Tertiary Treatment Of Municipal Wastewater Research Articles

Screening Disinfection Byproducts in Arid-Coastal Wastewater: A Workflow Using GC×GC-TOFMS, Passive Sampling, and NMF Deconvolution Algorithm.

Disinfection during tertiary municipal wastewater treatment is a necessary step to control the spread of pathogens; unfortunately, it also gives rise to numerous disinfection byproducts (DBPs), only a few of which are regulated because of the analytical challenges associated with the vast number of potential DBPs. This study utilized polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) passive samplers, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS), and non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) spectral deconvolution for suspect screening of DBPs in treated wastewater. PDMS samplers were deployed upstream and downstream of the chlorination unit in a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Abu Dhabi, and their extracts were analyzed using GC×GC-TOFMS. A workflow incorporating a multi-tiered, eight-filter screening process was developed, which successfully enabled the reliable isolation of 22 candidate DBPs from thousands of peaks. The NMF spectral deconvolution improved the match factor score of unknown mass spectra to the reference mass spectra available in the NIST library by 17% and facilitated the identification of seven additional DBPs. The close match of the first-dimension retention index data and the GC×GC elution patterns of DBPs, both predicted using the Abraham solvation model, with their respective experimental counterparts-with the measured data available in the NIST WebBook and the GC×GC elution patterns being those observed for the candidate peaks-significantly enhanced the accuracy of peak assignment. Isotopic pattern analysis revealed a close correspondence for 11 DBPs with clearly visible isotopologues in reference spectra, thereby further strengthening the confidence in the peak assignment of these DBPs. Brominated analogues were prevalent among the detected DBPs, possibly due to seawater intrusion. The fate, behavior, persistence, and toxicity of tentatively identified DBPs were assessed using EPI Suite™ and the CompTox Chemicals Dashboard. This revealed their significant toxicity to aquatic organisms, including developmental, mutagenic, and endocrine-disrupting effects in certain DBPs. Some DBPs also showed activity in various CompTox bioassays, implicating them in adverse molecular pathways. Additionally, 11 DBPs demonstrated high environmental persistence and resistance to biodegradation. This combined approach offers a powerful tool for future research and environmental monitoring, enabling accurate identification and assessment of DBPs and their potential risks.

Comparative characterisation and phytotoxicity assessment of biochar and hydrochar derived from municipal wastewater microalgae biomass

Microalgae, originating from a tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater, is considered a sustainable feedstock for producing biochar and hydrochar, offering great potential for agricultural use due to nutrient content and carbon storage ability. However, there are risks related to contamination and these need to be carefully assessed to ensure safe use of material from wastewater microalgae. Therefore, this study compared the properties and phototoxicity of biochar and hydrochar produced via pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) of microalgae under different temperatures and residence times. While biochar promoted germination and seedling growth by up to 11.0% and 70.0%, respectively, raw hydrochar showed strong phytotoxicity, due to the high content of volatile matter. Two post-treatments, dichloromethane (DCM) washing and further pyrolysis, proved to be effective methods for mitigating phytotoxicity of hydrochar. Additionally, biochar had 35.8–38.6% fixed carbon, resulting in higher carbon sequestration potential compared to hydrochar.

Composite of graphitic carbon nitride and TiO2 as photo-electro-catalyst in microbial fuel cell.

The widespread application of surfactants and their subsequent discharge in the receiving water bodies is a very common issue in developing countries. In the present investigation, a composite of graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) and TiO2 was used as a photo-electro-catalyst in a microbial fuel cell (MFC)-based hybrid system for bio-electricity production and simultaneous pollutant removal (organic matter and sodium dodecyl sulphate, SDS). The GCN: TiO2 composite with a ratio of 70:30 (by wt. %) revealed a better electrochemical response; thus, it was used as a photo-electro-catalyst in MFC. Additionally, the photochemical characterization indicated a decrease in the band gap and charge recombination of GCN-TiO2 composite compared to standalone TiO2, which indicated a conducive effect of GCN addition. Further, on the actual use as a photo-electro-catalyst, the GCN-TiO2 catalysed MFC attained 58.2 ± 9.6% and 86.5 ± 7.1% of COD and SDS removal; while simultaneously harvesting a maximum power density of 1.07 W m-3, which was higher than standalone TiO2-catalysed MFC. The follow-up treatment in the charcoal bio-filter and photo-cathodic chamber of the hybrid system further improved the overall COD and SDS removal efficiency to 92.1 ± 2.7 and 95.6 ± 1.5%, respectively. The electro-catalytic performance of the GCN-TiO2 can be attributed to the presence of nitrogen-active species in the composite. The results of this investigation demonstrated a potential MFC-based hybrid system for the simultaneous secondary and tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater. Consequently, the outcome of this investigation indicates an innovative research direction in the field of photo-electro-catalyst, which can fit into the role of a photo-catalyst as well as an electro-catalyst.

