Aldana Juan C, Agudelo Cristina, Álvarez Pedro M, Acero Juan L
Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Química Física, Instituto Universitario de Investigación del Agua, Cambio Climático y Sostenibilidad (IACYS), Universidad de Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain.
Membranes (Basel). 2024 Jun 27;14(7):146. doi: 10.3390/membranes14070146.
Organic micropollutants (OMPs) present in water and wastewater are in the spotlight because of their potentially harmful effects even at low concentrations and the difficulties of their elimination in urban wastewater treatment plants (UWWTPs). This study explores the impact of some membrane filtration processes on the removal of a group of 11 OMPs with an eye on the effects of two pretreatments (i.e., coagulation and adsorption onto powdered activated carbon (PAC)) and the adsorption of OMPs onto the membranes on the overall removal. For this purpose, ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) experiments were conducted with selected OMPs spiked in ultrapure water and secondary effluents from UWWTPs. It was observed that the adsorption of OMPs onto the membranes was influenced by the characteristics of the membranes, as well as the presence of effluent organic matter (EfOM). Since adsorption was the dominant mechanism for the rejection of OMPs by UF membranes, a study of the adsorption equilibrium of the micropollutants using UF membrane pieces as the adsorbent was conducted. The adsorption isotherms for the most hydrophobic OMPs fitted the Langmuir model. The efficiency of coagulation and powdered activated carbon (PAC) adsorption coupled with UF were also investigated. Both pretreatments alleviated membrane fouling and improved the rejection of organic and inorganic matter. The PAC pretreatment significantly improved the removal of OMPs in the combined PAC/UF process. The best options for achieving reclaimed water with satisfactory physicochemical quality, nearly devoid of OMPs and microorganisms, and suitable for diverse reuse purposes are either the NF treatment or the combination of PAC/UF.
水和废水中存在的有机微污染物（OMPs）备受关注，因为即使在低浓度下它们也可能产生有害影响，并且在城市污水处理厂（UWWTPs）中难以去除。本研究探讨了一些膜过滤工艺对一组11种OMPs去除效果的影响，重点关注两种预处理（即混凝和粉末活性炭（PAC）吸附）的效果以及OMPs在膜上的吸附对整体去除的影响。为此，在超纯水和UWWTPs的二级出水中添加选定的OMPs进行了超滤（UF）和纳滤（NF）实验。结果发现，OMPs在膜上的吸附受膜的特性以及出水有机物（EfOM）的存在影响。由于吸附是UF膜截留OMPs的主要机制，因此使用UF膜片作为吸附剂对微污染物的吸附平衡进行了研究。疏水性最强的OMPs的吸附等温线符合Langmuir模型。还研究了混凝和粉末活性炭（PAC）吸附与UF联用的效率。两种预处理都减轻了膜污染，提高了对有机物和无机物的截留率。PAC预处理显著提高了PAC/UF联合工艺中OMPs的去除率。实现具有令人满意的理化质量、几乎不含OMPs和微生物且适用于多种回用目的的再生水的最佳选择是NF处理或PAC/UF组合。
