Evaluation of a recirculating hydroponic bed bioreactor for removal of contaminants of emerging concern from tertiary-treated wastewater effluent.

Evaluation of a recirculating hydroponic bed bioreactor for removal of contaminants of emerging concern from tertiary-treated wastewater effluent. Chemosphere. 2021 Jan;262:128121 Authors: Recsetar MS, Fitzsimmons KM, Cuello JL, Hoppe-Jones C, Snyder SA Abstract Tertiary-treated effluent from a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Tucson, AZ, was added to recirculating hydroponic bed bioreactors filled with light expanded clay aggregate (LECA) and recirculated for 10 days. Bioreactors were planted with high and low densities of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and Bacillus thuringiensis cotton (Gossypium sp.). The experiment also included a non-planted bioreactor treatment and a control bioreactor with neither plants nor substrate medium. Of 46 contaminants of emerging conern assayed with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), 16 were initially identified at detectable levels in the effluent. After one day, concentrations of Ibuprofen and Diphenhydramine fell below detection limits in all treatments as well as the control. After five days, initial concentrations of atenolol, benzotriazole, carbamazepine, hydrochlorothiazide, iohexol, iopamidol iopromide, primidone, sulfamethoxazole and tris TCPP were reduced by greater than 80% in all treatments, while the control exhibited little to no removal. Diclofenac, simazine and sucralose exhibited variable removal rates among treatments ranging...
Source: Chemosphere - Category: Chemistry Authors: Tags: Chemosphere Source Type: research