Fenton coupled with nanofiltration for elimination of Bisphenol A

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a typical Endocrine Disrupting Chemical (EDC), which is potentially harmful during wastewater reclamation. In this study, its degradation during Fenton's process under different operational conditions was investigated in combination with subsequent nanofiltration of low concentration remnant BPA and compounds derived from oxidation. The results indicate that BPA could be degraded efficiently in aqueous phase by Fenton, even at very low hydrogen peroxide doses. The treatment of up to 300 mg/L solutions of BPA with Fenton liquor at optimal conditions resulted in its complete removal in less than 2 min. The optimal conditions were found to be pH, = 3, H2O2/BPA = 020 and Fe2+/BPA = 0.012. Five NF polymeric membranes having different properties were used for the nanofiltration of treated and non-treated solutions. The nanofiltration of BPA solutions showed that rejection is related to adsorption ability of BPA on the membrane and size exclusion mechanism. In the nanofiltration of the effluent after Fenton oxidation, high TOC, COD, colour and Fe2+ (>77%) removal were achieved, although significant membrane fouling was also observed. The normalised water flux after membrane flushing with water was lower than 60% in almost all used membranes, which indicates significant non-easily removable fouling. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

Progress in the biological and chemical treatment technologies for emerging contaminant removal from wastewater: A critical review

© 2016 Elsevier B.V. This review focuses on the removal of emerging contaminants (ECs) by biological, chemical and hybrid technologies in effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Results showed that endocrine disruption chemicals (EDCs) were better removed by membrane bioreactor (MBR), activated sludge and aeration processes among different biological processes. Surfactants, EDCs and personal care products (PCPs) can be well removed by activated sludge process. Pesticides and pharmaceuticals showed good removal efficiencies by biological activated carbon. Microalgae treatment processes can remove almost all types of ECs to some extent. Other biological processes were found less effective in ECs removal from wastewater. Chemical oxidation processes such as ozonation/H2O2, UV photolysis/H2O2 and photo-Fenton processes can successfully remove up to 100% of pesticides, beta blockers and pharmaceuticals, while EDCs can be better removed by ozonation and UV photocatalysis. Fenton process was found less effective in the removal of any types of ECs. A hybrid system based on ozonation followed by biological activated carbon was found highly efficient in the removal of pesticides, beta blockers and pharmaceuticals. A hybrid ozonation-ultrasound system can remove up to 100% of many pharmaceuticals. Future research directions to enhance the removal of ECs have been elaborated

Cyclophosphamide removal from water by nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membrane

The rejection of cyclophosphamide (CP) by nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes from ultrapure (Milli-Q) water and membrane bioreactor (MBR) effluent was investigated. Lyophilization–extraction and detection methods were first developed for CP analysis in different water matrices. Experimental results showed that the RO membrane provided excellent rejection (>90%) under all operating conditions. Conversely, efficiency of CP rejection by NF membrane was poor: in the range of 20–40% from Milli-Q water and around 60% from MBR effluent. Trans-membrane pressure, initial CP concentration and ionic strength of the feed solution had almost no effect on CP retention by NF. On the other hand, the water matrix proved to have a great influence: CP rejection rate by NF was clearly enhanced when MBR effluent was used as the background solution. Membrane fouling and interactions between the CP and water matrix appeared to contribute to the higher rejection of CP

Use of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis in reclaiming micro-filtered biologically treated sewage effluent for irrigation

Micro-filtered, biologically treated sewage effluent (BTSE) generally has high sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl) concentrations. Therefore it cannot be directly used for irrigating sensitive crops. A study was conducted on a micro-filtered BTSE from a Sydney water treatment plant to determine whether the BTSE can be treated using nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) to bring these risk parameters within safety limits. The study showed that using NF and RO alone could not produce the required ratio of SAR. Furthermore, NF alone did not remove the necessary levels of Na and Cl ions while RO did. However, blending equal proportions of NF permeate and RO permeate obtained from a two stages hybrid treatment system consisting of NF followed by RO resulted in a product quality suitable for irrigation in terms of the above mentioned risk factors. Utilizing NF prior to RO reduced the RO membrane fouling as well. Both NF and RO removed most of the pharmaceutical and personal care products from the feed water and this may subsequently protect soil and ground water from potential hazards

Hospital Wastewater: Prediction of Contaminant Characteristics and the Possibility of Hybrid Membrane Process

Hospital as one of the possible causes of water pollutants containing infectious, pathogens, toxic, biodegradable, radioactive contaminants, pharmaceutical product that can be a hazard agent in the environment. Wastewater treatment plant owned hospitals generally have not been able to eliminate with either of these compounds. National estimates of production wastewater 48.985,70 tons/day, which the total of hospitals in Indonesia as 2.410 hospitals with beds 295.035. The focus of hospital wastewater treatment in Indonesia is basically accordance with government regulations for reducing the chemical, physical, biological and radioactive materials from the wastewater. Climate of Indonesia is located in tropical regions may be produce additional types and other characteristics of wastewater. The Objective of this study to give an overview study of the new pollutant types of contaminants that require special processing through a hybrid membrane technology. The method used in this research were study literature of any membrane process in other countries and investigation of secondary data from multiple hospitals in Indonesia to determine the wastewater characteristics with government regulation. The study of result showed the characteristics of hospital wastewater of tropical region to provide suggestions scientifically for improvements government regulations that are currently used in Indonesia. The other result of this study can provide a picture of hybrid membrane technology in reducing the special waste with optimum process

