At the moment the increase in production and number of pharmaceutical medicines have increased substantially. Together with production and consumption of these pharmaceuticals, higher number of slowly biodegradable micropollutants (e.g. beta blockers, steroids, antibiotics, etc.) enter aquatic environment and negatively affect it. Based on EU legislation (European Union Water Framework Directive, 2000/60/EC), exposure of the micropollutants to the water sources will be regulated tarting from 2020. Traditional biological treatment methods are inefficient and expensive in order to remove pharmaceuticals. Therefore, this study will aim to investigate the combination of biological and physico-chemical processes, to remove pharmaceuticals form the water phase. To achieve this goal, combined hybrid system will be investigated together with highly experienced scientists from Chemical faculty of Technology. Based on preliminary results, pilot reactor will be constructed and tested. Secondary wastewater treatment plant effluent will be used as a feed-stock source, which is polluted with slowly biodegradable organic compounds, in this case pharmaceuticals. Results of this investigation will be used further to modify and upscale hybrid system in practice.
Project funding:
KTU Business Support Fund
Project results:
This project covered investigation using resistant to biodegradation paharmaceuticals – Triclosan, Sulfometoxazole, Carbamazepine and Caffeine. Preliminary adsorption/desorption experiments in model systems have been performed in order to identify the removal mechanisms and self behavior. Pharmaceuticals that can be described by high solubility and low logKow values (e.g. Caffeine) were sorbed more efficiently than other pharmaceuticals; however, desorption was slower and less effective.
In order to mimic real operational conditions, experimental scale reactor system have been constructed. Hybrid system combined ozonation and biological activated carbon modules. The innovation of such a system was based on using real wastewater treatment plant effluent. It was found that the removal efficiency of selected pharmaceuticals varied from 36 to 78%. Next to it, removal of total organic carbon (TOC) reached 57 %. At the moment, in order to re-modify the system to remove pharmaceutical more efficiently, special purgers and oxygen generator are employed, leading to higher production of ozone and more effective distribution between the gas and liquid phases.
Period of project implementation: 2018-09-17 - 2019-09-16
Project coordinator: Kaunas University of Technology
