Monitoring the Removal Efficiency of Pharmaceuticals and Hormones in Different Treatment Processes of Source-Separated Urine with Bioassays

Abstract

Urine can be collected separately from the general wastewater with the aim of recycling the nutrients. Urine source-separation not only prevents wasting nutrients but also prevents potentially hazardous micropollutants from entering the wastewater stream and tainting a final fertilizer product. We assessed various urine treatment technologies for their performance to remove micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals, natural and synthetic steroid hormones, and their human biotransformation products. Removal efficiencies were determined with a combination of bioassays and chemical target analysis. The yeast estrogen screen yielded information on estrogenicity. Specific phytotoxicity and nonspecific baseline toxicity was determined with an algae chlorophyll fluorescence test. Filtration methods, such as nanofiltration and electrodialysis, were highly efficient with respect to toxicity reduction. Micropollutant degradation during biological treatment in a sequencing batch reactor was very compound specific. Ozonation removed the target analytes and the estrogenicity completely, but the baseline toxicity was only reduced by 50-60% depending on the ozone doses. Struvite precipitation produced a very "clean" fertilizer product that is ready to use. The examples show that bioassays and chemical analysis yield complementary information, but are very useful to monitor treatment efficiencies and to assess the ecotoxicological potential of byproducts of urine treatment processes. The results of this study present a method to assess the micropollutant removal efficiency, and therefore, support the choice of an appropriate urine processing technique for real-world applications.

Review of risk from potential emerging contaminants in UK groundwater

“…Escher et al (2009) assessed the efficiency of removal of toxicological activity by ozonation after secondary treatment using bioassays and compared that with removal using GAC. Escher et al (2006) estimated the removal efficiency of pharmaceuticals and hormones in separated urine using both bioassays and chemical analysis. This approach was extended to the ecotoxicological effects of polar micro-organics in effluent and receiving surface waters (Escher et al, 2008).…”

Knowledge and awareness of eco-sanitation in central Nepal: a questionnaire survey

“…There are arguments about microbial risk, micro-pollutants, residual pharmaceuticals and hormones in urine (Höglund et al 2002;Escher et al 2006) and recommendation to store urine for more than 6 months at 20°C for hygienic aspects (Höglund et al 2002). But the storage of urine for months might not be very practical for poor people in Nepal.…”

Organic Xenobiotics

“…Urine source separation seems to be an efficient tool in wastewater management, because urine contains most of the nutrients as well as pharmaceutical contaminants but constitutes less than 1 % of the total wastewater volume (Larsen et al 2001(Larsen et al , 2004. Therefore a much smaller volume has to be treated and precipitation of struvite turns two dominant wastewater nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus, into a slow release fertilizer (Escher et al 2006). Experiments with spiked urine showed that more than 98 % of the pharmaceuticals and hormones remained in solution during the precipitation process so that the product is almost free of most organic micro-pollutants (Ronteltap et al 2007;Escher et al 2006).…”

“…Therefore a much smaller volume has to be treated and precipitation of struvite turns two dominant wastewater nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus, into a slow release fertilizer (Escher et al 2006). Experiments with spiked urine showed that more than 98 % of the pharmaceuticals and hormones remained in solution during the precipitation process so that the product is almost free of most organic micro-pollutants (Ronteltap et al 2007;Escher et al 2006).…”