Removal of endocrine disrupting compounds during conventional wastewater treatment.

There is evidence that aquatic organisms downstream of some sewage treatment works show endocrine disruption as a result of exposure to substances in the effluent. As a result, the Environment Agency of England and Wales, in collaboration with the UK Government and the water industry, has started an intensive programme to determine the fate and behaviour of endocrine disrupting compounds in sewage treatment works. Sampling sites for the endocrine disruption demonstration programme are located throughout England and Wales. This paper presents data from Nuneaton sewage treatment works (Warwickshire, England), a modem nitrifying activated sludge plant serving an equivalent population of 98,000 and one of the selected sites for the demonstration programme. Results for the 24-hour survey carried out in June 2006 in which manual grab samples were taken hourly show excellent removal of estrone, estradiol, nonyl-phenol and the nonylphenolethoxylates (3-5 EO units) at 97, 99, 94 and 98% respectively. They also show excellent removal (99%) of estrogenicity, measured by the YES bioassay. However the removal of ethynylestradiol was poor at only 3%. In November 2006, a further survey was carried out comprising grab samples taken at 4-hourly intervals across a continuous 7-day period. This monitoring confirmed the good removal of estrone and estradiol, at 97.8% and 96.3% respectively as well as an excellent reduction in estrogenicity (98.3%), but again showed poor removal of ethynylestradiol of 5.6%. There was evidence of a diurnal pattern for estrone and estradiol concentrations and to a lesser extent for ethynylestradiol in samples of crude sewage with works returns. Peak concentrations tended to occur at around midday.

Mechanical sludge disintegration: providing an alternative carbon source for nutrient removal.

The primary driver for efficient biological nutrient removal (BNR) in activated sludge treatment is the sufficient supply of soluble carbon. Several methods have been proposed to increase available carbon sources and enhance BNR. This study examines the effect of ultrasonic equipment and mechanical disintegration technologies on surplus activated sludge (SAS), to release additional soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) and volatile fattty acids (VFA), as a carbon food source for BNR. A laboratory sonicator with a maximum power of 550W, a 3KW SONIX radial horn and a deflaker declared to be used in the paper industry were investigated. All caused significant release of SCOD, up to 48 fold. The maximum concentration of VFA reached (from 0-1 mg 1(-1)), was 530 mg 1(-1). To assess the likely impact to BNR, batch (21) anaerobic lab tests examining the use of disintegrated sludge on phosphorus and nitrogen removal were completed. Phosphorus removal was estimated by observing the phosphate release under anaerobic conditions and up to 460% more release was observed relative to controls. In addition, denitrification rates were improved by over 106%. Ultrasonic and mechanical disintegration technologies have been shown to release soluble carbon for BNR, with subsequent laboratory nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies observed to be comparable to acetate.

Mechanical sludge disintegration for the production of carbon source for biological nutrient removal.

The primary driver for a successful biological nutrient removal is the availability of suitable carbon source, mainly in the form of volatile fatty acids (VFA). Several methods have been examined to increase the amount of VFAs in wastewater. This study investigates the mechanism of mechanical disintegration of thickened surplus activated sludge by a deflaker technology for the production of organic matter. This equipment was able to increase the soluble carbon in terms of VFA and soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) with the maximum concentration to be around 850 and 6530 mgl(-1), for VFA and SCOD, respectively. The particle size was reduced from 65.5 to 9.3 microm after 15 min of disintegration with the simultaneous release of proteins (1550 mgl(-1)) and carbohydrates (307 mgl(-1)) indicating floc disruption and breakage. High performance size exclusion chromatography investigated the disintegrated sludge and confirmed that the deflaker was able to destroy the flocs releasing polymeric substances that are typically found outside of cells. When long disintegration times were applied (>or=10 min or >or=9000 kJkg(-1)TS of specific energy) smaller molecular size materials were released to the liquid phase, which are considered to be found inside the cells indicating cell lysis.

Removal of an endocrine disrupting chemical (17alpha-ethinyloestradiol) from wastewater effluent by activated carbon adsorption: effects of activated carbon type and competitive adsorption.

Granular activated carbon has been extensively used for the adsorption of organic micropollutants for potable water production. In this study the removal of an endocrine disrupting chemical from wastewater final effluent by three types of granular activated carbon (wood, coconut and coal based) has been investigated in batch adsorption experiments and correlated with the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC) and ultraviolet absorbance (UV). The results obtained demonstrated 17alpha-ethinyloestradiol (EE2) removals of 98.6%, 99.3%, and 96.4% were achieved by the coal based (ACo), coconut based (ACn) and wood based (AWd) carbons respectively at the lowest dose of carbon (0.1gl(-1)). The other adsorbates investigated all exhibited good removal. At an equilibrium concentration of 7mgl(-1) the COD adsorption capacities were 3.16mg g(-1), 4.8 mg g(-1) and 7.1 mg g(-1) for the wood, coconut and coal based carbons respectively. Overall, the order of removal efficiency of EE2 and the other adsorbates for the three activated carbons was ACn > ACo > AWd. The adsorption capacities of the carbons were found to be reduced by the effects of other competing adsorbates in the wastewater effluent.

Struvite formation and the fouling propensity of different materials.

Struvite (MgNH4PO4 x 6H2O) fouling was investigated to identify the impact supersaturation and material had on scaling rates. Tests were undertaken at three supersaturation ratios and with three different materials: stainless steel, teflon and acrylic. Impellers consisting of a clasp unit and two corrosion coupons that could be attached were used to mix centrate liquor and precipitation was initiated by the change in pH caused by degassing. Increasing the supersaturation ratio from 1.7 to 5.3 led to a doubling in the scaling rate of stainless-steel coupons. Experiments with acrylic and teflon coupons showed the influence of surface roughness upon scaling propensity. Coarsely roughened coupons following 40 h of mixing had a mass of 413 mg of struvite attached compared to smooth coupons that had a mass of 240 mg attached. Material did have an influence upon struvite fouling but this influence diminished with increasing surface roughness.

A chemometric approach to understanding the bioelimination of anionic, water-soluble dyes by a biomass using empirical and semi-empirical molecular descriptors.

Single correlation and multiple linear regression analyses have been applied to understand the bioelimination of 103 anionic, water-soluble dyes by a biomass at a wastewater treatment works. The chemometric approach highlighted that anionic, water-soluble dyes with larger molecular size/ionic charge ratios and containing more primary aromatic amines and unsulphonated naphthalene nuclei and fewer aliphatic alcohol groups had superior levels of bioelimination.

Assesing the potential for struvite recovery at sewage treatment works.

Struvite in wastewater treatment plants was identified as early as 1939. Problems with struvite formation date back to the 1960s when it was noticed at the Hyperion treatment plant, Los Angeles. Operators at the plant noticed crystalline deposits on the underside of post digestion screens. The digested sludge stream was diluted and it was thought the problem was solved, until five years later when the normal gravity flow of digested sludge had decreased to such a stage that pumping was required. This paper reports the findings of a series of experiments undertaken to identify the potential of recovering struvite from sludge liquors. Seven sludge treatment works (STW) have been investigated including one detail. A number of the works has the potential to form over 100 mg l(-1) of struvite.