive™ Orbitrap platform for both targeted/non-targeted analysis of PPCPs in environmental matrices.

Ultrasound-assisted dispersive solid phase nanoextraction of selected personal care products in wastewater followed by their determination using high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector.

This study reports a rapid and simple method based on ultrasound-assisted dispersive solid phase nanoextraction (UA-SPNE) method for the extraction and preconcentration of selected personal care products using MPC@Al2O3-SiO2 nano adsorbent. A high performance liquid chromatograph equipped with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) was used to detect the analytes of interest. Experimental parameters affecting the extraction and preconcentration efficiency of the UA-SPNE (such as mass of adsorbent, extraction time, sample pH and eluent volume,) were optimized using fractional factorial design and response surface methodology based on central composite design. Under optimized conditions, the linear range for benzophenone, N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide and trichlorocarbanilide were in the interval of LOQ-1000 μg L-1 with correlation coefficients ranged from 0.9907 to 0.9977. The limits of detection and limits of quantification were 0.066-0.096 μg L-1 and 0.22-0.32 μg L-1, respectively. The accuracy of the UA-SPNE/HPLC-DAD method was evaluated using spike recovery test and the recoveries were in the range of 98-107%. The repeatability and reproducibility of the method 0.8-1.0 % and 2.4-4.4%, respectively.

Ozone treatment process for the removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the degradability of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) by ozonation for the treatment of secondary effluent of a municipal wastewater treatment plant. A set of experiments were conducted in a laboratory using a pilot-scale process consisting of three flow-through reactors in series, by varying the ozone dose (1–9 mg L−1), the hydraulic retention time (5–15 min), and the concentration of ozone injected into the reactors (14–42 mg L−1). Thirty-seven PPCPs were detected in the secondary effluent, which belongs to the use categories of antibiotics, analgesics, antiarrhythmic agents, anticonvulsants, vasodilators, lipid modifying agents, anti-itch drugs, anti-psychotic drugs, insect repellents, bronchodilators, diuretics, peptic ulcer drugs, NMDA receptor antagonists, antifungal drugs, antimicrobial drugs, and antineoplastic agents. These PPCPs were broadly classified into five groups ranging from “sensitive” to ozone (O3) or “unstable” in the ozonation process, to the group of “insensitive” to O3 or “very stable” in the ozonation process. These groups are based on the PPCP concentrations after the ozone treatment and their limit of detection (LOD). Furthermore, this study examined comparatively the effects of the ozone dose, the retention (reaction) time, and the concentration of O3 supplied to the reactors on the degradability of the PPCPs.

Effect of H2O2 on UV Photo-Oxidation of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Wastewater

AbstractThis study investigates the effect of low levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on photo-oxidation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) present in secondary effluent of a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Experiments were conducted using two types of flow-through reactor systems: (1) three ultraviolet light (UV) reactors connected in series without a H2O2 addition, and (2) a UV reactor with a H2O2 addition. In the first part of this study, 38 PPCPs detected in secondary effluent were examined based on their degradability by UV in the presence and absence of H2O2. For the PPCPs that were not degraded to or below their detection level, the pseudo first-order photo-oxidation rate constants, k (s−1), were determined using a mathematical model developed for three continuously stirred tank reactors in series. The second part of the study investigated the kinetics of the selected PPCPs in the UV/H2O2 reactor. The effect of low concentrations of H2O2 on the photo-oxidation rate of...

A first screening and risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and additives in personal care products in waste water, sludge, recipient water and sediment from Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland

