Occurrence of Selected Emerging Contaminants in Southern Europe WWTPs: Comparison of Simulations and Real Data

Abstract

Emerging contaminants (ECs) include a diverse group of compounds not commonly monitored in wastewaters, which have become a global concern due to their potential harmful effects on aquatic ecosystems and human health. In the present work, six ECs (ibuprofen, diclofenac, erythromycin, triclosan, imidacloprid and 17α-ethinylestradiol) were monitored for nine months in influents and effluents taken from four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Except for the case of ibuprofen, which was in all cases in lower concentrations than those usually found in previous works, results found in this work were within the ranges normally reported. Global removal efficiencies were calculated, in each case being very variable, even when the same EC and facility were considered. In addition, the SimpleTreat model was tested by comparing simulated and real ibuprofen, diclofenac and erythromycin data. The best agreement was obtained for ibuprofen which was the EC with the highest removal efficiencies.

Cocoa Bean Shell: A By-Product with High Potential for Nutritional and Biotechnological Applications

“…Emerging pollutants, including heavy metal ions, industrial dyes, microplastics and pharmaceutical compounds, imply environmental concerns, which are mainly related to water pollution. Several technologies have been employed to remove emerging pollutants from wastewater, such as ozonation, chlorination, biodegradation and adsorption [111][112][113][114][115]. Among them, adsorption with activated carbons has been extensively applied due to several advantages, including ease of operation, lower operating costs compared to other methods and high removal efficiency [116,117].…”