title: Removal of trace organic micropollutants by drinking water biological filters.
abstract: The long-term removal of 34 trace organic micropollutants (<1 μg L(-1)) was evaluated and modeled in drinking water biological filters with sand media from a full-scale plant. The micropollutants included pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products, some of which are endocrine disrupting chemicals, and represent a wide range of uses, chemical structures, adsorbabilities, and biodegradabilities. Micropollutant removal ranged from no measurable removal (<15%) for 13 compounds to removal below the detection limit and followed one of four trends over the one year study period: steady state removal throughout, increasing removal to steady state (acclimation), decreasing removal, or no removal (recalcitrant). Removals for all 19 nonrecalcitrant compounds followed first-order kinetics when at steady state with increased removal at longer empty bed contact times (EBCT). Rate constants were calculated, 0.02-0.37 min(-1), and used in a pseudo-first-order rate model with the EBCT to predict removals in laboratory biofilters at a different EBCT and influent conditions. Drinking water biofiltration has the potential to be an effective process for the control of many trace organic contaminants and a pseudo-first-order model can serve as an appropriate method for approximating performance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, UCB 428, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States. zearley@colorado.edu
authors.forename: Thomas L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Zearley
authors.forename: R Scott
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Summers
mesh_terms: D060766:Drinking Water / Q000032:analysis*; D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation*; D057230:Limit of Detection; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical