Implementation of advanced micropollutants removal technologies in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) - Examples and challenges based on selected EU countries

Kosek, Klaudia; Łuczkiewicz, Aneta; Fudala-Książek, Sylwia; Jankowska, Katarzyna; Szopińska, Małgorzata; Svahn, Ola; Tränckner, Jens; Kaiser, Alena; Langas, V.; Björklund, Erland

doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2020.06.011

Cited by 92 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…They were stepwise followed by biological treatment (BOD-removal, around 1900) and nutrient removal (nitrification, phosphorus precipitation, denitrification, since the 1960s). In the 1990s, micropollutants and endocrine disruptors moved to the focus, and some highly industrialized countries are now removing them, e.g., by using active carbon filtration [15]. Since about 2010, microplastics are increasingly gaining attention.…”

Section: Design Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Redefining Ecological Engineering in the Context of Circular Economy and Sustainable Development

Schönborn

Junge

2021

Circ.Econ.Sust.

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In the past decades, the search for a more sustainable way of global development has increased in importance in international politics and economy. A driving force is the continuing degradation of the environment in many areas of the world, often caused or accelerated by population growth and climate change. Sustainable development is seen as key approach to mitigate these processes. It has been defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” But how can this ambitious goal be achieved in the light of numerous global challenges? Engineering is a very influential human practice and must be addressed in this context. Engineers are crucially involved in design and construction of our built environment and thus in shaping almost its entire development. However, when designing a solution for a given problem, effects caused outside of the system borders are often not considered. If this is combined with a narrowly confined linear problem-solving approach, it is inherently prone to create new environmental challenges. We postulate that the development of a new design paradigm for engineering must be part of the progress towards sustainable development. We think that this new paradigm needs to integrate a sound understanding of ecological principles, processes, and interdependencies as well as thorough system thinking. We call this ecology-inspired approach to engineering “ecological engineering” and redefine it as follows: Ecological Engineering integrates ecological principles, processes, and organisms with existing engineering practice to a holistic approach for problem-solving. In this paper, we explore the historical development of earlier definitions of Ecological Engineering in the light of their underlying value systems. Based on this analysis, we propose a new conceptual approach for Ecological Engineering and define seven principles that point the way towards a future label that can be conferred to Good Ecological Engineering Practice.

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Section: Design Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Redefining Ecological Engineering in the Context of Circular Economy and Sustainable Development

Schönborn

Junge

2021

Circ.Econ.Sust.

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“…In addition to the conventional applications of activated carbon, such as adsorbent materials [1][2][3], removal of heavy metals [4,5], electrochemical capacitors [6,7], energy storage [8,9] and catalyst carriers [10,11], ultrafine activated carbon can be applied in the pharmaceutical field as a negative carrier for the slow release of drugs [12,13], or removing facial impurities, detoxifying, and relieving inflammation [14,15]. Xu [16] used ultrafine coal-based activated carbon (UCAC) obtained by grinding granular coal-based activated carbon with filter water, and achieved a total organic carbon removal rate of 82%, which was a 50% increase over coal-based activated carbon (CAC).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Simulation Comparison of Two Ultrafine Coal-Based Activated Carbons for the Removal of Methylene Blue from Water

et al. 2022

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Coal-based activated carbons (CACs) have excellent valuable applications, and have been industrially produced. However, ultra-fine coal-based activated carbons (UCACs) and their removal of methylene blue (MB) have rarely been reported in the present literature. Two kinds of UCACs were obtained in this paper and the adsorption test of MB was carried out. The adsorption performance of MB on UCAC was simulated by Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GC-MC) method. The experimental results were validated by molecular simulation, and the adsorption mechanism was investigated. The adsorption amount of MB, the d50, and specific surface area values of the UCACnew (obtained by the new method) and UCACcm (obtained by the conventional chemical method) were 746.95 mg/g, 12.54 μm, 1225.36 m2/g and 652.77 mg/g, 12.10 μm, 713.76 m2/g, respectively. The results of the molecular simulation calculations were consistent with the pattern of magnitude of the experimental results. The peak of the adsorption concentration occurred near 6 Å on the pore surface. The interaction energy of MB molecules with carboxyl groups was much larger than with hydroxyl groups. Van der Waals forces dominated the adsorption process, with a contribution of >60% in both cases.

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“…WWTPs are an important source for the entry of TOrCs; therefore, engineering solutions to improve the removal of TOrCs are needed. Recently, advanced physico-chemical treatment options such as ozonation and activated carbon have been developed and applied at full scale (Kosek et al, 2020). In addition, membrane filtration options and advance oxidation processes are also able to efficiently remove TOrCs but are cost intensive (Kanaujiya et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Biomass, Composition, and Functions Are Responsible for the Differential Removal of Trace Organic Chemicals in Biofiltration Systems: A Batch Study

Cao¹,

Wolff²,

Liguori³

et al. 2022

Front. Water

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Biofiltration processes help to remove trace organic chemicals (TOrCs) both in wastewater and drinking water treatment systems. However, the detailed TOrCs biotransformation mechanisms as well as the underlying drivers behind the variability of site specific transformation processes remain elusive. In this study, we used laboratory batch incubations to investigate the biotransformation of 51 TOrCs in eight bioactive filter materials of different origins treating a range of waters, from wastewater effluents to drinking water. Microscopy, 16S rRNA amplicon and whole metagenome sequencing for assessing associations between the biotransformation rate constants, microbial composition and genetic potential complemented chemical analysis. We observed strong differences in the mean global removal of TOrCs between the individual sand filters (−1.4–58%), which were mirrored in overall biomass, microbial community composition, and enzyme encoding genes. From the six investigated biomass markers, ATP turned out to be a major predictor of the mean global biotransformation rate, while compound specific biotransformations were correlated with the microbial community composition. High biomass ecosystems were indicated in our systems by a dominance of Nitrospirae, but individual TOrC biotransformation showed a correlation with rare taxa (<2%) such as Hydrogenophaga, or individual functions such as the enoyl-CoA hydratase/3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase encoding genes. In general, this study provides new insights into so far rarely addressed variability of TOrCs biotransformation. We propose potential novel biological indicators for the removal performance of TOrCs in biofiltration systems, highlighting the role of living biomass in predicting and normalizing the global transformation, and the role of the microbial community for the individual transformation of TOrCs in engineered and natural systems.

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Implementation of advanced micropollutants removal technologies in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) - Examples and challenges based on selected EU countries

Cited by 92 publications

References 11 publications

Redefining Ecological Engineering in the Context of Circular Economy and Sustainable Development

Redefining Ecological Engineering in the Context of Circular Economy and Sustainable Development

Molecular Simulation Comparison of Two Ultrafine Coal-Based Activated Carbons for the Removal of Methylene Blue from Water

Microbial Biomass, Composition, and Functions Are Responsible for the Differential Removal of Trace Organic Chemicals in Biofiltration Systems: A Batch Study

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