Department Water and Wastewater Technology, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdańsk University of Technology, ul. Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland.
Department Water and Wastewater Technology, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdańsk University of Technology, ul. Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland.
Sci Total Environ. 2019 Jan 10;647:149-157. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.439. Epub 2018 Jul 31.
Pharmaceutical residues are an emerging environmental problem. It is strongly confirmed that pharmaceuticals are present in soils and environmental waters (surface, marine and even groundwater), and that wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents are the main source of pharmaceuticals in the watershed. The aim of this study was to recognize the spatial distribution and seasonal changes of selected pharmaceuticals in conventional WWTP with Sludge Treatment Reed Beds (STRBs) technology used for dewatering and stabilization of sewage sludge, because these systems have never been studied in terms of pharmaceuticals distribution or removal potential. The research was conducted in conventional WWTP in Gniewino, where raw wastewater was treated using mechanical, biological and chemical removal of the organic matter and nutrients, and sewage sludge was treated with STRB. Determinations of pharmaceuticals (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - ibuprofen, paracetamol, flurbiprofen, naproxen, diclofenac and its metabolites) and basic parameters were carried out in samples of influent and effluent from WWTP and in the liquid phase of surplus activated sludge (SAS) as well as reject water from STRB. The potential of removal varied among target pharmaceuticals. Ibuprofen and naproxen were completely removed by the standard applied technology of the Gniewino WWTP. Diclofenac and its metabolites were the chemicals with the lowest removal potential in wastewater and the highest detection frequency. These pharmaceuticals were also detected in the liquid phase of SAS as well as in reject water. However, removal potential when using STRB was higher than 94% (mostly higher than 99%), independent of the season. Indeed, the STRB technology is not only efficient in sludge dewatering and nutrient removal (primary purpose), but also elimination of polar pollutants. Nevertheless, removal in STRB did not mean that pharmaceuticals were totally eliminated because these compounds could be "trapped and stored" in beds (by the process of sorption) or transformed into other products. This study is a starting point for further exploration of STRB technology for elimination of emerging pollutants.
药品残留是一个新出现的环境问题。强有力的证据表明，药品存在于土壤和环境水中（地表、海洋，甚至地下水），并且污水处理厂（WWTP）的废水是流域中药品的主要来源。本研究的目的是认识到采用污泥处理芦苇床（STRB）技术进行脱水和稳定污水污泥的常规 WWTP 中选定药品的空间分布和季节性变化，因为这些系统从未在药品分布或去除潜力方面进行过研究。该研究在 Gniewino 的常规 WWTP 中进行，在那里使用机械、生物和化学方法去除有机物和营养物来处理原废水，并用 STRB 处理污水污泥。在 WWTP 的进水和出水以及剩余活性污泥（SAS）的液相以及 STRB 的废弃水中进行了药品（非甾体抗炎药-布洛芬、扑热息痛、氟比洛芬、萘普生、双氯芬酸及其代谢物）和基本参数的测定。目标药品的去除潜力各不相同。布洛芬和萘普生通过 Gniewino WWTP 应用的标准技术完全去除。双氯芬酸及其代谢物是废水去除潜力最低和检测频率最高的化学品。这些药品也在 SAS 的液相以及废弃水中被检测到。然而，当使用 STRB 时，去除潜力高于 94%（大部分高于 99%），与季节无关。事实上，STRB 技术不仅在污泥脱水和养分去除方面（主要目的）有效，而且还能消除极性污染物。尽管如此，STRB 中的去除并不意味着药品已被完全消除，因为这些化合物可能会“被捕获和储存”在床中（通过吸附过程）或转化为其他产品。本研究为进一步探索 STRB 技术消除新兴污染物提供了一个起点。
