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A comparison of adsorption of organic micropollutants onto activated carbon following chemically enhanced primary treatment with microsieving, direct membrane filtration and tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater

Gidstedt, Simon LU orcid ; Betsholtz, Alexander LU ; Falås, Per LU ; Cimbritz, Michael LU ; Davidsson, Åsa LU orcid ; Micolucci, Federico LU and Svahn, Ola (2022) In Science of the Total Environment 811(152225).
Abstract
The adsorption of organic micropollutants onto powdered activated carbon (PAC) was investigated in laboratory scale based on samples from four wastewater process streams (matrices); three from a pilot-scale plant with different degrees of physicochemical treatment of municipal wastewater and one from a full-scale activated sludge plant with post-precipitation. The pilot-scale treatment consisted of chemically enhanced primary treatment with microsieving followed by direct membrane filtration as microfiltration or ultrafiltration. The results showed highest adsorption of micropollutants in the tertiary (biologically and chemically) treated wastewater and lowest adsorption in the microsieve filtrate. Adsorption of micropollutants in the... (More)
The adsorption of organic micropollutants onto powdered activated carbon (PAC) was investigated in laboratory scale based on samples from four wastewater process streams (matrices); three from a pilot-scale plant with different degrees of physicochemical treatment of municipal wastewater and one from a full-scale activated sludge plant with post-precipitation. The pilot-scale treatment consisted of chemically enhanced primary treatment with microsieving followed by direct membrane filtration as microfiltration or ultrafiltration. The results showed highest adsorption of micropollutants in the tertiary (biologically and chemically) treated wastewater and lowest adsorption in the microsieve filtrate. Adsorption of micropollutants in the direct membrane microfiltration (200 nm) permeate was generally similar to that in the direct membrane ultrafiltration (3 nm) permeate. The higher adsorption of micropollutants in the tertiary treated wastewater could be related to a lower concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and lower affinity of DOC for PAC at low dosage (<15 mg PAC/L) in this matrix. At a PAC dose of 10 mg/L, sulfamethoxazole was removed by 33% in the tertiary treated wastewater and 7% in the direct membrane microfiltration permeate. In addition to the PAC experiments, a pilot scale sand filter and a proceeding GAC filter was operated on tertiary treated wastewater from the full-scale treatment plant. Similar removal trends in the PAC and GAC experiments were observed when studying a weighted average micropollutant removal in the GAC filter and a similar dose of activated carbon for both PAC and GAC. Positively charged micropollutants were removed to a higher extent than negatively charged ones by both PAC and GAC. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
ACTIVATED CARBON, Micropollutants, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), Direct membrane filtration, Activated carbon adsorption, Micropollutants, DOC, Direct membrane filtration
in
Science of the Total Environment
volume
811
issue
152225
article number
152225
pages
9 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:34921873
  • scopus:85121698455
ISSN
0048-9697
DOI
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152225
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
252b7634-babf-4006-8787-56d9f125ebb1
date added to LUP
2022-02-11 11:47:50
date last changed
2024-02-25 17:59:09
@article{252b7634-babf-4006-8787-56d9f125ebb1,
  abstract     = {{The adsorption of organic micropollutants onto powdered activated carbon (PAC) was investigated in laboratory scale based on samples from four wastewater process streams (matrices); three from a pilot-scale plant with different degrees of physicochemical treatment of municipal wastewater and one from a full-scale activated sludge plant with post-precipitation. The pilot-scale treatment consisted of chemically enhanced primary treatment with microsieving followed by direct membrane filtration as microfiltration or ultrafiltration. The results showed highest adsorption of micropollutants in the tertiary (biologically and chemically) treated wastewater and lowest adsorption in the microsieve filtrate. Adsorption of micropollutants in the direct membrane microfiltration (200 nm) permeate was generally similar to that in the direct membrane ultrafiltration (3 nm) permeate. The higher adsorption of micropollutants in the tertiary treated wastewater could be related to a lower concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and lower affinity of DOC for PAC at low dosage (&lt;15 mg PAC/L) in this matrix. At a PAC dose of 10 mg/L, sulfamethoxazole was removed by 33% in the tertiary treated wastewater and 7% in the direct membrane microfiltration permeate. In addition to the PAC experiments, a pilot scale sand filter and a proceeding GAC filter was operated on tertiary treated wastewater from the full-scale treatment plant. Similar removal trends in the PAC and GAC experiments were observed when studying a weighted average micropollutant removal in the GAC filter and a similar dose of activated carbon for both PAC and GAC. Positively charged micropollutants were removed to a higher extent than negatively charged ones by both PAC and GAC.}},
  author       = {{Gidstedt, Simon and Betsholtz, Alexander and Falås, Per and Cimbritz, Michael and Davidsson, Åsa and Micolucci, Federico and Svahn, Ola}},
  issn         = {{0048-9697}},
  keywords     = {{ACTIVATED CARBON; Micropollutants; dissolved organic carbon (DOC); Direct membrane filtration; Activated carbon adsorption; Micropollutants; DOC; Direct membrane filtration}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  number       = {{152225}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Science of the Total Environment}},
  title        = {{A comparison of adsorption of organic micropollutants onto activated carbon following chemically enhanced primary treatment with microsieving, direct membrane filtration and tertiary treatment of municipal wastewater}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152225}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152225}},
  volume       = {{811}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}