Phototrophic Bioremediation of Municipal Tertiary Wastewater Coupling with Lipid Biosynthesis Using Scenedesmus dimorphus: Effect of Nitrogen to Phosphorous Ratio with/without CO2 Supplementation

Scenedesmus dimorphus was utilized for the tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater in an effort to remove nutrients from secondary treated wastewater. In addition to the concurrent generation of biomass containing lipids for biofuel production. The effect of nitrogen to phosphorous (N:P) ratios (1:1 to 8:1) in culture media without carbon dioxide (CO2) supplementation (air supply alone, Case 1) and with CO2 supplementation (2% CO2 in air, Case 2) was investigated through a series of systematic parametric batch experiments. Case 2 produces greater biomass at all N:P ratios than Case 1. In Case 1, the highest biomass output for a N:P ratio of 8:1 is 567 mg/L at pH 8.4. In Case 2, however, the maximum biomass yield is 733 mg/L when the N:P ratio is 2:1 and the pH is 7.23. Scenedesmus dimorphus is capable of absorbing nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewater in a CO2 environment and at the optimal N:P ratio. In Case 1, total nitrogen removal ranges from 28% to 100% and in Case 2, total nitrogen removal ranges from 60% to 100%, depending on the N:P ratio. For an initial concentration of 13 mg/L, the total phosphorous removal ranges from 37% to 57%, depending on the N:P ratio in both cases. Case 2 yields a maximum lipid content of 29% of the biomass dry weight when the N:P ratio is 1:1. These results suggest the viability of removing nutrients from secondary treated wastewater utilizing microalgae Scenedesmus dimorphus and lipid biosynthesis in the generated biomass.

Green synthesis of AgNPs, alginate microbeads and Chlorella minutissima laden alginate microbeads for tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater

The present study included a tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater to eliminate bacterial count, nitrite, nitrate, ammonia and phosphorus using AgNPs, free and Chlorella minutissima laden alginate microbeads. The green synthesis of AgNPs (size range = 5–20 nm) was by using the Rumex dentatus plant extract. The UV–Vis spectroscopy analysis indicates the presence of two peaks at 360 and 486 nm representing the AgNPs with different sizes. The free and alginate immobilized AgNPs (0.068 g.L−1) record a highly significant bactericidal effect of 100 % growth elimination till 48 h treatment. The removal efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants by free and C. minutissima immobilized alginate microbeads was time-dependent, with the highest removal efficiencies (38–82 %) after 12 h and (55–100 %) after 24 h. As most of the water resources are closed systems, the results of the present study could help improve the wastewater quality before runoff in receiving water system.

Characterization, Transformation, and Bioavailability of Dissolved Organic Nitrogen in Biofilters Treating Domestic Onsite Wastewater

This study investigated the transformation, bioavailability, and seasonal changes of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in nitrogen removing biofilters (NRBs) treating domestic onsite wastewater. The results demonstrated that NRBs were able to remove 92.6–94.3% DON from septic tank effluent with low effluent DON concentrations (0–5.8 mg N L–1), comparable to the levels detected in the tertiary municipal wastewater treatment plant. Both hydrophilic and hydrophobic DON were efficiently removed by the sand filters, while additional hydrophilic DON (0.8–1.8 mg N L–1) was produced in the lignocellulose/sand layer due to soluble microbial product formation. Seasonal change (i.e., temperature variation) did not impact the effluent DON composition or its removal efficiency by NRBs, while higher concentrations of hydrophilic DON (1.7–2.5 mg N L–1) were detected in the final effluent during the summer months (16.4–22.9 °C). DON in the NRB effluent had a higher potential to stimulate algal growth than other nitrogen forms (NH4+ and NOx–), confirmed by higher chlorophyll-a concentrations observed in the bioassay tests. The results suggest the DON levels in the final effluent of an onsite wastewater treatment system shall also be considered in onsite wastewater quality management and the effluent discharge regulations.

Tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater by a novel flow constructed wetland integrated with biochar and zero-valent iron

To achieve high and stable nutrient removal efficiency for stricter discharge standards, three bench-scale integrated flow constructed wetlands (IFCWs) with different filler medium arrangements were built for tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater. We hypothesized the incorporation of biochar and zero-valent iron (ZVI) into an IFCW could enhance nutrient removal significantly. Results showed that W2 with biochar (89.1 ± 1.5%, 88.1 ± 1.1%, 75.9 ± 4.5%) and W3 with ZVI-biochar (86.4 ± 1.5%, 88.3 ± 0.7%, 91.6 ± 3.8%) had significantly higher removal efficiencies of NH4+-N, TN, and TP than that of the control group (68.8 ± 7.1%, 62.4 ± 4.6%, 68.1 ± 8.0%). Analysis of the microbial community revealed that nitrifiers such as Nitrosomonadales and Nitrospirales were enriched in W2, while denitrifiers like Rhodocyclales, Burkholderiales, Rhizobiales and Pseudomonadales were enriched in W3. Analysis of functional genes demonstrated that the biochar increased the abundance of AOB-amoA, while ZVI-biochar promoted the abundance of nosZ, nirS, nirK and hzsA. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that higher NH4+-N removal efficiency mainly resulted from the enhancement of microbial nitrification by biochar, and the improvement of NO3−-N removal efficiency was attributed to the enhanced denitrification and anammox by ZVI.

A comparison of adsorption of organic micropollutants onto activated carbon following chemically enhanced primary treatment with microsieving, direct membrane filtration and tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater

The adsorption of organic micropollutants onto powdered activated carbon (PAC) was investigated in laboratory scale based on samples from four wastewater process streams (matrices); three from a pilot-scale plant with different degrees of physicochemical treatment of municipal wastewater and one from a full-scale activated sludge plant with post-precipitation. The pilot-scale treatment consisted of chemically enhanced primary treatment with microsieving followed by direct membrane filtration as microfiltration or ultrafiltration. The results showed highest adsorption of micropollutants in the tertiary (biologically and chemically) treated wastewater and lowest adsorption in the microsieve filtrate. Adsorption of micropollutants in the direct membrane microfiltration (200 nm) permeate was generally similar to that in the direct membrane ultrafiltration (3 nm) permeate. The higher adsorption of micropollutants in the tertiary treated wastewater could be related to a lower concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and lower affinity of DOC for PAC at low dosage (<15 mg PAC/L) in this matrix. At a PAC dose of 10 mg/L, sulfamethoxazole was removed by 33% in the tertiary treated wastewater and 7% in the direct membrane microfiltration permeate. In addition to the PAC experiments, a pilot scale sand filter and a proceeding GAC filter was operated on tertiary treated wastewater from the full-scale treatment plant. Similar removal trends in the PAC and GAC experiments were observed when studying a weighted average micropollutant removal in the GAC filter and a similar dose of activated carbon for both PAC and GAC. Positively charged micropollutants were removed to a higher extent than negatively charged ones by both PAC and GAC.

하수처리수의 3차처리를 위한 고도산화법(AOP)의 적용성에 관한 연구

Ozone has been applied in combination with various processes for the tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater. However, in Korea, the ozone process is mainly employed for the reuse of tertiary treated wastewater, and an enhanced advanced oxidation process (AOP) is needed to realize the large-scale reuse of treated wastewater. In this study, various AOPs employing ozone (only ozone process, O₃+H₂O₂, O₃+UV, O₃+GAC) were used to analyze the TOC, CODcr, and color treatment efficiencies of municipal wastewater and evaluate its applicability of wastewater reuse. The O₃+H₂O₂ process showed the highest TOC removal efficiency of 62.0%, while the O₃+GAC and only ozone processes exhibited the TOC removal efficiencies of 58.9% and 59.3%, respectively. The TOC removal pattern of the O₃+UV process was similar to that of the O₃+H₂O₂ process. The TOC removal efficiency of the O₃+UV process, 61.0%, was slightly lower than that of the O₃+H₂O₂ process. The CODcr removal efficiencies of the O₃+UV and O₃+H₂O₂ processes were 75.8% and 77.0%, respectively. However, the TOC and CODcr removal efficiencies were different within the error range, so there was no significant difference in the processing efficiencies of the methods investigated. The color removal efficiencies of the O₃+UV (57.8%) and O₃+H₂O₂ (57.4%) processes were 57.8%, 57.4%. respectively and it showed similar pattern.

