School of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA.
Chemical & Analysis Instrumentation Laboratory, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003, USA.
J Environ Manage. 2024 Sep;367:121936. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121936. Epub 2024 Aug 2.
Sustainability and life-cycle concerns about the conventional activated sludge (CAS) process for wastewater treatment have been driving the development of energy-efficient, greener alternatives. Feasibility of an algal-based wastewater treatment (A-WWT) system has been demonstrated recently as a possible alternative, capable of simultaneous nutrient and energy recovery. This study compared capabilities of the A-WWT and CAS systems in removing organic micropollutants (OMP). Initial assessments based on surrogate organic measures and fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (FEEM) scans revealed that the A-WWT system achieved higher removals of organics than the CAS system. However, effluents of both systems contained residual organic matter, necessitating further OMP assessment for a rigorous comparison. A novel ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography- Fourier transform mass spectrometry (UPLC-FTMS)-based non-targeted screening approach was adopted here for residual OMP analysis. This approach confirmed that the A-WWT system resulted in better OMP removal, eliminating 329 compounds and partially reducing 472 compounds, compared to 206 eliminations and 410 partial reductions by the CAS system. Mass spectra signal corresponding to some OMPs increased with treatment while some transformation products were observed following treatment. Higher OMP reduction in the A-WWT system with concurrent reductions of biodegradable carbon, nutrients, and pathogens in a single-step while producing energy and nutrient rich algal biomass underscore its potential as a greener alternative for wastewater treatment.
可持续性和生命周期问题促使人们关注传统的活性污泥（CAS）工艺在废水处理方面的应用，这推动了节能、更环保的替代方案的发展。最近，藻类基废水处理（A-WWT）系统作为一种可能的替代方案，因其能够同时进行营养物和能源回收，其可行性已得到证实。本研究比较了 A-WWT 和 CAS 系统去除有机微污染物（OMP）的能力。基于替代有机指标和荧光激发-发射矩阵（FEEM）扫描的初步评估表明，A-WWT 系统对有机物的去除率高于 CAS 系统。然而，两个系统的出水都含有残留有机物，因此需要进一步进行 OMP 评估以进行严格比较。本研究采用了一种基于超高效液相色谱-傅里叶变换质谱（UPLC-FTMS）的新型非靶向筛选方法，用于残留 OMP 分析。该方法证实，与 CAS 系统相比，A-WWT 系统可更好地去除 OMP，消除了 329 种化合物，部分减少了 472 种化合物，而 CAS 系统分别消除了 206 种和 410 种化合物。一些 OMP 的质谱信号随着处理而增加，同时观察到一些转化产物。在 A-WWT 系统中，OMP 减少的同时，生物可降解碳、营养物和病原体也得到了减少，且在一个步骤中同时产生了富含能量和营养的藻类生物质，这突显了其作为废水处理更环保替代方案的潜力。