A screening of a broad range of pharmaceuticals and additives in personal care products (PPCPs) in sub-arctic locations of the Faroe Islands (FO), Iceland (IS) and Greenland (GL) was conducted. In total 36 pharmaceuticals including some metabolites, and seven additives in personal care products were investigated in influent and effluent waters as well as sludge of waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) and in water and sediment of recipients. Concentrations and distribution patterns for PPCPs discharged via sewage lines (SLs) to the marine environment were assessed. Of the 36 pharmaceuticals or metabolites analysed 33 were found close to or above the limit of detection (LOD) in all or a part of the samples. All of the seven investigated additives in personal care products were detected above the LOD. Some of the analysed PPCPs occurred in every or almost every sample. Among these were diclofenac, ibuprofen, lidocaine, naproxen, metformin, citalopram, venlafaxine, amiloride, furosemide, metoprolol, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and cetrimonium salt (ATAC-C16). Additionally, the study encompasses ecotoxicological risk assessment of 2/3 of the analysed PPCPs in recipient and diluted effluent waters. For candesartan only a small margin to levels with inacceptable risks was observed in diluted effluent waters at two locations (FO). Chronical risks for aquatic organisms staying and/or living around WWTP effluent pipe-outlets were indicated for 17β-estradiol and estriol in the three countries. Additives in PCPs were found to pose the largest risk to the aquatic environment. The surfactants CAPB and ATAC-C16 were found in concentrations resulting in risk factors up to 375 for CAPB and 165 for ATAC-C16 in recipients for diluted effluents from Iggia, Nuuk (GL) and Torshavn (FO) respectively. These results demonstrates a potentially high ecological risk stemming from discharge of surfactants as used in household and industrial detergents as well as additives in personal care products.

Storage effect on the analysis of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater

In this study, the stability of 124 target analytes in influent and effluent wastewater samples during short-term (4°C) and long-term (−18°C) storage was assessed. The most common storage scenario was considered, in which samples were frozen immediately after sampling without any pre-treatment. During short-term storage more analytes remained stable (concentration during storage was in the range of 60–120% of the initial concentration) at 4°C than at −18°C. During long-term storage (−18°C), three types of behavior were observed: constant concentrations throughout the experimental period, decreasing concentrations with time, and loss of the compound from the sample after freezing. Differences between effluent and influent samples were observed for 50 out of 124 tested PPCPs. The amount of stable analytes decreased with time during long-term storage. 72% and 56% of the target compounds in the effluent and influent wastewater, respectively, remained stable during 60days of storage. The number of stable compounds decreased to 57 (46%) and 46 (37%) in the effluent and influent, respectively, over 120days. 15 Pharmaceuticals were lost after freezing/thawing cycle. The results stress the importance of storage factors during analysis of pharmaceuticals in wastewater. The stability of target compounds in the samples under the planned storage conditions should be checked before starting the experiment to obtain reliable data.

Simultaneous determination of pharmaceutical and personal care products in wastewater by capillary electrophoresis with head-column field-amplified sample stacking

This article reports a sensitive and reliable solid-phase extraction coupling capillary zone electrophoresis with head-column field-amplified sample stacking method for trace determination of nineteen pharmaceutical and personal care products in wastewater.

Application of graphene for the analysis of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater

A novel and reliable analytical method based on a graphene adsorbent for solid-phase extraction (SPE) derivatized with N-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-N- methyltrifluoroacetamide and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was developed for determination of nine pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in wastewater samples. Different ratios of graphene/silica gel were tested, with 20 % graphene/silica gel giving the best performance as an SPE adsorbent. The mean recoveries of the target analytes obtained by 20 % graphene/silica gel SPE ranged from 58.1 to 87.6 %. The limit of quantification ranged from 30 to 259 ng/L and from 13 to 115 ng/L for the influent and effluent, respectively. By comparing the accuracy and precision of 20 % graphene/silica gel and Oasis HLB SPE cartridges, we demonstrated that the method can be satisfactorily used for the analysis of PPCPs in wastewater samples. We applied the method to wastewater samples from a sewage treatment plant near Riverside, California, to track the concentration change of PPCPs in the treatment processes.

Determination of pharmaceutical and personal care products in wastewater by capillary electrophoresis with UV detection

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) offers a fast and cost-effective alternative analytical technique to LC-MS/MS for separation and quantitation of many PPCP compounds in wastewater. In this study, we have developed a method that can simultaneously analyze eight different PPCP compounds in untreated wastewater (ibuprofen, triclosan, carbamazepine, caffeine, acetaminophen, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, and lincomycin), using capillary electrophoresis with UV detection (CE-UV). The method detection limit (MDL) ranged from 1.6 to 68.7ppb through solid phase extraction. The standard limit of quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.63 to 7.72ppm. Factors affecting separation and quantification of PPCPs, such as pH, electrophoretic potential, buffer strength, buffer type, and additives, were investigated and optimized. Water samples from two different wastewater treatment plants were collected and analyzed. The results obtained were comparable with those of LC–MS/MS. The technique developed in this study provides a low cost, simple, fast, and relatively sensitive method for determination of various PPCPs in wastewater samples for PPCP screening.

