Treatment of wastewater effluents using nanofiltration and low pressure UV photolysis to produce high quality water for food production

Agriculture irrigation accounts for approximately 70 % of all water withdrawals. Climate change and the increase in human population will lead to a higher food and water demand. Hence, it is crucial to explore new water sources for agriculture irrigation, such as the reuse of wastewater effluents. Prior to irrigation with wastewater effluents, it is important to evaluate the potential uptake of contaminants by food crops. In this case study, different water sources (three wastewater effluents with different qualities and tap water) were used for the irrigation of raspberries, selected due to their high water demand, rapid fruiting cycle, health benefits, and commercial value. Antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, meropenem and ampicillin) were targeted due to their widespread clinical use, environmental persistence, and potential to promote antimicrobial resistance. Moreover, water quality indicators total coliforms, Escherichia coli and enterococci as well as Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistant to different antibiotics were monitored in the different irrigation waters over a five-month irrigation period. The combination of nanofiltration and UV photolysis produced high-quality water for irrigation. UV photolysis was tested to further treat the permeate and retentate samples from a nanofiltration process. When ciprofloxacin was present in the permeate samples, after exposure to UV photolysis using a low-pressure mercury lamp, the antibiotic was not detected. In the highly concentrated retentate samples, 57 % of ciprofloxacin and 31 % of levofloxacin were degraded while all the target bacteria were inactivated successfully by UV photolysis, with logarithmic inactivation's higher than 4. Analytical methods were also used for the detection of the target contaminants in the solid matrices and the potential uptake of the target contaminants by the fruits and leaves was evaluated. The target antibiotics were not detected in the fresh fruits and leaves at levels above the detection limit of 10 µg/kg. This short-term research study encompasses wastewater treatment plant effluent characterization, advanced treatment through nanofiltration and UV photolysis, and the subsequent reuse of treated water for crop irrigation, providing a comprehensive evaluation of wastewater reuse as a sustainable solution to meet the growing demands for water in agriculture.

Descrição

Palavras-chave

Antibiotic contaminants Internalization in fruits and leaves Irrigation study Occurrence in water Pilot-scale treatment Wastewater reuse Environmental Engineering Civil and Structural Engineering Ecological Modelling Water Science and Technology Waste Management and Disposal Pollution SDG 2 - Zero Hunger SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being SDG 13 - Climate Action

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10362/201602

DOI

10.1016/j.watres.2025.124782

Coleções

Home collection (FCT)

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