Monitoring of horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands for tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater

This paper explores the feasibility of the electrical resistivity (ER) method as non-invasive technique to detect dysfunctions of full-scale tertiary wastewater treatment wetlands, such as clogging, that ultimately limit the system lifetime and performance. ER measurements were carried out according to the Werner’s method on two (overloaded) horizontal subsurface wetlands (HSF-CW1 and HSF-CW2) operated in parallel since the end of 2017, while still achieving satisfactory treatment efficiencies. Layered clog-induced preferential flow pathways through the HSF-CW beds and premature deterioration of the wetland’s liner with a possible development of dead zones associated with a low/heterogeneous density of vegetation could be confirmed by analysis of ER profiles. These results suggest that the ER method is a promising and feasible technique, as simplified then adapted/adopted to local context, for better monitoring and assessment of treatment wetlands with early process failure.

Impact of EfOM in the elimination of PPCPs by UV/chlorine: Radical chemistry and toxicity bioassays

The UV/chlorine process as a potential tertiary municipal wastewater treatment alternative for removing refractory PPCPs has been widely investigated. However, the role of effluent organic matter (EfOM) on the radical chemistry and toxicity alteration is unclear. The elimination of two model PPCPs, primidone (PRM) and caffeine (CAF), by the co-exposure of UV and free chlorine was investigated to elucidate the impact of EfOM. Experimental results indicated that both •OH and reactive chlorine species (RCS) were importantly involved in the decay of PRM at acidic condition, while ClO• played dominant role at alkaline pH. The decay of CAF was dominated by ClO• under all conditions. Chlorine dose, initial contaminant concentration, solution pH, and water matrix affect the process efficiency at varying degree resulting from their specific effect on the radical speciation in the system. Presence of EfOM isolate remarkably inhibited the decay of PRM and CAF by preferentially scavenging RCS and particularly ClO•. Good correlations (linear for PRM and exponential for CAF) between UV absorbance at 254 nm and the observed pseudo first-order rate constants (k'obs) for all EfOM solutions were obtained, demonstrating the importance of aromatic moieties in inhibiting the degradation of targeted contaminants by UV/chlorine process. Degradation of PRM/CAF in reconstituted effluent spiked with the major effluent constituents (i.e., EfOM isolates, Cl-, HCO3-, and NO3-) was comparable to the results obtained with the real WWTP effluent and fit well to the correlation between k'obs and UV absorbance at 254 nm, suggesting that EfOM isolates can be used to determine the efficiency of UV/chlorine process in real effluent. EfOM serves as the main precursor of adsorbable organic chlorine in the UV/chlorine treatment. Bioassays indicated that chlorine-containing compounds could induce oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and increase the cell DNA damage. Among evaluated treatment conditions, the nature of EfOM, hydrophobic versus transphilic fraction, is likely the predominant factor affecting the cytotoxicity. Meanwhile the UV/chlorine treatment can significantly reduce the cytotoxicity of EfOM isolates. However, adding high level of selected contaminants (e.g., PRM and CAF) can inhibit this phenomenon due to the competition with reactive radicals.

Microalga-Mediated Tertiary Treatment of Municipal Wastewater: Removal of Nutrients and Pathogens

The microalgal strain Chlorella sorokiniana isolated from a waste stabilization pond was used for tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater. Three light:dark (L:D) regimes of 12:12, 16:8, and 24:0 were used for treating wastewater in microalga (A), microalga + sludge (A + S), and sludge (S) reactors. The removal of nutrients (N and P) was found to be the highest in the microalga-based reactor, with more than 80% removal of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and 1.2–5.6 log unit removal of pathogens. The addition of sludge improved chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal. Nitrifiers were found to be predominant in the A + S reactor. Algal biomass productivity was more than 280 mg/L/d in all the L:D regimes. The increase in light regime improved nutrient removal and biomass productivity in the algal reactor. Results of the kinetic study showed that (i) nitrifiers had more affinity for ammonium than microalga, and hence, most of the ammonia was oxidized to nitrate, (ii) microalga assimilated nitrate as the primary nitrogen source in the A + S reactor, and (iii) solubilization of particulate organic nitrogen originated from dead cells reduced the nitrogen removal efficiency. However, in the microalga-based reactor, the ammonium uptake was higher than nitrate uptake. Among pathogens, the removal of Salmonella and Shigella was better in the A + S reactor than in the other two reactors (microalga and sludge reactor). Additionally, the heterotrophic plate count was drastically reduced in the presence of microalga. No such drastic reduction was observed in the stand-alone sludge reactor. Kinetic modeling revealed that microalga–pathogen competition and pH-induced die-off were the two predominant factors for pathogen inactivation.

