8/14/2019 EVALUATION OF PERACETIC ACID FOR THE REMOVAL.pdf

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7th ANQUE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESSOvledo (Spain), 13th -16th June 2010

EV ALUATION OF PERACETIC ACID FOR THE REMOV AL OFPHARMACEUTICALS IN W ASTEW A TER

Sagristil, E.I., Carr, M:, Sala, L.3, Salvad, v. I, Hidalgo, M.lDepartament of Chemistry , University of Girona, Campus Montilivi

17071 Girona, Spain, phone +34972418271, fax:972418150,*e-mail:ester .sagrista@udg.edu2Empresa Mixta d' Aiges de la Costa Brava (EMACBSA)

3Consorci de la Costa Brava, Pla~a Josep Pla, 4,3-1, 17001 GironaTopic: T5.4- Characterization and removal ofmicrocontaminants and emergingcontaminant ;.

Chlorine disinfection is traditionally applied in tertiary treatment of urban wastewaterswith the aim of reducing microbial contamination and preventing the spread ofpathogens into the environment for their capacity to inactivate bacteria, viruses andprotozoan cysts. However, it has long been warned that chlorine and its compoundsreact with organic matter present in wastewater (humic and fulvic acids) leading to theformation of toxic disinfection by-products (DBPs) like thihalomethanes andhaloacetics with mutagenic and/or carcinogenic activity that are potentially harmful tohuman and aquatic organisms. Moreover, where reclaimed water is applied forenvironmental uses, or uses in which water is discharged into the environment (i.e., intoa coastal stream for seawater intrusion control), the effect of the residual chlorine, evenif applied at these low polishing doses, has been observed to be negative for the aquaticecosystem.Peracetic acid or peroxyacetic acid (PAA) is proposed as an altemative to chlorine forthe disinfection in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Peracetic acid is a strongoxidant and disinfectant whose oxidation potential is larger than chlorine or chlorinedioxide. PAA was found to be effective against bacteria and viruses present in urbanwastewater and recently has been shown to produce only carboxylic acids after reactionwith organic material, which has no mutagenic properties.Recent studies have shown that removal in wastewater treatment of pharmaceuticalsactive compounds (PhACs) is often incomplete because WWTPs are not designed toremove quantitatively organic compounds. Some of the most representative PhACsfound in WWTPs are lipid regulators as clofibric acid and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as diclofenac, naproxen and ibuprofen, which have been detected atlevels of several ~g 1-1 n effluent wastewater .A comparison of the efficiency of PAA and chlorine treatments in the removal ofPhACs in reclaimed water have been carried out. Also, PAA and chlorine treatmentscombined with uv disinfection have been tested in laboratory experiments and in ElPort de la Selva WWTP (Northen Costa Brava. Girona).

ISBN 978.84.693.2258.1 T opic 5 .Page 111