title: Comparison of sulfonated and other micropollutants removal in membrane bioreactor and conventional wastewater treatment.
abstract: Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) were compared with conventional activated sludge systems (CAS) for micropollutant degradation, in laboratory-scale spiking experiments with synthetic and real domestic wastewater. The target micropollutants were polar in nature and represented a broad range in biodegradability. The experimental data indicated that MBR treatment could significantly enhance removal of the micropollutants 1,6- and 2,7-naphthalene disulfonate (NDSA) and benzothiazole-2-sulfonate. 1,5-NDSA, EDTA and diclofenac were not removed in either the MBR or the CAS. The other compounds were equally well degraded in both systems. For 1,3-naphthalene disulfonate, the existence of a minimum threshold level for degradation could be demonstrated. Although MBRs could not always make a difference in the overall removal efficiencies achieved, they showed reduced lag phases for degradation and a stronger memory effect, which implies that they may respond quicker to variable influent concentrations. Finally, micropollutant removal also turned out to be less sensitive to system operational variables.
authors.affiliation: Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium. heleen.dewever@vito.be
authors.forename: Heleen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: De Wever
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reemtsma
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vereecken
authors.forename: Jutta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Knepper
authors.forename: Ocke
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rörden
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: Damia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barcelo
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dolores Hernando
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D019149:Bioreactors; D004008:Diclofenac / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D009282:Naphthalenesulfonates / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D009282:Naphthalenesulfonates; D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D004008:Diclofenac; C056937:naphthalene-1,6-disulfonic acid