Powdered activated carbon as a tertiary treatment for pharmaceuticals and polycyclic musk fragrances removal from domestic wastewaters

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs), such as polycyclic musk fragrances (PMFs), are a heterogeneous and commonly-used group of chemicals. Discharges of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), not optimized for the removal of these persistent compounds, can be relevant sources of PPCPs for the aquatic environment. PPCPs are biologically active and may pose a risk for human health and the environment. Among EU Member States, Italy registered the highest consumption of PMFs, with a consequent release in large amounts into the aquatic environment. Usually, to improve the removal of organic micropollutants from wastewaters, different advanced treatments may be applied. Among them, technologies based on powdered activated carbon (PAC) adsorption as additional removal process emerged in recent years due to their effective performance. The aim of our study, carried out within the framework of PerFORMWATER 2030 project co-founded by Regione Lombardia, was to evaluate the application of PAC in an Actiflo® Carb (patented Veolia technology) pilot plant for the removal of PPCPs in a WWTP located in northern Italy. Since removal efficiency depends on different parameters, including characteristics and dosed amount of PAC, adsorbate-adsorbent contact time, adsorbent retention time, molecular structure and properties of contaminants, concentration of organic matter in wastewater, an extensive experimental campaign was performed for assessing the influence of operating conditions and wastewater characteristics. In detail, following ranges of operating conditions were studied on two types of PAC: PAC dosage 5-20 mg/L, system PAC concentration 0.2-1 g/L, wastewater flowrate 6-9 m3/