Sewer Wastewater Treatment Plants Research Articles

Local environmental risk assessment of anticancer drugs in a developing country

Anticancer drugs used in cancer treatment are excreted unchanged or as metabolites by feces and urine in hospitals and households. These drugs enter the municipal sewage system but wastewater treatment plants are not capable of removing all of these micro pollutants. In many countries such as Brazil, sanitation departments do not provide service, nor have access to all of the population, therefore most sewage is still released into untreated receiving bodies. This study analyzes the consumption of anticancer drugs in a Brazilian hospital located in one of the 10 municipalities with the best sanitation index in the country. It estimates its environmental risk in aquatic matrixes by the European Guideline on the Environmental Risk Assessment of Medicinal Products for Human Use. Among the 20 drugs analyzed, the three most consumed (cyclophosphamide, 5-fluoruracil, and cytarabine) show a predicted environmental concentration value greater than the action limit of 0.01 µg/L recommended by the guideline. The risk assessment was performed on all pharmaceuticals consumed to get a greater awareness of risk. Results do not indicate local environmental risk but, considering that the study was performed under the best sanitation scenario, it cannot be extrapolated in the other municipalities. The study highlights that development of suitable methodologies should be considered to perform environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals in developing countries sanitation conditions.

Supported ionic liquids as efficient materials to remove non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs from aqueous media

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are largely consumed worldwide. As a result, NSAIDs were already found in a variety of environmental aqueous samples, in concentrations ranging from ng/L to µg/L. This is due to the inability of the currently used technologies in sewage treatment plants (STPs) and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to completely remove such pollutants/contaminants, thus leading to serious environmental and public health concerns. This work addresses the preparation and application of materials based on silica chemically modified with ionic liquids (SILs) as alternative adsorbents to remove NSAIDs from aqueous media. Modified silica-based materials comprising the 1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium cation combined with six anions were prepared, and chemically and morphologically characterized. Adsorption kinetics, diffusion models and isotherms of sodium diclofenac – as one of the most worldwide consumed NSAIDs – were determined at 298 K. The Boyd’s film diffusion and Webber’s pore diffusion models were used to disclose the rate controlling step affecting the adsorption process. A maximum equilibrium concentration of sodium diclofenac of 0.74 mmol (0.235 g) per g of adsorbent was obtained. Several solvents were tested to remove diclofenac and to regenerate SILs, being the mixture composed of 1-butanol and water (85:15, v:v) identified as the most promising and eco-friendly. After 3 regeneration steps, the material is able to keep up to 75% of its initial adsorption efficiency. Considering the maximum values reported for sodium diclofenac in effluents from WWTPs/STPs, 1 g of the most efficient material is “ideally” able to treat ca. 50,000 L of water. These materials can thus be envisioned as efficient filters to be implemented at domestic environment in countries where the levels of pharmaceuticals are particularly high in drinking water.

Data Authorization and Forecasting by a Proactive Soft Sensing Tool–Anammox Based Process

Precise control of biological wastewater treatment for nitrogen removal is difficult because of the nonlinearity, time-varying, and time-consuming nature of the process. With due emphasis on addressing the challenges involved in its effective implementation, this study developed an artificial neural network (ANN) based soft sensor (SS) with a set of proposed thumb rules for online forecasting of the concentrations of hard-to-measure parameters (NH4+ and NO2−) from secondary easy-to-measure variables, (reactor volume, dissolved oxygen, suspended solids, pH, temperature, and ORP) in an Anammox based pilot plant. Four hybrid neural networks (PCA-Kalman NN, PCA NN, Kalman NN, and Non NN) were applied to identify net optimum input vectors for the SS, using an appropriate quantity of samples from the set of secondary variables. The proposed hybrid SS was tested on a sewage wastewater treatment plant operated using a Matlab R2018a framework and validated using operational plant data. The results showed that the ...

