Removal and monitoring acetaminophen-contaminated hospital wastewater by vertical flow constructed wetland and peroxidase enzymes

Abstract

Hospital wastewater contains acetaminophen (ACT) and nutrient, which need adequate removal and monitoring to prevent impact to environment and community. This study developed a pilot scale vertical flow constructed wetland (CW) to (1) remove high-dose ACT and pollutants in hospital wastewater and (2) identify the correlation of peroxidase enzyme extruded by Scirpus validus and pollutants removal efficiency. By that correlation, a lowcost method to monitor pollutants removal was drawn. Plants, such as Scirpus validus, generated peroxidase enzymes to alleviate pollutants' stress. Results showed that the CW removed 3.5 to 6 logs of initial concentration 10 mg ACT/L to a recommended level for drinking water. The CW eliminated COD, TKN and TP efficiently, meeting the wastewater discharged standards of Thailand and Vietnam. By various multivariable regression models, concentrations of ACT in CW effluent and enzymes in S. validus exhibited a significant correlation (p < 0.01, R 2 = 68.3%). These findings suggested that (i) vertical flow CW could remove high-dose ACT and nutrient and (ii) peroxidase enzymes generated in S. validus, such as soluble and covalent ones, could track ACT removal efficiency. This would help to reduce facilities and analytical cost of micro-pollutants.

A review on hospital wastewater treatment: A special emphasis on occurrence and removal of pharmaceutically active compounds, resistant microorganisms, and SARS-CoV-2

“… 1.2 m 3 /day Pilot-scale [87] Study 31 Switzerland Ozonation- 1.08 gO 3 /g Dissolved organic carbon 12 to 23 L/h Pilot-scale [88] Study 32 Switzerland PAC- 23 mg/L 180 L/day Pilot-scale [88] Study 33 Switzerland UV- 2400 J/m 2 600 L/h Pilot-Scale [88] Study 34 Switzerland MBR ( Chamber 1 is oxic and chamber 2 is anoxic) followed by Ozonation- 1.08 gO 3 /g Pilot-scale [88] Study 35 Switzerland MBR ( Chamber 1 is oxic and chamber 2 is anoxic) followed by PAC- 23 mg/L Pilot-scale [88] Study 36 Switzerland MBR ( Chamber 1 is oxic and chamber 2 is anoxic) followed by UV- 2400 J/m 2 Pilot-scale [88] Study 37 Thailand Vertical flow CW (1.5 m length, 0.6 m width and 0.6 m depth), The media bed contained sand, pea gravel and gravel with respective height of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 m from top to bottom. 75 to 85 L/day 5 days Pilot-scale [99] Study 38 <...>…”

“…Vo et al (2019) observed more than 99% removal of paracetamol and more than 80% removal for TSS, COD, and ammonia. However, only 22% of TN was removed, indicating incomplete denitrification of nitrate and nitrite [99] .…”

Trends, new insights and perspectives in the treatment of hospital effluents

“…Some investigations aimed to better understand the removal mechanisms of key compounds and their interactions with the treatment environment. This is the case of the investigations by ( 21 ) who tried to correlate the concentrations of acetaminophen and peroxidase enzymes in a pilot vertical subsurface flow system fed with hospital effluent in order to evaluate if the selected enzymes could be assumed as indicators of the occurrence of acetaminophen, thus reducing its monitoring costs.…”

“…Over the last two to three years, interesting investigations on the treatment of hospital effluent have been carried out worldwide: consolidated and modified/enhanced technologies as well as new solutions have been tested on the effluent of specific wards, the whole healthcare structure, nursing homes specialised in psychiatric diseases ( 22 ), ( 23 ) or service units such as laundry ( 24 ). They have not only taken place in countries where studies or investigations on hospital effluent have also been carried out, but also in new ones, such as Ethiopia ( 25 ), Columbia ( 5 ), India ( 26 ), Iran ( 27 ), ( 28 ), Costa Rica ( 29 ) and Thailand ( 21 ). This demonstrates the increasing interest in the management and treatment of healthcare structure effluent by researchers, practitioners, policy makers and administrative staff, both in developed and developing countries.…”

Assessing behavior and fate of micropollutants during wastewater treatment: Statistical analysis

“…Most of these substances are endocrine disruptors and toxic to humans and the environment [5,6]. Reducing the input of micropollutants into the environment has become a major issue for the preservation of resources and public health [7].…”