Techno-economic evaluation and comparison of PAC-MBR and ozonation-UV revamping for organic micro-pollutants removal from urban reclaimed wastewater

The presence of sewage-borne Organic Micro-Pollutants (OMP) in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP) effluents represents an increasing concern when water is reclaimed for irrigation or even indirect potable reuse. During eighteen months, an innovative hybrid water reclamation scheme based on a Membrane Biological Reactor (MBR) enhanced with Powder Activated Carbon (PAC) was operated at pilot-scale (70 m3/d) in order to compare it with state-of-the art Wastewater Reclamation System (WWRS) also revamped with a final step of ozonation-UV. Removal of persistent OMP, water quality and treatment costs were evaluated and compared for the different treatment schemes. OMP removal efficiency results for the different schemes concluded that established technologies, such as physico-chemical and filtration systems as well as MBR, do not remove significantly (>15%) the most recalcitrant compounds. The upgrading of these two systems through the addition of ozonation-UV step and PAC dosing allowed improving average recalcitrant OMP removal to 85±2 and 75±5 %, respectively. In term of costs, PAC-MBR represents an increase of 37 % of costs regarding conventional systems but presents improvements of 50 % reduction in space and water quality. On the other hand, ozonation requires up to a 15% increase of foot-print; nevertheless, represents lower costs and lower carbon footprint. Ozonation-UV seems to be the best option for upgrading existing facilities, while PAC- MBR should be considered when space represents a critical limitation and produced water is reused for high water quality purposes.Postprint (author's final draft

What's in the water? – Target and suspect screening of contaminants of emerging concern in raw water and drinking water from Europe and Asia

There is growing worry that drinking water can be affected by contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), potentially threatening human health. In this study, a wide range of CECs ( n = 177), including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and other compounds, were analysed in raw water and in drinking water collected from drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in Europe and Asia ( n = 13). The impact of human activities was reflected in large numbers of compounds detected ( n = 115) and high variation in concentrations in the raw water (range 15-7995 ng L & minus;1 for E177 CECs). The variation was less pronounced in drinking water, with total concentration ranging from 35 to 919 ng L & minus;1 . Treatment efficiency was on average 65 +/- 28%, with wide variation between different DWTPs. The DWTP with the highest ECEC concentrations in raw water had the most efficient treatment procedure (average treatment efficiency 89%), whereas the DWTP with the lowest E177 CEC concentration in the raw water had the lowest average treatment efficiency (2.3%). Suspect screening was performed for 500 compounds ranked high as chemicals of concern for drinking water, using a prioritisation tool (SusTool). Overall, 208 features of interest were discovered and three were confirmed with reference standards. There was co-variation between removal efficiency in DWTPs for the target compounds and the suspected features detected using suspect screening, implying that removal of known contaminants can be used to predict overall removal of potential CECs for drinking water production. Our results can be of high value for DWTPs around the globe in their planning for future treatment strategies to meet the increasing concern about human ex-posure to unknown CECs present in their drinking water.(c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

TFG 2014/2015

Amb aquesta publicació, EINA, Centre universitari de Disseny i Art adscrit a la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, dóna a conèixer el recull dels Treballs de Fi de Grau presentats durant el curs 2014-2015. Voldríem que un recull com aquest donés una idea més precisa de la tasca que es realitza a EINA per tal de formar nous dissenyadors amb capacitat de respondre professionalment i intel·lectualment a les necessitats i exigències de la nostra societat. El treball formatiu s’orienta a oferir resultats que responguin tant a paràmetres de rigor acadèmic i capacitat d’anàlisi del context com a l’experimentació i la creació de nous llenguatges, tot fomentant el potencial innovador del disseny.Con esta publicación, EINA, Centro universitario de diseño y arte adscrito a la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, da a conocer la recopilación de los Trabajos de Fin de Grado presentados durante el curso 2014-2015. Querríamos que una recopilación como ésta diera una idea más precisa del trabajo que se realiza en EINA para formar nuevos diseñadores con capacidad de responder profesional e intelectualmente a las necesidades y exigencias de nuestra sociedad. El trabajo formativo se orienta a ofrecer resultados que respondan tanto a parámetros de rigor académico y capacidad de análisis, como a la experimentación y la creación de nuevos lenguajes, al tiempo que se fomenta el potencial innovador del diseño.With this publication, EINA, University School of Design and Art, affiliated to the Autonomous University of Barcelona, brings to the public eye the Final Degree Projects presented during the 2014-2015 academic year. Our hope is that this volume might offer a more precise idea of the task performed by EINA in training new designers, able to speak both professionally and intellectually to the needs and demands of our society. The educational task is oriented towards results that might respond to the parameters of academic rigour and the capacity for contextual analysis, as well as to considerations of experimentation and the creation of new languages, all the while reinforcing design’s innovative potential

