Removal efficiency of emerging micropollutants in biofilter wastewater treatment plants in tropical areas.

Removal efficiency of emerging micropollutants in biofilter wastewater treatment plants in tropical areas. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 Oct 26;: Authors: Devault DA, Amalric L, Bristeau S, Cruz J, Tapie N, Karolak S, Budzinski H, Lévi Y Abstract We studied the removal of 61 emerging micropollutants, including illicit drugs, in a biofilter wastewater treatment plant located in the French Indies (Martinique). Raw wastewater concentrations were the highest for paracetamol followed by caffeine, naproxen, ibuprofen, its metabolite 2-hydroxyibuprofen, atenolol, ketoprofen, furosemide, methylparaben, cocaine, benzoylecgonine, and 11-nor-delta-9-carboxytetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH). The calculated removals were better than those reported in the literature, while the cumulative removal efficacy (i.e., removal of the total mass load) was estimated to be 92 ± 4%. However, this good performance may be partly explained by the removal of paracetamol (also named acetaminophen) and caffeine, which represented 86.4% of the total mass load. Our results point to the adsorption of some molecules on sludge, thus raising the question about local soil pollution from sludge spreading. PMID: 33105006 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Environmental Science and Pollution Research International - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Environ Sci Pollut Res Int Source Type: research