Tertiary treatment and residuaof organic compoundsin wastewaters

Miroslav VáňaJana ČejkováJosef K. FuksaAnna KólováLenka Smetanová

Czech – Israeli Water Seminar, Prague 19 SEP 2019

Wastewater treatment:

Primary: Mechanical – sedimentation etc.

Secondary: Biological treatment – a standard today.

Tertiary: Abatement of Phosphorus and Nitrogen

(mitigation of eutrophication) – common.

Quarternary: Abatement of PPCPs, EPs. - near Future.

What are abilities

of our present (tertiary) WWTPs:

Degrade non-specific organic carbon (waste) to CO2,

(+CH4), bacterial biomass, sludge etc.

Eliminate Phosphorus and Nitrogen.

What do we wont/need now (quarternary):

Micropolutants: PPCPs etc. – threat to river ecosystems,

groundwater, drinking water production, general health...

The source is the public use:

We all are polluters, supplying them to the sewerage and

WWTP systems.

So, what do we know and what we are able to do?

WWTPs in the Czech Republic (2018):

Ca. 86%

population

connected

to WWTPs.

1497 WWTPs

with tertiary

treatment (P or N)

sewageprecipitation

Tertiary treatment:

Elimination of mineral nutrients (P and N)

from treated wastewater:

• Nitrogen – controlled denitrification ( N2+N2O).

• Phosphorus – mostly chemical precipitation

(Fe or Al salts).

Abatement of the precipitate:

Sedimentation with the sludge,

filtration (sieves, membranes),

separated tertiary precipitation…

Recycling of phosphorus.

Tertiary treatment:

Elimination of „other“ pollutants

from treated wastewater:

• Disinfection:

Standard hygienic protection from bacteria etc.

UV and chlorine are used, relatively low doses.

• Elimination of specific pollutants – step to

Quarternary treatment:

Very specific, according to wide array of

chemical structures, e.g. to chemical and

physical properties of thousands compounds.

WWTP discharge

Prague and Vltava

View from upstream

View from downstream

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IOP

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IOH

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DIC

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Vltava 8 NOV 2017 [ng/l]ZEL KAR LIB SED

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Vltava 19 JUN 2018 [ng/l]ZEL KAR LIB SED

Iopromide IOPR

Iohexol IOHEX

Metformin METF

Oxypurinol OXYP

Hydrochlorothiazide THIA

Metoprolol Metop

Karbamazepin CAR

Gabapentin GABA

Tramadol TRAM

Venlafaxine VENL

Diclofenac DIC

Ibuprofen IBU

Ibuprofen-2-hydroxy IBU2

Clarithromycin CLAR

Azithromycin AZIT

Sulfamethoxazol SULF

Caffein CAFE

Cotinine Coti

Saccharin SACH

Acesulfam ACES

Paraxanthine PARX

Real PPCP: Pharmaceuticals in Vltava in Prague

(resistant ones come from upstream):

Columns from left:

Upstream to downstream

through the City.

0

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0,1

01.0

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9

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Carbamazepine µg/l

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Gabapentin µg/l

R² = 0,326

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Tramadol µg/l

POD

ZEL

limit

Opioid, painkiller

0

0,05

0,1

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01.0

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Hydrochlorothiazide µg/l

Antiepileptic

Antidepressant

Data from standard monitoring by the Vltava River Board:

Diuretic

Common Sauce Tartar

y = 0,0017x - 58,078R² = 0,1021

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EDTA 2009-18 µg/l

POD

ZEL

Lineární (ZEL)

Ethylene-diamino-tetraacetic acid:

Chelaton:

• Industry,

• Laundries, cosmetics,

• Food production…

EDTA,

an old companion.

No info on

health risk.

Elimination of specific pollutants.from treated wastewater.

• UV – treatment.• Ozonization.• Advanced oxidation – ozonation etc.

Problems:- residua of non-specific carbon- unknown abiotic products.

• Sorption: Mostly on POC (active coal):

Main advantage: No „products“!!!

Disadvantages: Expensive (is it???),

bulk of waste, residua of non-specific carbon…

Sorption seems optimal !!!

Relevant activities of VUV TGM –T.G. Masaryk Water Research Institute:

Water Plant Testing Laboratory :

Testing Station of low-capacity WWTPs.

Any technology and fate of any pollutant could be tested.

Abatement of specific pollutants in waterworks (active coal sorption).

Abatement of specific pollutants from wastewater, pilot scale experiment on real WWTP (2000PE). Sorption

(PAC) after membrane separation of sludge.

Impact of WWTPs discharge on rivers during a

long-term drought.

Illicit drug transport by WWTPs.

Miroslav Váňa

Jana Čejková

Josef K. Fuksa

Anna Kólová

Lenka Smetanová

Tertiary treatment and residua

of organic compounds

in wastewaters

T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute, p.r.i. Podbabská 2582/30, 160 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic | +420 220 197 111 | info@vuv.cz, www.vuv.czBrno Branch | Mojmírovo náměstí 16, 612 00 Brno | +420 541 126 311 | info_brno@vuv.czOstrava Branch | Macharova 5, 702 00 Ostrava | +420 595 134 800 | info_ostrava@vuv.cz

We are ready to co-operation.

Thanks for the attention.

Czech – Israeli Water Seminar, Prague, 19 SEP 2019