Characterisation of organic foulants on full-scale UF membranes during filtration, backwash and chemical cleaning episodes

Understanding organic fouling on ultrafiltration (UF) membranes during water filtration and cleaning episodes has become one of the major factors driving UF technology forward. The aim of this study was to quantify and characterise the organic foulants on an UF membrane at a full-scale drinking water treatment plant when it is fed with surface water and groundwater with different dissolved organic carbon (DOC) contents. DOC characterisation was performed by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography and fluorescence excitation–emission matrix (FEEM). The masses of DOC (and its fractions) retained by the membrane over a whole filtration period (and detached during cleaning episodes) were calculated through mass balances. Under river water feeding conditions, DOC was retained by 22%, being biopolymers the most retained DOC fraction (59%), followed by humic substances (17%) and other minor organic fractions. Routine backwashing resulted in the detachment of only 8% of the total mass of DOC retained, with biopolymers as the most detached fraction (27%). Within biopolymers, proteins appeared to contribute more to hydraulically irreversible fouling than polysaccharides. Under groundwater feeding conditions, no apparent retention of DOC was observed. FEEM analyses showed neither significant removal of fluorescent components during filtration nor detachment from the UF membrane during routine backwashing

Characterisation of organic foulants on full-scale UF membranes during filtration, backwash and chemical cleaning episodes

Understanding organic fouling on ultrafiltration (UF) membranes during water filtration and cleaning episodes has become one of the major factors driving UF technology forward. The aim of this study was to quantify and characterise the organic foulants on an UF membrane at a full-scale drinking water treatment plant when it is fed with surface water and groundwater with different dissolved organic carbon (DOC) contents. DOC characterisation was performed by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography and fluorescence excitation–emission matrix (FEEM). The masses of DOC (and its fractions) retained by the membrane over a whole filtration period (and detached during cleaning episodes) were calculated through mass balances. Under river water feeding conditions, DOC was retained by 22%, being biopolymers the most retained DOC fraction (59%), followed by humic substances (17%) and other minor organic fractions. Routine backwashing resulted in the detachment of only 8% of the total mass of DOC retained, with biopolymers as the most detached fraction (27%). Within biopolymers, proteins appeared to contribute more to hydraulically irreversible fouling than polysaccharides. Under groundwater feeding conditions, no apparent retention of DOC was observed. FEEM analyses showed neither significant removal of fluorescent components during filtration nor detachment from the UF membrane during routine backwashing

Hybrid sorption and pressure-driven membrane technologies for organic micropollutants removal in advanced water reclamation: A techno-economic assessment

