title: Proposal for a screening test to evaluate the fate of organic micropollutants in activated sludge.
abstract: The concentrations of organic micropollutants are usually low in wastewaters (order of magnitude of mg L(-1)). However, their emission standards, especially in the case of carcinogenic and bioaccumulating substances, are often much lower (order of magnitude of microg L(-1)). Since these substances, in some cases, can be adsorbable or volatile, their removal via volatilization, biodegradation or sludge adsorption in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) becomes a significant feature to include in the usual design process, in order to verify the emission standards in gas and sludge too. In this study a simple screening batch test for the evaluation of the fate of organic micropollutants in water, air and sludge is presented. The test is set up by means of simple laboratory instruments and simulates an activated sludge tank process. In this study the results obtained for four substances with different chemical properties (i.e. toluene, benz(a)anthracene, phenol and benzene) are presented. The screening test proposed can be a useful tool to assess in about one month the fate of organic micropollutants in an activated sludge tank of a WWTP. Moreover, the test can constitute a useful support in the use of mathematical models, since it allows the verification of model results and the calibration of the reactions involved in the removal process.
authors.affiliation: Politecnico di Milano, DIIAR - Environmental Engineering Section, P.za Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy. roberta.salvetti@polimi.it
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salvetti
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vismara
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dal Ben
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gorla
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Romele
mesh_terms: D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D007700:Kinetics; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry*; D052617:Solid Phase Microextraction / Q000379:methods; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D009930:Organic Chemicals; D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical