Fate of selected emerging micropollutants during mesophilic, thermophilic and temperature co-phased anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge.
The removal of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was studied in three lab-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) systems; a single-stage mesophilic, a single-stage thermophilic and a two-stage thermophilic/mesophilic. All micropollutants underwent microbial degradation. High removal efficiency (>80%) was calculated for diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen and ketoprofen; whereas triclosan, bisphenol A and the sum of nonylphenol (NP), nonylphenol monoethoxylate (NP1EO) and nonylphenol diethoxylate were moderately removed (40-80%). NSAIDs removal was not affected by the type of AD system used; whereas slightly higher EDCs removal was observed in two-stage system. In this system, most microcontaminants were removed in thermophilic digester. Biotransformation of NP1EO and NP was affected by the temperature applied to bioreactors. Under mesophilic conditions, higher removal of NP1EO and accumulation of NP was noticed; whereas the opposite was observed under thermophilic conditions. For most analytes, higher specific removal rates were calculated under thermophilic conditions and 20 days SRT.
Water and Air Quality Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, University Hill, 81100 Mytilene, Greece.
Vasilios G
VG
Samaras
Water and Air Quality Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, University Hill, 81100 Mytilene, Greece. Electronic address: astas@env.aegean.gr.
Athanasios S
AS
Stasinakis
Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece.
Nikolaos S
NS
Thomaidis
Department of Water Resources, Faculty of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou, Athens 15773, Greece.
Daniel
D
Mamais
Water and Air Quality Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, University Hill, 81100 Mytilene, Greece.
Themistokles D
TD
Lekkas
D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D056804:Biofuels; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010636:Phenols / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*; D013696:Temperature; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D056804:Biofuels; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D010636:Phenols; D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C025256:nonylphenol
Anaerobic digestion; Endocrine disrupting compounds; Pharmaceuticals; Removal; Sludge