Biodegradation of Quinoline by Hydrogel Beads of Activated Sludge in the Air-Lift Bioreactor

Quinoline is a nitrogen heterocyclic compound (NHC) with a molecular formula of C9H7N. Microbial degradation of quinoline occurs under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. In this study, the aerobic biodegradation of quinoline was investigated with activated sludge which was taken from a municipal sewage wastewater treatment plant in the air-lift bioreactor (ALBR).The activated sludge was entrapped in poly-vinyl-alcohol-calcium alginate (PVA-Ca alginate) hydrogel beads. The optimal conditions for microbial cells entrapment, such as Ca-alginate concentration, biomass concentration in the hydrogel bead and bead size, were determined with concerning to improve the quinoline degradation rate. Also, the initial quinoline concentration was determined. The optimum temperature and initial pH for quinoline degradation were 30°C and pH 7–8, respectively. During the biodegradation process, the culture broth became yellow and brown in turn, which indicated that several intermediates were generated. The results showed that the diversity of microbial cells improves and accelerates the quinoline biodegradation. The repeated use of the hydrogel beads for quinoline degradation was performed and the results revealed that the beads were active and intact up to 4 successive cycles without breakage or loss their stability in the continuous mode. Thus, (PVA-Ca alginate) hydrogel beads have great potential to be a matrix for the cell immobilization in quinoline biodegradation. The various initial concentrations of quinoline (50, 100, 250, and 500mg/L) were completely degraded in batch-mode experiments; under optimal conditions: PVA conc., 80%w/v; calcium alginate conc., 20%w/v; initial biomass concentration the hydrogel bead, 3mL / 10 mL of gel solution; and the hydrogel bead size, about 3mm in diameter, at different time intervals (4, 6, 10, and 14h), respectively.

Small sewage wastewater treatment plants for domestic wastewater

Small sewage wastewater treatment plants are used for treatment of domestic wastewater from individual residential houses, small schools, roadside cafes, restaurants, small railway stations, camping sites, etc., where there is no centralized sewage network. In cases when there is a limited space for the installation of small-scale treatment facilities, authors suggest using of septic tanks and drainage wells. Sewage effluents are collected with gravity force, without using electricity. Usage of proposed constructions does not cause pollution of soils and underground water horizons. Sanitary environment is stable and predictable.

Особливості епідемічного процесу гепатиту а та його зв’язок із накопиченням побутових полімерних відходів у довкіллі

In this work a sanitary-hygienic assessment of the features of the epidemic process for hepatitis A disease among the population has been conducted and its connection with the accumulation of household waste in the environment has been established On the whole territory of Ukraine an unstable epidemic situation with hepatitis A disease is noted. It is connected with a change in the main factors that affect the transmission of infection. Therefore, the issue of establishing a link between the spread of hepatitis A in the environment and the processes that provide it are relevant. To this end, the epidemiological features of hepatitis A in the Ivano-Frankivsk region were studied for improving the system of preventive and anti-epidemic measures involving specialists and equipment of the SI “Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Laboratory Centre of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine”. Calculations were made according to the statistical record of morbidity (reporting form № 2 and № 40). It is established that the main way of transmission of viral hepatitis A remains water from decentralized sources. In addition, the incidence of hepatitis A is characterized by uneven distribution and predominates in mountainous areas. For the period from 2011 to 2016 there is an active involvement of working-age people in the epidemiological process, whose share on average is 73.5%. The morbidity is almost equally widespread, both among the urban population and among the rural population. The peaks of the disease coincide in time with floods, when sewage networks and wastewater treatment plants did not cope with this volume of wastewater due to their clogging with household waste, mainly polymeric packages. Therefore, the barrier role of communal treatment facilities and the sewage system, in relation to the hepatitis A virus, is insufficient and requires the improvement of the technology of water purification and preparation. It is necessary to develop infrastructure to provide centralized water supply to the population of the mountainous areas of the region, where it is hygienically and economically justified. A promising direction for further scientific research is the development and implementation at the state level of basic preventive measures aimed at optimizing social and hygienic living conditions of the population and in the fight against hepatitis A, there is a technical and technological update of: communal systems of water supply, drainage, sanitary cleaning of the territory; organization of catering and trade and the prohibition of street trade, as well as mass immunization of the most vulnerable groups of the population; control over the provision and compliance with sanitary and hygiene norms and rules; prohibition of the production, use, import and payment or free distribution of polymer packages in Ukrainian territory. Key words : hepatitis A , epidemiology , communal hygiene , polymeric waste

