Fate of pharmaceuticals and their transformation products in integrated membrane systems for wastewater reclamation

Abstract

The removal of pharmaceuticals (PhACs) present in urban wastewater by membrane bioreactors (MBRs) followed by reverse osmosis (RO) or nanofiltration (NF) membranes has been frequently addressed in the literature. However, data regarding the removal of their main human metabolites and transformation products (TPs) is still scarce. In this study, the presence of 13 PhACs and 20 of their metabolites and TPs was monitored during 2 consecutive years in the different treatment steps of urban raw wastewater (sewer, primary treatment, MBR and RO/NF). Rejection of the selected contaminants when using low pressure NF membranes (NF-90) or RO membranes (ESPA 2) after the MBR step was also investigated. The analgesic acetaminophen, which was found at the highest concentrations in the sewer and influent samples (18–74 µg L-1) over the two experimental periods, was fully eliminated during MBR treatment. Those PhACs that were only partially removed after the MBR, were almost completely removed (>99%) by the RO membrane working under different process conditions. At a similar average permeate fluxes (18 L m-2 h-1), the NF membrane showed high removal efficiencies (>90%) for all of the PhACs and their metabolites, though lower than those achieved by the RO membrane. When the flux of the NF90 membrane was increased to 30 L m-2 h-1 (while still operating at a feed pressure lower than the RO membrane at 18 L m-2 h-1) the performance of the membrane increased, achieving 98% rejection of PhACs.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Removal of Sulfadiazine by Polyamide Nanofiltration Membranes: Measurement, Modeling, and Mechanisms

“…In addition, SDZ cannot be effectively removed via traditional water treatment technology, owing to its biological toxicity and accumulation. The rising membrane technologies such as ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) have obvious advantages for removal of trace organic pollutants such as antibiotics [ 3 , 4 , 5 ].…”

Bioaugmentation of activated sludge with Achromobacter denitrificans PR1 for enhancing the biotransformation of sulfamethoxazole and its human conjugates in real wastewater: Kinetic tests and modelling

“…removal of the two conjugates in laboratory-scale [3] and full-scale [4] AS processes, or even fully eliminated in a pilot membrane bioreactor [28]. In the aerobic non-bioaugmented reactors (A1, A2), an increase in SMX concentration was observed in the first 4-6 hours followed by a slow decrease during the rest of the tests when biotransformation of the two human conjugates was complete ( Fig.…”

In Situ Modification of Reverse Osmosis Membrane Elements for Enhanced Removal of Multiple Micropollutants

“…that can have adverse effects on ecological systems and human health [ 7 , 8 ]. Many micropollutants tend to persist or only partially degrade in conventional wastewater treatment, thereby tending to accumulate in recreational and drinking water sources [ 1 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Up to date, there are no regulatory requirements for monitoring EDCs and PhACs in drinking water [ 1 ], yet there are attempts to limit their entrance.…”

“…Nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane processes offer an attractive solution for improving water quality by removing organic contaminants to a greater extent than conventional water treatment plants [ 11 ] or concentrating them in smaller reject volumes that may be easier to treat and safely dispose of. However, the rejection of small organic compounds by membrane filtration is strongly influenced by physicochemical properties of the compounds (e.g., molecular size, solubility, hydrophobicity, charge); therefore, the removal of some organics by membrane processes can be low.…”

“…Notably, studies of organic removal by commercial RO and NF membranes in pilot and full-scale installations showed contradictory results. Many show a high rejection of micropollutants by membranes [ 1 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]; however, others report incomplete removal by RO and NF, which may also greatly vary between different membranes and specific pollutants [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Moreover, sorption of organics within membranes and filtration systems is a phenomenon that may overestimate the true rejection of strongly adsorbed solutes, if the steady state is not reached [ 5 , 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”