Electrochemical Treatment of Effluent for the Removal of Contaminants of Emergent Concern and Culturable Microorganisms
The present work aims to study the electrochemical (EC) process applied for the removal of contaminants of emergent concern (CECs) from wastewater after secondary treatment and the effect of the process on the total culturable microorganisms. The EC experiments were performed in a cylindrical open r...
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MDPI AG
2021-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/4/520 |
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| author | Joana Dionísio Cristiana Gonçalves Paula Guedes Alexandra B. Ribeiro Nazaré Couto |
| author_facet | Joana Dionísio Cristiana Gonçalves Paula Guedes Alexandra B. Ribeiro Nazaré Couto |
| author_sort | Joana Dionísio |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The present work aims to study the electrochemical (EC) process applied for the removal of contaminants of emergent concern (CECs) from wastewater after secondary treatment and the effect of the process on the total culturable microorganisms. The EC experiments were performed in a cylindrical open reactor with 500 mL of effluent, and a fixed current density of 8 mA/cm² was applied through mixed metal oxide electrodes. The experiments were conducted in different sets. In the first round (Set 1), the effluent sample was spiked with three CECs (200 ppb each): caffeine (CAF), carbamazepine (CBZ), and oxybenzone (OXY). For the best treatment period, 6 h, electrodegradation rates ranged from 41 ± 7% for CAF to 95 ± 6% for OXY, with an 87% removal of total culturable microorganisms. In the second round (Set 2), aiming to assess EC process efficiency in a more complex CEC mixture, the effluent was spiked with six more CECs (200 ppb each): diclofenac (DCF), triclosan (TCS), bisphenol A (BPA), 17β-estradiol (E2), 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), and ibuprofen (IBU), giving a total of nine CECs. In this case, the EC process allowed decreasing the CEC content by 19–100% (below the limit of detection), depending on the effluent samples, and the culturable microorganisms by 99.98% after a 6 h treatment. By contributing to CEC degradation and microorganism removal, the EC process proved to be a viable remediation and disinfection technology for secondary effluent from wastewater treatment plants. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:47:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-77b3579a321541dab18658f3636d40dd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:47:41Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-77b3579a321541dab18658f3636d40dd2023-12-11T17:23:18ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412021-02-0113452010.3390/w13040520Electrochemical Treatment of Effluent for the Removal of Contaminants of Emergent Concern and Culturable MicroorganismsJoana Dionísio0Cristiana Gonçalves1Paula Guedes2Alexandra B. Ribeiro3Nazaré Couto4CENSE—Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, PortugalCENSE—Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, PortugalCENSE—Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, PortugalCENSE—Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, PortugalCENSE—Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, PortugalThe present work aims to study the electrochemical (EC) process applied for the removal of contaminants of emergent concern (CECs) from wastewater after secondary treatment and the effect of the process on the total culturable microorganisms. The EC experiments were performed in a cylindrical open reactor with 500 mL of effluent, and a fixed current density of 8 mA/cm² was applied through mixed metal oxide electrodes. The experiments were conducted in different sets. In the first round (Set 1), the effluent sample was spiked with three CECs (200 ppb each): caffeine (CAF), carbamazepine (CBZ), and oxybenzone (OXY). For the best treatment period, 6 h, electrodegradation rates ranged from 41 ± 7% for CAF to 95 ± 6% for OXY, with an 87% removal of total culturable microorganisms. In the second round (Set 2), aiming to assess EC process efficiency in a more complex CEC mixture, the effluent was spiked with six more CECs (200 ppb each): diclofenac (DCF), triclosan (TCS), bisphenol A (BPA), 17β-estradiol (E2), 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), and ibuprofen (IBU), giving a total of nine CECs. In this case, the EC process allowed decreasing the CEC content by 19–100% (below the limit of detection), depending on the effluent samples, and the culturable microorganisms by 99.98% after a 6 h treatment. By contributing to CEC degradation and microorganism removal, the EC process proved to be a viable remediation and disinfection technology for secondary effluent from wastewater treatment plants.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/4/520pharmaceuticals and personal care productstotal culturable microorganismselectrochemical disinfectiontertiary treatment |
| spellingShingle | Joana Dionísio Cristiana Gonçalves Paula Guedes Alexandra B. Ribeiro Nazaré Couto Electrochemical Treatment of Effluent for the Removal of Contaminants of Emergent Concern and Culturable Microorganisms Water pharmaceuticals and personal care products total culturable microorganisms electrochemical disinfection tertiary treatment |
| title | Electrochemical Treatment of Effluent for the Removal of Contaminants of Emergent Concern and Culturable Microorganisms |
| title_full | Electrochemical Treatment of Effluent for the Removal of Contaminants of Emergent Concern and Culturable Microorganisms |
| title_fullStr | Electrochemical Treatment of Effluent for the Removal of Contaminants of Emergent Concern and Culturable Microorganisms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Electrochemical Treatment of Effluent for the Removal of Contaminants of Emergent Concern and Culturable Microorganisms |
| title_short | Electrochemical Treatment of Effluent for the Removal of Contaminants of Emergent Concern and Culturable Microorganisms |
| title_sort | electrochemical treatment of effluent for the removal of contaminants of emergent concern and culturable microorganisms |
| topic | pharmaceuticals and personal care products total culturable microorganisms electrochemical disinfection tertiary treatment |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/4/520 |
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