Pollution Characteristics of Parabens in Typical Sewage Wastewater

Parabens are widely used in foodstuffs, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals as preservatives, fungicides, and bactericides. Recent studies showed that these compounds could be detected in surface water and are a potential hazard to the aquatic ecological environment. In this study, 24-hour influent samples were collected from a typical sewage wastewater treatment plant in Harbin in autumn and winter in 2016. The concentrations of six parabens and four normal water quality parameters were analyzed. The results indicated that parabens were frequently detected in the influent, and MeP, EtP, and PrP were the predominant compounds. Significant correlations were found between TOC, TDS, pH, and the concentration of parabens. The concentration of parabens in the influent of the sewage wastewater treatment plant have obvious daily variations rather than seasonal variations. The results provide an important theoretical basis for further research and pollution control of parabens in sewage wastewater treatment system.

Effect of Algal Cell Immobilization Technique on Sequencing Batch Reactors for Sewage Wastewater Treatment

Sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) are widely used for wastewater treatment for bioremediation of complex pollutants. The present study investigated the ability of algal cell immobilization technique (Chlorella vulgaris) in the improvement of SBRs during sewage wastewater treatment for 2 h before it reenters a non-fresh surface water bodies. The investigated sewage wastewater treatment plants were operating by biological treatment method (extended aeration) as an influent characterized with high nutrients (nitrogen and phosphate). The treatment efficiency of immobilization technique was 54% for (EC), 51% for (TDS), 59% for (TS), 97% for (TSS), 97% for (COD), 98% for (BOD), 98% for (O&G), 98% for (PO4), 98% for (NH3), and 91% for (T.N), and the pH value was 7.84. Also results revealed that the removal efficiency of differed heavy metals was improved by 57% of Cr, 54% of Fe, 56% of Ni, 53% of Cu, 67% of Zn, 100% of Cd, and 100% of Pb. The designing of SBRs with adding algal cell immobilization technique as the last step during treatment of plant influent significantly improved the quality of treated wastewater after only 2–6 h. The obtained results recommended upgrading of traditional operation systems via modern techniques, such as algal immobilization technique or use SBRs with algal cell immobilization.

Removal Performance of Tetracycline and Oxytetracycline From Aqueous Solution Via Natural Zeolites: An Equilibrium and Kinetic Study

The persistence of antibiotics in sewage wastewater treatment plants in recent years has emerged as a serious issue. This study therefore evaluated three types of natural zeolites (i.e., NZ01, NZ02, and NZ03) for the removal of selected antibiotics namely tetracycline (TC) and oxytetracycline (OTC) from aqueous solution. The physical and chemical properties of the natural zeolites were characterized using various analytical techniques and the antibiotic removal studies were carried out in a batch adsorption experiment evaluated at various experimental conditions. The highest adsorption capacity was 62.5 and 76.3 μmol/g for TC and OTC, respectively, observed for NZ02 at pH values between 7 and 8. The adsorption of TC and OTC followed the Langmuir and Temkin isotherm models, respectively, whereas the adsorption kinetic data obeyed the Elovich kinetic model. The regeneration study on NZ02 indicated that it can still remove TC and OTC after five adsorption/desorption cycles. The removal efficiency of TC and OTC also improved from approximately 5–39 and 28%, respectively, by addition of NZ02 during the coagulation/flocculation process. These results thus demonstrated the applicability of the natural zeolites, especially NZ02, for the removal of TC and OTC from aqueous solution; hence the potential for the application in sewage treatment process for removal of antibiotics through either conventional adsorption/desorption or adsorptive coagulation/flocculation (ACF) process.

