1. Removal of micropollutants from wastewater
Igor Ivanovic, Ph.D. (responsible for the proposed research program)
Kamal Azrague, Ph.D.
(advisor for AOB and HPLC)

2. Introduction
Source (Cirja et.al., Reviews in environmental science and biotechnology, 2008)
(Azrague, K. et al. Degradation of pCBA by catalytic ozonation in natural water. Water Science and Technology 2009 ;Volum 59.(6)
Micropollutants, such as pharmaceuticals and hormones, may have serious environmental and public health effects even at concentrations down to ng/L.
Current WWTP are not design to remove most of micropollutants.
Public awareness, intensification of the urban water cycle, increasing indirect reuse of surface waters as a drinking water resource, and increasing number of regulations e.g. the European Water Framework Directive, are major reasons to reduce or stop emissions of priority organic pollutants into the water bodies.
Due to the ageing of the population the consumption of human pharmaceuticals will increase. Hence, it can be assumed that the input of human drugs into the wastewater and therefore into the aquatic environment will increase as well.
New treatments need to be developed and set-up to meet environmental quality standards.
This project aims to develop a new process combining an innovative bioreactor with sUF filtration and advanced oxidation for micropollutants removal.

3. Objectives Tasks / questions to be answered 1
Initially test should include 2-4 compounds that are reported to be poorly (or not at all) removed by known biological process (biofiltration, CAS, MBRs, etc.) 2
Develop analytical method for analyzing the concentrations of chosen compounds by HPLC (initially the most expensive task) 3
Test initially two configurations and treatment efficiencies for chosen compounds 4
Test possibility of removal of by-products (of “tough” compounds) by biological stage 5
Include in the test program other compounds frequently reported as major micropollutants or emerging substances (optionally) 6
Test possibility of water reuse by adding RO unit in the process configuration (optionally)

4. Micropollutants These compounds (pharmaceutical residues)
are not or poorly removed by
known biological wastewater treatment processes (bioreactors, biofilters, MBRs, CAS, etc.)
Diclofenac
Clozapine
Carbamazepine
Diazepam

5. Test pilot – different configurations (4!=?)

6. Development of analytical method
Time frame
January
February
March 1 2 3 4
Development of analytical method
1st set of experiments
2nd set of experiments
3rd set of experiemnts
There months is very optimistic time frame since we did not take in consideration possible failures. If we run out of money / equipment /material experimental program might be shorter than initially suggested
Goal
Try to get publication in J. of hazardous materials, Bioresource Technology, Desalination, Chemosphere or in best case Water Research.