A review of polymeric membranes and processes for potable water reuse

Conventional water resources in many regions are insufficient to meet the water needs of growing populations, thus reuse is gaining acceptance as a method of water supply augmentation. Recent advancements in membrane technology have allowed for the reclamation of municipal wastewater for the production of drinking water, i.e., potable reuse. Although public perception can be a challenge, potable reuse is often the least energy-intensive method of providing additional drinking water to water stressed regions. A variety of membranes have been developed that can remove water contaminants ranging from particles and pathogens to dissolved organic compounds and salts. Typically, potable reuse treatment plants use polymeric membranes for microfiltration or ultrafiltration in conjunction with reverse osmosis and, in some cases, nanofiltration. Membrane properties, including pore size, wettability, surface charge, roughness, thermal resistance, chemical stability, permeability, thickness and mechanical strength, vary between membranes and applications. Advancements in membrane technology including new membrane materials, coatings, and manufacturing methods, as well as emerging membrane processes such as membrane bioreactors, electrodialysis, and forward osmosis have been developed to improve selectivity, energy consumption, fouling resistance, and/or capital cost. The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive summary of the role of polymeric membranes and process components in the treatment of wastewater to potable water quality and to highlight recent advancements and needs in separation processes. Beyond membranes themselves, this review covers the background and history of potable reuse, and commonly used potable reuse process chains, pretreatment steps, and advanced oxidation processes. Key trends in membrane technology include novel configurations, materials, and fouling prevention techniques. Challenges still facing membrane-based potable reuse applications, including chemical and biological contaminant removal, membrane fouling, and public perception, are highlighted as areas in need of further research and development. Keywords: Potable reuse; Polymeric membranes; Reverse osmosis; Filtration; Fouling; Revie

Removal of Carbamazepine from Drinking Water

Due to the increasing prevalence of prescription medication over the past few decades, pharmaceuticals have accumulated in various water sources. This has become a public health concern because many pharmaceuticals have limited research on the effects of chronic low-level exposure. According to the World’s Health Organization (WHO), traces of pharmaceuticals products have been reported in different water sources such as surface waters, wastewater, groundwater, and drinking water.[1] One pharmaceutical of interest that has been detected in water sources is carbamazepine. Carbamazepine is a common pharmaceutical prescribed for the treatment of seizure disorders, neuropathic pain, and various psychological disorders. It’s mechanism of action is “sodium channel blocking,” which is the impairment of conduction of sodium ions in sodium channels. This, in effect, reduces nervous-system conductivity in key areas related to the treated disorders mentioned above.[2] Carbamazepine is also not easily biodegradable and current conventional treatment methods in some drinking water and wastewater facilities do not adequately remove carbamazepine and other pharmaceuticals from treated water. While carbamazepine is not federally regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Safe Water Drinking Act (SWDA) at this time, it does have the potential for producing adverse health effects in humans. Therefore, being proactive in finding ways to remove carbamazepine and compounds like it should be encouraged. The Carbamaza-Clean team designed a bench scale unit as well as an in-home treatment system using granular activated carbon (GAC) to effectively remove carbamazepine from water. GAC was chosen for this design because it is inexpensive and does not create byproducts that are harmful to human health. Several experiments were conducted to determine the efficiency of the removal of carbamazepine using two different GACs: coconut shell GAC (CSGAC) and bituminous coal GAC (BGAC). A packed bed column was constructed to determine if both carbons could reduce the concentration of carbamazepine from 1 ppm to 1 ppb or lower. The CSGAC packed bed was able to lower the concentration below 1 ppb at a packed bed length of 4.4 ft, while the BGAC only required half that (2.2 ft). Both carbons can remove carbamazepine to the desired concentration; however, the costs vary. An economic analysis was performed to determine the costs of the carbons. The CSGAC system would cost $990 for the first year and$589.68 for each following year. The BGAC system would cost $639 for the first two years, and then$200 every two years following the initial capital investment

Effluent organic matter (EfOM) in wastewater: Constituents, effects, and treatment

Wastewater reuse is being increasingly emphasized as a strategy for conservation of limited resources of freshwater and as a mean of safeguarding the aquatic environment due to contaminants present in wastewater. Although secondary and tertiary treated wastewater is often discharged into surface waters, it cannot be reused without further treatment. One of the parameters of concern for human and environmental health is components of organic matter originating from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents. This effluent organic matter (EfOM) should be carefully characterized in order to find an optimum treatment method for water reuse. This review presents the components of EfOM present in WWTP effluents and various treatment methods that may be employed for reduction of EfOM. These processes include flocculation, adsorption, biofiltration, ion exchange, advanced oxidation process, and membrane technology. The removal efficiency is discussed in terms of removal of total organic carbon, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), different polarity fractions (such as hydrophobic and hydrophilic), and molecular weight distribution of organic matter. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

A comprehensive review of hybrid forward osmosis systems: Performance, applications and future prospects

© 2015 Elsevier B.V. Forward osmosis (FO) has been increasingly studied in the past decade for its potential as an emerging low-energy water and wastewater treatment process. However, the term "low-energy" may only be suitable for those applications in where no further treatment of the draw solution (DS) is required either in the form of pretreatment or post-treatment to the FO process (e.g. where the diluted DS is the targeted final product which can be used directly or simply discarded). In most applications, FO has to be coupled with another separation process in a so-called hybrid FO system to either separate the DS from the final product water or to be used as an advanced pre-treatment process to conventional desalination technologies. The additional process increases the capital cost as well as the energy demand of the overall system which is one of the several challenges that hybrid FO systems need to overcome to compete with other separation technologies. Yet, there are some applications where hybrid FO systems can outperform conventional processes and this study aims to provide a comprehensive review on the current state of hybrid FO systems. The recent development and performance of hybrid FO systems in different applications have been reported. This review also highlights the future research directions for the current hybrid FO systems to achieve successful implementation