Use of food waste-recycling wastewater as an alternative carbon source for denitrification process: A full-scale study

Using organic wastes as an alternative to commercial carbon sources could be beneficial by reducing costs and environmental impacts. In this study, food waste-recycling wastewater (FRW) was evaluated as an alternative carbon source for biological denitrification over a period of seven months in a full-scale sewage wastewater treatment plant. The denitrification performance was stable with a mean nitrate removal efficiency of 97.2%. Propionate was initially the most persistent volatile fatty acid, but was completely utilized after 19days. Eubacteriacea, Saprospiraceae, Rhodocyclaceae and Comamonadaceae were the major bacterial families during FRW treatment and were regarded as responsible for hydrolysis (former two) and nitrate removal (latter two) of FRW. These results demonstrate that FRW can be an effective external carbon source; process stabilization was linked to the acclimation and function of bacterial populations to the change of carbon source.

Veterinary pharmaceutical contamination in mixed land use watersheds: from agricultural headwater to water monitoring watershed

Veterinary pharmaceuticals, widely used in intensive livestock production, may contaminate surface waters. Identifying their sources and pathways in watersheds is difficult because i) most veterinary pharmaceuticals are used in human medicine as well and ii) septic or sewer wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) can release pharmaceuticals into surface water, even in agricultural headwater watersheds. This study aimed to analyze the spatiotemporal variability of animal-specific, mixed-use, and human-specific pharmaceuticals, from agricultural headwaters with intensive livestock production and a WWTP to a watershed used for Water Framework Directive monitoring. Grab sampling was performed during one hydrological year upstream and downstream from a WWTP and at three dates in seven nested watersheds with areas of 1.9–84.1km2. Twenty pharmaceuticals were analyzed. Animal-specific pharmaceuticals were detected at all sampling dates upstream and downstream from the WWTP and at concentrations higher than those of human-specific pharmaceuticals. The predominance of animal-specific and mixed-use pharmaceuticals vs. human-specific pharmaceuticals observed at these sampling points was confirmed at the other sampling points. Animal-specific pharmaceuticals were detected mainly during runoff events and periods of manure spreading. A large percentage of mixed-use pharmaceuticals could come from animal sources, but it was difficult to determine. Mixed-use and human-specific pharmaceuticals predominated in the largest watersheds when runoff decreased. In areas of intensive livestock production, mitigation actions should focus on agricultural headwater watersheds to decrease the number of pathways and the transfer volume of veterinary pharmaceuticals, which can be the main contaminants.

Interactive Reservoir-Watershed Modeling Framework for Integrated Water Quality Management

Eutrophication is a serious water pollution problem in many lakes and reservoirs. One method of understanding the causes of eutrophication and devising strategies to address this phenomenon is watershed modeling. An integrated model is developed in this paper for simulating and evaluating the water quality protection strategies of reservoirs based on controlling the upstream point and non-point sources of pollution and also reservoir operation. To achieve this, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is used for modeling of the surface runoff and transportation of pollutant load over the watershed area and then, the numerical model CE-Qual-W2 is used for simulating the reservoir water quality. These models are linked to simulate the transmission and distribution of water quality variables in the Seimare watershed-reservoir system, west part of Iran. After calibration of the models, different strategies for reduction of pollution over the watershed are simulated and ranked based on their efficiency in reducing the pollution load entering into the reservoir. Results show that completion and modernization of the sewage network and wastewater treatment plant of Kermanshah city as long as adopting some measures against the direct release of municipal wastewater into the Gharehsou River can reduce the pollution load by 40–50% as the best short term strategy. It is also found that in the long-term period, watershed management and decreasing local animal husbandry activities are the most effective measure for reducing the nutrient load entering Seimare reservoir, and thus need to be considered in the future watershed management policies and programs.