The persistence of certain organic-micropollutants (OMP) in conventional wastewater and reclamation treatments represents a growing concern due to its associated uncertain effects on human health and the environment. This issue highlights the need to resort to advanced treatment technologies to ensure the maximum removal of these compounds. A prototype (1.5–2 m3/h) based on the combination of powdered activated carbon (PAC) with tight ultrafiltration (UF) membranes was operated in El Baix Llobregat Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) for 18 months. Its performance was compared from a technical and economic point of view with the current full-scale ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis system (UF-RO with 50% blend). The application of a PAC concentration of 20 mg/L and its separation with UF membrane resulted in an average removal up to 81 ± 13% of the most recalcitrant OMP detected (Carbamazepine (CBZ), Diuron (DIU), Diclofenac (DCF), Erythromycin (ERY) and Sulphametoxazole (SMX)), while in UF-RO (50% blend), the average removal was 55 ± 11%. PAC-tight UF presented promising advantages for when these post-treatments need to be implemented in inland WRP and where brine management can represent a drawback. Moreover, PAC-tight UF presents 22% higher Operational Expenditures (OPEX) than UF-RO (50% blend), although in terms of Capital Expenditure (CAPEX), it appears as the less expensive option.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Techno-economic evaluation and comparison of PAC-MBR and ozonation-UV revamping for organic micro-pollutants removal from urban reclaimed wastewater

The presence of sewage-borne Organic Micro-Pollutants (OMP) in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP) effluents represents an increasing concern when water is reclaimed for irrigation or even indirect potable reuse. During eighteen months, an innovative hybrid water reclamation scheme based on a Membrane Biological Reactor (MBR) enhanced with Powder Activated Carbon (PAC) was operated at pilot-scale (70 m3/d) in order to compare it with state-of-the art Wastewater Reclamation System (WWRS) also revamped with a final step of ozonation-UV. Removal of persistent OMP, water quality and treatment costs were evaluated and compared for the different treatment schemes. OMP removal efficiency results for the different schemes concluded that established technologies, such as physico-chemical and filtration systems as well as MBR, do not remove significantly (>15%) the most recalcitrant compounds. The upgrading of these two systems through the addition of ozonation-UV step and PAC dosing allowed improving average recalcitrant OMP removal to 85±2 and 75±5 %, respectively. In term of costs, PAC-MBR represents an increase of 37 % of costs regarding conventional systems but presents improvements of 50 % reduction in space and water quality. On the other hand, ozonation requires up to a 15% increase of foot-print; nevertheless, represents lower costs and lower carbon footprint. Ozonation-UV seems to be the best option for upgrading existing facilities, while PAC- MBR should be considered when space represents a critical limitation and produced water is reused for high water quality purposes

Investigative monitoring of pesticide and nitrogen pollution sources in a complex multi-stressed catchment: The lower Llobregat River basin case study (Barcelona, Spain)

The management of the anthropogenic water cycle must ensure the preservation of the quality and quantity of water resources and their careful allocation to the different uses. Protection of water resources requires the control of pollution sources that may deteriorate them. This is a challenging task in multi-stressed catchments. This work presents an approach that combines pesticide occurrence patterns and stable isotope analyses of nitrogen (δ15N-NO3−, δ15N-NH4+), oxygen (δ18O-NO3−), and boron (δ11B) to discriminate the origin of pesticides and nitrogen-pollution to tackle this challenge. The approach has been applied to a Mediterranean sub-catchment subject to a variety of natural and anthropogenic pressures. Combining the results from both analytical approaches in selected locations of the basin, the urban/industrial activity was identified as the main pressure on the quality of the surface water resources, and to a large extent also on the groundwater resources, although agriculture may play also an important role, mainly in terms of nitrate and ammonium pollution. Total pesticide concentrations in surface waters were one order of magnitude higher than in groundwaters and believed to originate mainly from soil and/or sediments desorption processes and urban and industrial use, as they were mainly associated with treated wastewaters. These findings were supported by the stable isotope results that pointed to an organic origin of nitrate in surface waters and most groundwater samples. Ammonium pollution observed in some aquifer locations is probably generated by nitrate reduction. Overall, no significant attenuation processes could be inferred for nitrate pollution. The approach presented here exemplifies the investigative monitoring envisioned in the Water Framework Directive.This work has received funding from the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme through the WaterProtect project (grant agreement No. 727450), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Project CEX2018-000794-S), and the Generalitat de Catalunya (Consolidated Research Group 2017 SGR 01404-Water and Soil Quality Unit).Peer reviewe