Full-scale hybrid constructed wetlands monitoring for decentralized tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater

Full-scale hybrid constructed wetlands monitoring for decentralized tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater

Ultrafiltration as tertiary treatment for municipal wastewater reuse

• The use of UF as tertiary municipal wastewater treatment for reuse was confirmed. • UF permeate quality meets last EU regulation for agricultural irrigation. • More than 91% of microplastic particles were retained by UF membrane. • Sustainable conditions were 60 min filtration time at a flux of 60 L·h −1 ·m −2 . • Air backwash showed excellent fouling removal capacity compared to classic backwash. Water reuse is an enduring topic that benefits the society and future generations of mankind. Ultrafiltration (UF) is one of the most cost-effective treatment technologies for improving water quality. In this study, a semi-industrial UF pilot plant with periodical classic backwash (CB) and air backwash (AB) was operated automatically to evaluate its feasibility and sustainability for municipal wastewater reuse and find out the optimized filtration condition. This study carried out 15 filtration conditions to investigate the impacts of flux (J in L·h −1 ·m −2 ), filtration cycle time (t in min), and air backwash frequency (BW) on membrane hydraulic filtration performance and membrane fouling management. Through comparative analysis of all conditions in water quality, permeability variation, irreversible fouling management, and water recovery rates, the sustainable conditions J80t40BW1/3 (flux of 80 L·h −1 ·m −2 , filtration cycle time of 40 min, 1 AB followed with 3 CBs), J60t60BW1/4 (flux of 60 L·h −1 ·m −2 , filtration cycle time of 60 min, 1 AB followed with 4 CBs), and J60t60BW1/3 (flux of 60 L·h −1 ·m −2 , filtration cycle time of 60 min, 1 AB followed with 3 CBs), stood out from the others with higher overall performances. Additionally, air backwash showed excellent reversibility on membrane fouling control, which was around 1.25–2 times that of CB in average. After all, long term operation on condition J60t60BW1/3 in winter and in summer confirmed that the UF system could provide sustainable and adaptable filtration performance regardless of the temperature and feed water quality. The UF permeate quality is good enough to be reused in non-potable applications as it met reuse guidelines of the World Health Organization, reuse standards of France and the most recent EU regulation for agricultural irrigation. This work confirms the great interest of UF as tertiary treatment for water reuse and gives operational indications for future industrial-scale production of reclaimed water.

Comparative evaluation of cost for preliminary and tertiary municipal wastewater treatment plants in Istanbul.

As the global economy continues to grow, the need for an economic evaluation of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is increasing. Determination of cost functions (CFs) helps to assess the costs of WWTP and to be able to reach to the satisfactory financial levels of construction and operation practices in the early phases of a project. In this study, unit capital and operation and maintenance (O&M) costs were calculated by analyzing the real capital and operation and maintenance expenditures of 16 full-scale WWTPs in Istanbul. Besides, the impacts of treatment level and capacity on costs were investigated. The unit total capital cost was found as 0.013±0.004 €/m3 and 0.054±0.009 €/m3 for preliminary and tertiary treatment, respectively, whereas the unit total O&M cost were 0.011±0.007 €/m3 and 0.077±0.021 €/m3 for preliminary and tertiary treatment, respectively. Capital (investment) costs covered 58% of the total cost in preliminary WWTPs, whereas; O&M costs had the highest share (58%) in tertiary WWTPs. The results of this study confirmed that the level of treatment considerably affected the costs of WWTPs. Moreover, the CFs were separately derived for tertiary treatment including A2O with and without digester. The CFs obtained in this study are of utmost importance to be used in the economic evaluation of the planned WWTPs and in the management of existing ones.

Deep-bed filters as post-treatment for ozonation in tertiary municipal wastewater treatment: impact of design and operation on treatment goals

The removal of organic contaminants during post-treatment with deep-bed filters after ozonation in tertiary municipal wastewater treatment can be optimised by the choice of filter material and contact time.