Occurrence and removals of micropollutants in water environment

Micropollutants are often discharged to surface waters through untreated wastewater from sewage treatment plants and wastewater treatment plants. The presence of micropollutants in surface waters is a serious concern because surface water is usually provided to water treatment plants (WTP) to produce drinking water. Many micropollutants can withstand conventional WTP systems and stay in tap water. In particular, pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors are examples of micropollutants that are detected at the drinking water, ppb, or even ppb level. A variety of techniques and processes, especially advanced oxidation processes, have been applied to remove micropollutants from water to control drinking water contamination. This paper reviews recent researches on the occurrence and removal of micropollutants in the aquatic environments and during water treatment processes.

Assessing the population equivalent and performance of wastewater treatment through the ratios of pharmaceuticals and personal care products present in a river basin: Application to the River Thames basin, UK

The quality of surface waters in lowland rivers is largely dependent on the efficiency of wastewater treatment. Even in the developed countries, there have been difficulties in evaluating the effectiveness of wastewater management and the proportion of wastewater content (WWC) in the river, as well as in estimating the contributing human population. This study aimed to develop a wastewater quality and quantity assessment based on the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the receiving waters. A survey of 53 pharmaceuticals in 324 samples (river water and influent and effluent of sewage (wastewater) treatment plants) was carried out in southern England in the River Thames catchment over four years. Carbamazepine was selected as stable marker and from its concentration WWC in the rivers and cumulative human populations along the catchment were estimated. The estimated population had a strong relationship (R2=0.94) with that reported by the local water company. The concentration ratio of the labile marker caffeine to carbamazepine indicated the efficiency of wastewater treatment in the different treatment systems (i.e. trickling filter or activated sludge) and in the receiving waters. The ratio in some river samples revealed unexpected discharges of untreated or poorly treated wastewater, with a total concentration of the analytes (up to 20μg/L) five times higher than that in treated wastewater. Such information could be valuable to estimate the discharge or occurrence of not only non-targeted chemicals, but also pathogens within the basin.

Role of polarity fractions of effluent organic matter in binding and toxicity of silver and copper

This study evaluates the effect of the physicochemical properties of effluent organic matter (EfOM) from industrial and sewage wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) on the binding and toxicity of Ag and Cu. EfOM was isolated into hydrophobic, transphilic, and hydrophilic fractions depending on its polarity, and was characterized by elemental, specific ultraviolet absorbance, and fluorescence excitation-emission matrix analyses. Our results suggest that the EfOM consists of microbially derived non-humic substances that have lower aromaticity than the Suwannee River natural organic matter (SR-NOM). The Freundlich model was better at explaining the binding of Ag and Cu onto both SR-NOM and EfOM than the Langmuir model. In particular, the hydrophilic fractions of sewage EfOM showed higher binding capacities and affinities for Ag and Cu than the corresponding hydrophobic fractions, resulting in better reduction of the acute toxicity of Ag and Cu towards Daphnia magna. However, in the case of both SR-NOM and industrial EfOM, the hydrophobic fractions were more efficient at reducing metal toxicity. These findings suggest that the EfOM has different physicochemical properties compared with NOM and that the binding and toxicity of heavy metals are largely dependent on the polarity fractions of EfOM.

Quality Assessment of Full-Scale Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Consisting UASB Reactors and Polishing Ponds During its Start-Up Phase in India

Amongst the technologies available, the up flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) process has been one of the most widely applied methods for municipal waste water treatment especially in countries of warm climatic conditions like India. However, past about one decade has witnessed rapid decline in the UASB popularity and its implementation. There has been criticism from various sections on the performance of UASB reactors for not complying with the prescribed discharge standards. It is a general hypothesis that the UASB reactors are not meant for diluted waste water like municipal sewage when typically the BOD is less than 150 mg/l, COD 250 mg/l and sulphates are more than 150mg/l. An attempt has been made through this study to investigate the reasons on the basis of quality assessment and field observations on UASB reactors and it’s post-treatment of a newly commissioned (start-up) municipal (sewage) wastewater treatment plant commonly called ‘STP’ having capacity of 14 million litres per day (MLD). Study was aimed to know the gaps during the commissioning stage which could be related to poor removal efficiencies. This paper briefly discusses some issues related to operation and maintenance of the UASB plants with purpose for improvements.

