The Influence of the Poles’ Lifestyle on the Quantity and Quality of Municipal Wastewater

Abstract

The article presents lifestyle as an important factor determining the quantity and quality of municipal wastewater. The characteristic of wastewater in Poland has changed significantly in recent years. The qualitative characteristics of municipal wastewater indicate an increase of organic compounds and in the scope of micro-contaminants identified in them, e.g. nanoparticles, microplastics, pharmaceutical and personal care products or heavy metals. Therefore, the knowledge of parameters such as: BOD5, COD, total N, total P and suspension solids is no longer sufficient for the design and operation of wastewater treatment systems. Comprehensive research in this area is necessary to select those indicators that better describe the characteristics of wastewater.

Removal of Organic Micro-Pollutants from Wastewater in Electrochemical Processes—Review

“…The low values of the ratio between these indicators shows a low susceptibility to biodegradation [3]. Persistent organic micropollutants (POPs) include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), halogenated organic compounds (AOX), di-2-ethylhexyl phthalates (DEHP), nonylphenols (NPE) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEO), as well as selected surfactants such as linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), pharmaceuticals (PhACs), cosmetics (PPCPs-pharmaceuticals and personal care products), flame retardants (FRs), and many more [4][5][6]. POPs accumulate in the tissues of living organisms and display carcinogenic, mutagenic, and other undesirable health effects, such as endocrine disorders [7,8].…”