Occurrence and behavior of pharmaceuticals, steroid hormones, and endocrine-disrupting personal care products in wastewater and the recipient river water of the Pearl River Delta, South China

The occurrence and behavior of β-blockers, antiepileptic drug carbamazepine and its metabolites, X-ray contrast agent iopromide, natural and synthetic hormones, and several groups of hormone-like personal care products (PCPs), including antiseptics (triclocarban, triclosan, and 2-phenylphenol), parabens and bisphenol A, were investigated in municipal wastewater, sewage sludge, and urban river water of the Pearl River Delta, South China. The pharmaceuticals, natural hormones and PCPs were ubiquitously detected in the raw wastewater from a sewage treatment plant (STP). Only triclocarban and triclosan were detected at significant amounts in the dewatered sludge. Iopromide and the PCPs were greatly removed/transformed from the aqueous phase of the wastewater. The β-blockers were only moderately removed/transformed. Carbamazepine passed through the STP almost unchanged. Biodegradation was the dominant process for elimination/transformation of the pharmaceuticals, hormones, and most PCPs in the STP. However, sorption also played an important role in the fate of triclocarban with nearly 50% of the mass load entering the STP ended up and persisted in the dewatered sludge. The pharmaceuticals, estrone, and PCPs were also widely detected in the Pearl River at Guangzhou. Bisphenol A had the highest concentration. The pharmaceutical concentrations in the Pearl River were higher in March than in May, most likely due to less dilution by lower precipitation. The omnipresence and high levels of the pharmaceuticals and PCPs in the Pearl River may be associated with direct discharge of untreated wastewater and pose potential risks to the ecological system.

Enzymatic Treatment of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Wastewater

Enzymatic Treatment of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Wastewater

Removal of steroid hormones and personal care products in wastewater by chemical precipitation

The presence of steroid hormones and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC) in theenvironment has been connected with the drop in semen quality in men and the number ofhem1aphrodite fish observed downstream wastewater treatment plants. EDC originating fromdown-the-drain chemicals can be reduced by mitigation options but the naturally occurringhormones must be removed though end-of-pipe treatment. In this study, coagulation andflocculation as well as these two techniques combined with sorption were applied to removeestrone, I 7P-estradiol and the synthetic hormone I7a-ethynylestradiol as well as thepreservatives methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, butyl paraben and isobutylparaben from primary and secondary treated municipal wastewater. It was found thatcoagulation with both iron and aluminium together with an anionic flocculant successfullyremoved organic matter and dissolved phosphorous but not the hormones and only up to 30%of the parabens. This was seen both in the chemical analyses of the individual substances andwell as in an assay of the oestrogenic effects. Applications of powdered activated carbon preand post the chemical coagulation-flocculation significantly increased the oestrogen removal,which is consistent with existing literature. The treatment processes in the studied wastewatertreatment plant removed both the oestrogens and the parabens to below the limit of detection ,though a detectable but small oestrogenicity in the effluent cannot be disregarded.

Laboratory calibration and field deployment of the Polar organic chemical integrative sampler for pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater and surface water

Aqueous sampling rates for 25 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) were determined on the commercially available passive Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler (POCIS). To date, POCIS calibration has only been carried out for a handful of compounds. Uptake rates were 0.040 to 2.462 L/d under conditions of flowing water; quiescent conditions resulted in uptake rates between 0.016 and 0.223 L/d. The uptake of many PPCPs appears to be boundary-layer controlled, as indicated by higher sampling rates under flowing conditions. Sampling rates were corrected for analyte dissipation rates, and some correlations with octanol-water partition coefficients were noted. Field deployments of POCIS in wastewater effluent and surface waters had time-weighted average concentrations derived from laboratory calibrations that were consistent with regular grab samples. This work indicates that POCIS can be used as a quantitative tool for measuring PPCPs in the aquatic environment.

Laboratory calibration and field deployment of the Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler for pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater and surface water

Laboratory calibration and field deployment of the Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler for pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater and surface water