Estimativa da priodução de lodo nas estações de tratamento de esgoto Mulembá

This paper presents a comparative assessment of the calculation method for sludge generation in sewage wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and actual generation data obtained at two of CESAN's (ES) WWTPs using different biological treatment systems. The Mulembá sewage wastewater treatment plant - located in the city of Vitória - uses an activated sludge process with prolonged aeration, and the Vale Encantado sewage wastewater treatment plant - located in the city of Vila Velha - operates intermittently using the anaerobic process of ascending flow, UASB. The calculation of the estimated generation was performed using actual data from the WWTPs, and literature data when the former was not available. The results showed that the Mulembá plant had mass and volumetric productivities of 36 gSS.cap.d and 3.6 L.cap-1.d, respectively. The Vale Encantado plant had mass and volumetric productivities of 25 gSS.cap.d and 0.6 L.cap.d, respectively. The study showed that aerobic treatments produce larger amounts of sludge when compared to anaerobic systems. In addition, the calculation method was efficient to predict sludge generation when compared to the literature range, and less efficient when compared to actual data.

Sewage Wastewater Treatment Plant Inverted AAO Process Design

The graduation design topic for a sewage treatment plant processesdesign - inverted AAO process in durian. Main task is tantamount to designaccording to the requirement of the nature of the city sewage, sewage, scalepreliminary design to complete sewage treatment plant and single processing structure design.

The Sustainable Use of Water Resources: A Technical Support for Planning. A Case Study

The paper presents both the structure and application of a Decision Support System (DSS) for an important river in Brazil—along with the sustainable management of its watershed. This DSS assesses both surface-water quality and riverine microhabitats in terms of future scenarios, taking into account regulation limits and appropriate quality indexes. Our future scenarios consider: (a) population and climate change trends; (b) upgrade of sewage systems and wastewater treatment plants; and (c) withdrawal management from rivers and reservoirs. We use some main types of interrelated models, which can simulate different aspects of the responses of a basin, with respect to different modes of use of the water resource. In particular, the surface-water quality models simulate total phosphorus, BOD, dissolved oxygen concentration and thermo-tolerant coliform bacteria pollution. The riverine microhabitat models apply habitat suitability indexes of autochthonous fish species considering water depth, velocity, bottom substrate and dissolved oxygen. Both models are based on hydrologic and hydraulic models results and both were calibrated using discharge and water quality measurements collected over a 1.5-year monitoring period. Our pre- and post-processing are based on common spreadsheets and the output data are spatially analyzed using GIS software. Examples are also shown of how the DSS can contribute to developing a sustainable use of the basin resources, including a reservoir used to supply drinking water to the capital city (Salvador da Bahia).

공정 모사를 통한 하수처리장 내 은나노물질 제거 평가

Over the past decade, an increasing number of manufactured nanoparticles (NPs) have been incorporated into products and manufacturing processes due to the rapid innovation and commercialization in the field of nanotechnology. In addition, these nanomaterials and nano-consumer products have increased in quantity per year, and thus their uncontrolled release into the environment is anticipated to grow dramatically in future. However, A current sewage/wastewater treatment plant (SWTP) is being applied to removal of nanoparticles in wastewater. In Korea, the study on the removal of nanoparticles in SWTP was not reported yet. Therefore, in this work, to design pilot STP before field test, two model equations and commercial process simula- tion were used to derive the desing parameters.