Correction: Deep-bed filters as post-treatment for ozonation in tertiary municipal wastewater treatment: impact of design and operation on treatment goals

Correction for ‘Deep-bed filters as post-treatment for ozonation in tertiary municipal wastewater treatment: impact of design and operation on treatment goals’ by Daniel Sauter et al., Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2021, DOI: 10.1039/d0ew00684j.

Impact of ozonation and biological post-treatment of municipal wastewater on microbiological quality parameters

Biological post-treatment after ozonation in tertiary municipal wastewater treatment significantly improves the abatement of several microbiological quality parameters.

Comparison of AOPs at pilot scale: Energy costs for micro-pollutants oxidation, disinfection by-products formation and pathogens inactivation

This work evaluated different advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) operated at pilot-scale as tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater in terms of energy efficiency, disinfection by-products formation and pathogens inactivation. Investigated AOPs included UV/H2O2, UV/Cl2, O3, O3/UV, H2O2/O3/UV, Cl2/O3/UV. AOPs were operated using various ozone doses (1.5–9 mg L−1), and UV fluences (191–981 mJ cm−2). Electrical energy costs necessary for the oxidation of contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) (i.e., carbamazepine, fluoxetine, gemfibrozil, primidone, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim) were calculated using the electrical energy per order (EEO) parameter. Ozonation resulted by far the most energy efficient process, whereas UV/H2O2 and UV/Cl2 showed the highest energy costs. Energy costs for AOPs based on the combination of UV and ozone were in the order O3/UV ≈ Cl2/O3/UV > H2O2/O3/UV, and they were significantly lower than energy costs of UV/H2O2 and UV/Cl2 processes. Cl2/O3/UV increased bromate formation, O3/UV and O3 had same levels of bromate formation, whereas H2O2/O3/UV did not form bromate. In addition, UV photolysis resulted an effective treatment for NDMA mitigation even in combination with ozone and chlorine in AOP technologies. Ozonation (doses of 1.5–6 mg L−1) was the least effective process to inactivate somatic coliphages, total coliform, escherichia coli, and enterococci. UV irradiation was able to completely inactivate somatic coliphages, total coliform, escherichia coli at low fluence (191 mJ cm−2), whereas enterococci were UV resistant. AOPs that utilized UV irradiation were the most effective processes for wastewater disinfection resulting in a complete inactivation of selected indicator organisms by low ozone dose (1.5 mg L−1) and UV fluence (191–465 mJ cm−2).

Low voltage iron electrocoagulation as a tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater: removal of enteric pathogen indicators and antibiotic-resistant bacteria

In this paper we analyse the feasibility of low voltage iron electrocoagulation as a means of municipal secondary effluent treatment with a focus on removal of microbial indicators, Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (ARB) and nutrients. A laboratory scale batch unit equipped with iron electrodes was used on synthetic and real secondary effluent from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Synthetic secondary effluent was separately assayed with spiked Escherichia coli WR1 and with bacteriophage ΦX174, while real effluent samples were screened before and after treatment for E. coli, Extended Spectrum Betalactamase-producing E. coli, Enterococci, Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci, Clostridium perfringens spores and somatic coliphages. Charge dosage (CD) and charge dosage rate (CDR) were used as the main process control parameters. Experiments with synthetic secondary effluent showed >4log10 and >5log10 removal for phage ΦX174 and for E. coli WR1, respectively. In real effluents, bacterial indicator removal exceeded 3.5log10, ARB were removed below detection limit (≥2.5log10), virus removal reached 2.3log10 and C. perfringens spore removal exceeded 2.5log10. Experiments in both real and synthetic wastewater showed that bacterial removal increased with increasing CD and decreasing CDR. Virus removal increased with increasing CD but was irresponsive to CDR. C. perfringens spore removal increased with increasing CD yet reached a removal plateau, being also irresponsive to CDR. Phosphate removal exceeded 99%, while total nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand removal were below 15% and 58%, respectively. Operational cost estimates were made for power and iron plate consumption, and were found to be in the range of 0.01 to 0.24€/m3 for the different assayed configurations. In conclusion, low voltage Fe-EC is a promising technology for pathogen reduction of secondary municipal effluents, with log10 removals comparable to those achieved by conventional disinfection methods such as chlorination, UV or ozonation.