Removal of APIs and bacteria from hospital wastewater by MBR plus O3, O3 + H2O2, PAC or ClO2

Abstract

The objective of this study has been to develop technologies that can reduce the content of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and bacteria from hospital wastewater. The results from the laboratory- and pilot-scale testings showed that efficient removal of the vast majority of APIs could be achieved by a membrane bioreactor (MBR) followed by ozone, ozone + hydrogen peroxide or powdered activated carbon (PAC). Chlorine dioxide (ClO(2)) was significantly less effective. MBR + PAC (450 mg/l) was the most efficient technology, while the most cost-efficient technology was MBR + ozone (156 mg O(3)/l applied over 20 min). With MBR an efficient removal of Escherichia coli and enterococci was measured, and no antibiotic resistant bacteria were detected in the effluent. With MBR + ozone and MBR + PAC also the measured effluent concentrations of APIs (e.g. ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole and sulfamethizole) were below available predicted no-effect concentrations (PNEC) for the marine environment without dilution. Iodinated contrast media were also reduced significantly (80-99% for iohexol, iopromide and ioversol and 40-99% for amidotrizoateacid). A full-scale MBR treatment plant with ozone at a hospital with 900 beds is estimated to require an investment cost of €1.6 mill. and an operating cost of €1/m(3) of treated water.

Ozonation for source treatment of pharmaceuticals in hospital wastewater – Ozone lifetime and required ozone dose

“…Additionally, a small source treatment system, intended for a single hospital building might not use denitrification for its biological treatment, as any nitrate released will be consumed in the sewer system. Thus, alkalinity in the water is consumed through the nitrification of ammonia and this might be particularly significant in hospital wastewater which is known to contain more reduced nitrogen than municipal 4 wastewater [18,19]. At lower pH, ozone is converted slowly to hydroxyl radicals (HO·; Eq.…”

Biodegradation of pharmaceuticals in hospital wastewater by a hybrid biofilm and activated sludge system (Hybas)

“…There are only a few studies on hospital wastewater in which the removal of pharmaceuticals is described: Marienhospital Gelsenkirchen and Waldbröl (Germany), Isala clinics in Zwolle (The Netherlands), Cantonal Hospital of Baden (Switzerland) (Pills, 2012), Ioannina hospital (Greece) (Kosma et al, 2010) and Herlev hospital (Denmark) (Nielsen et al, 2013). Processes based on activated sludge are, however, not sufficient to ensure high removal of pharmaceuticals, which means that additional posttreatment is required.…”

“…Numerous post-treatment processes like activated carbon, ultraviolet photolysis, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), reverse osmosis or nanofiltration can remove pharmaceuticals from wastewater (Pauwels and Verstraete, 2006;Joss et al, 2008). In some treatments based on membrane bioreactors with sludge (MBR), the systems were accompanied with AOPs or ultraviolet photolysis to be effective (Nielsen et al, 2013;Köhler et al, 2012;Kovalova et al, 2012Kovalova et al, , 2013. Fungal fluidized-bed bioreactors were also tested for pharmaceuticals removal in hospital wastewater (Cruz-Morató et al, 2014), and presented better efficacy than the activated sludge systems.…”

Treatability Studies of Hospital Wastewaters with AOPs by Taguchi’s Experimental Design

“…In Europe: Marienhospital Gelsenkirchen and Waldbrol (Germany), Isala clinics in Zwolle (The Netherlands), Cantonal Hospital of Baden (Switzerland) (Pills Project, 2012), a hospital in Ioannina (Greece) (Kosma et al, 2010) and Herlev hospital (Denmark) (Nielsen et al, 2013) treat wastewaters seperately for the removal of pharmaceuticals. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are promising alternative methods for treatment of hospital wastewaters because of their efficiency and cheapness (Wols and Hofman-Caris, 2012;Sirés and Brillas, 2012).…”