Svahn Ola, Borg Stefan
School of Education and Environment, Division of Natural Sciences, Kristianstad University, 291 88 Kristianstad, Sweden.
Kristianstad Municipality, 291 29 Kristianstad, Sweden.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Jan 1;906:167424. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167424. Epub 2023 Oct 2.
This study focuses on the 4th treatment step in Degeberga WWTP treatment plant, the first full scale GAC filter in Sweden installed in April 2020 for removal of micropollutants. The two GAC filters, containing two different carbon types, has operated flawlessly for three years (30,000 bed volumes) without requiring backwashing. The results indicate that the sand filter provides effective protection to the carbon filters, preventing solids from reaching the carbon and reducing the growth of organic matter. Additionally substantial biodegradation was observed for several substances. During the first year of operation, the two filters (at 8500 and 5700 bed volumes respectively) achieved >98 % removal of 24 substances. By the end of the second year (at 19,000 and 12,600 bed volumes respectively), fluconazole and sulfamethoxazole broke through completely, and the number of compounds below 80 % removal increased. The average removal of micro pollutants decreased over time. Compounds with positive charges generally exhibited higher adsorption capacities, while negatively charged compounds had lower removals. On average the investigated 24 compounds was removed by 89 % in the 4th treatment step over three years. The study suggests that biodegradation may contribute to the removal of some micropollutants in GAC filters, similar to observations made in the sand filter. Both Swiss and suggested EU regulations aim for at least an 80 % removal in micropollutant concentration. The study evaluated the performance of the filters based on this guideline and the presented technique is after a total of eight years of investigation and evaluation a proven performer. Overall, the 4th treatment combination of sand and GAC filters in WWTPs has shown promising results in removing organic micropollutants, addressing the need for efficient treatment strategies targeting these emerging pollutants. Degeberga WWTP serves as an example of successful implementation of advanced treatment for improving water quality and protecting human and aquatic health.
本研究聚焦于德格贝里加污水处理厂的第四步处理工艺，这是瑞典于2020年4月安装的首个用于去除微污染物的全尺寸颗粒活性炭（GAC）过滤器。这两个GAC过滤器包含两种不同类型的活性炭，已完美运行三年（30,000床体积），无需进行反冲洗。结果表明，砂滤器为活性炭过滤器提供了有效保护，防止固体物质进入活性炭，并减少了有机物的生长。此外，还观察到几种物质有大量生物降解现象。在运行的第一年，两个过滤器（分别为8500和5700床体积）对24种物质的去除率>98%。到第二年年底（分别为19,000和12,600床体积），氟康唑和磺胺甲恶唑完全穿透，去除率低于80%的化合物数量增加。微污染物的平均去除率随时间下降。带正电荷的化合物通常表现出较高的吸附能力，而带负电荷的化合物去除率较低。在三年时间里，第四步处理工艺中所研究的24种化合物平均去除率为89%。该研究表明，生物降解可能有助于GAC过滤器中某些微污染物的去除，这与砂滤器中的观察结果类似。瑞士和欧盟建议的法规都旨在将微污染物浓度至少降低80%。该研究基于此准则评估了过滤器的性能，经过总共八年的调查和评估，所展示的技术是经证实的有效技术。总体而言，污水处理厂中砂滤器和GAC过滤器的第四步处理组合在去除有机微污染物方面显示出了有前景的结果，满足了针对这些新兴污染物的高效处理策略的需求。德格贝里加污水处理厂是成功实施深度处理以改善水质和保护人类及水生生物健康的典范。
