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Investigation into Micropollutant Removal from Wastewaters by a Membrane Bioreactor
Mohanad Kamaz1, S Ranil Wickramasinghe2, Satchithanandam Eswaranandam3
1Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA. makamaz@email.uark.edu.
Direct potable reuse of wastewater is challenging due to organic micropollutants. Membrane bioreactors show promise for removing these emerging contaminants, with removal linked to chemical structure.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Water Treatment Technologies
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Increasing demand for potable water drives interest in direct potable reuse of wastewater.
- Organic micropollutants in wastewater pose significant health and environmental risks.
- Conventional treatment methods are inadequate for removing many unregulated emerging pollutants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the removal efficiency of a membrane bioreactor for selected organic micropollutants.
- To assess the removal of acetaminophen, amoxicillin, atrazine, estrone, and triclosan.
- To understand the influence of anoxic and aerobic conditions on micropollutant removal.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a membrane bioreactor with anoxic and aerobic tanks.
- Spiked wastewater with five model micropollutants: acetaminophen, amoxicillin, atrazine, estrone, and triclosan.
- Quantified removal through adsorption and biological degradation over operating time.
Main Results:
- The membrane bioreactor demonstrated removal of the selected micropollutants.
- Removal efficiency varied among the different micropollutants tested.
- Observed removal rates were influenced by the operating conditions (anoxic/aerobic) and time.
Conclusions:
- Membrane bioreactors are effective for removing diverse organic micropollutants from wastewater.
- Micropollutant removal appears to be correlated with their specific chemical structures.
- Further research is needed to optimize treatment for emerging contaminants in direct potable reuse.
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