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Integrated Assessment for Steroid Hormones Removal from Wastewater using Peracetic Acid and Drinking Water Treatment Residuals
Publication . Dias, Rita Alexandra de Jesus Marques; Rosa, Rita; Diniz, Mário
The presence of emerging pollutants (EPs) in wastewater has become a growing concern over the past two decades, due to the harmful effects that these pollutants can have on ecosystems. Among the various EPs, which can be of anthropogenic and/or natural origin, endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) are particularly important, both due to their associated negative effects on organisms and their widespread presence in wastewater, which has been documented globally. The primary concern surrounding these compounds in aquatic environments is their ability to interfere with the endocrine system of aquatic organisms, even at concentrations in the ng/L range. This effect on the endocrine system can lead to modifications in the normal reproduction pattern, in the morphological early development stages and physiological regulation. Among the EDCs group, steroid hormones such as 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), 17β-estradiol (E2), and estrone (E1) are the main source of estrogenic activity in wastewater treatment effluents, posing a significant risk to aquatic life and the related ecosystem services. This thesis addressed the knowledge gap surrounding two advanced wastewater treatment systems for the removal of selected EPs (E1, E2 and EE2) in an economically and environmentally sustainable way, to promote safe wastewater reuse. The first advanced wastewater treatment system involved an adsorption process using drinking water treatment residuals with high activated carbon content (DWTR), a by-product of the drinking water treatment systems, also known as sludge. The second advanced wastewater treatment system was based on advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), using an alternative oxidizing agent, peracetic acid (PAA), to remove the selected EPs and disinfect the wastewater for its safe reuse. In the DWTR preliminary adsorption assessment study, under laboratory conditions, it was shown that this material, without any pre-treatment, removed the selected EPs, with an efficiency of over 90 %. The second advanced wastewater treatment system tested the efficiency of PAA in removing E1, E2 and EE2 and its disinfection performance. This study was performed in a pilot-scale installation, assembled after the secondary treatment in a real wastewater treatment plant. Under the operational condition of 15 mg PAA/L and 15 minutes of contact time, PAA reached a removal efficiency of over 85% (the maximum removal efficiency) for the target EPs. The results also indicated that temperature and Escherichia coli content influence PAA's performance, highlighting the need to account for this variability. Additionally, the results of PAA performance on disinfection, indicated that the same operational condition reached the second-highest water quality class established by the Regulation (EU) 2020/741 on water reuse. The assessment of the control parameters, es-tablished in the Regulation (EU) indicated that PAA does not interfere with total suspended solids (TSS) or with turbidity concentrations. Although PAA leads, as expected, to an increase in the biological oxygen demand (BOD5) value, this increment does not preclude the possibility of wastewater reuse. This thesis has contributed to the integrated assessment for the removal of steroid hormones from wastewater through more sustainable treatment systems, considering the challenges of wastewater reuse and the principles of the circular economy applied to the water sector.
Study of the Potential of Water Treatment Sludges in the Removal of Emerging Pollutants
Publication . Dias, Rita; Sousa, Diogo; Bernardo, Maria; Matos, Inês; Fonseca, Isabel Maria F. L.; Vale Cardoso, Vitor; Neves Carneiro, Rui; Silva, Sofia; Fontes, Pedro; Daam, Michiel A.; Maurício, Rita; CENSE - Centro de Investigação em Ambiente e Sustentabilidade; LAQV@REQUIMTE; MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Presently, water quantity and quality problems persist both in developed and developing countries, and concerns have been raised about the presence of emerging pollutants (EPs) in water. The circular economy provides ways of achieving sustainable resource management that can be implemented in the water sector, such as the reuse of drinking water treatment sludges (WTSs). This study evaluated the potential of WTS containing a high concentration of activated carbon for the removal of two EPs: the steroid hormones 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2). To this end, WTSs from two Portuguese water treatment plants (WTPs) were characterised and tested for their hormone adsorbance potential. Both WTSs showed a promising adsorption potential for the two hormones studied due to their textural and chemical properties. For WTS1, the final concentration for both hormones was lower than the limit of quantification (LOQ). As for WTS2, the results for E2 removal were similar to WTS1, although for EE2, the removal efficiency was lower (around 50%). The overall results indicate that this method may lead to new ways of using this erstwhile residue as a possible adsorbent material for the removal of several EPs present in wastewaters or other matrixes, and as such contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets.
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Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
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OE
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SFRH/BD/148793/2019