title: Study of a large scale powdered activated carbon pilot: Removals of a wide range of emerging and priority micropollutants from wastewater treatment plant effluents.
abstract: The efficacy of a fluidized powdered activated carbon (PAC) pilot (CarboPlus(®)) was studied in both nominal (total nitrification + post denitrification) and degraded (partial nitrification + no denitrification) configuration of the Seine Centre WWTP (Colombes, France). In addition to conventional wastewater parameters 54 pharmaceuticals and hormones (PhPHs) and 59 other emerging pollutants were monitored in influents and effluents of the pilot. Thus, the impacts of the WWTP configuration, the process operation and the physico-chemical properties of the studied compounds were assessed in this article. Among the 26 PhPHs quantified in nominal WWTP configuration influents, 8 have high dissolved concentrations (>100 ng/L), 11 have an intermediary concentration (10-100 ng/L) and 7 are quantified below 10 ng/L. Sulfamethoxazole is predominant (about 30% of the sum of the PhPHs). Overall, 6 PhPHs are poorly to moderately removed (<60%), such as ibuprofen, paracetamol or estrone, while 9 are very well removed (>80%), i.e. beta blockers, carbamazepine or trimethoprim, and 11 are well eliminated (60-80%), i.e. diclofenac, naproxen or sulfamethoxazole. In degraded WWTP configuration, higher levels of organic matter and higher concentrations of most pollutants are observed. Consequently, most PhPHs are substantially less removed in percentages but the removed flux is higher. Thus, the PAC dose required to achieve a given removal percentage is higher in degraded WWTP configuration. For the other micropollutants (34 quantified), artificial sweeteners and phthalates are found at particularly high concentrations in degraded WWTP configuration influents, up to μg/L range. Only pesticides, bisphenol A and parabens are largely eliminated (50-95%), while perfluorinated acids, PAHs, triclosan and sweeteners are not or weakly removed (<50%). The remaining compounds exhibit a very variable fate from campaign to campaign. The fresh PAC dose was identified as the most influencing operation parameter and is strongly correlated to performances. Charge and hydrophobicity of compounds have been recognized as crucial for the micropollutant adsorption on PAC, as well as the molecular weight. Finally, a PAC dose of 10 mg/L allows an average removal of 72-80% of the sum of the PhPHs in nominal WWTP configuration. The comparaison of the results with those from the scarce other studies tends to indicate that an extrapolation of them to different PAC processes and to other WWTPs could be possible and relevant, taking into account the differences of water quality from WWTP to WWTP.
authors.affiliation: LEESU (UMR MA 102, Université Paris-Est, AgroParisTech), 61 avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France. Electronic address: maillerr@leesu.enpc.fr.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mailler
authors.affiliation: LEESU (UMR MA 102, Université Paris-Est, AgroParisTech), 61 avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France. Electronic address: gasperi@u-pec.fr.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gasperi
authors.affiliation: SAUR, Direction de la Recherche et du Développement, 1 rue Antoine Lavoisier, 78064 Guyancourt, France.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Coquet
authors.affiliation: LEESU (UMR MA 102, Université Paris-Est, AgroParisTech), 61 avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France; LCPP (Laboratoire Central de la Préfecture de Police), 39 bis rue de Dantzig, 75015 Paris, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deshayes
authors.affiliation: LEESU (UMR MA 102, Université Paris-Est, AgroParisTech), 61 avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zedek
authors.affiliation: ISA (UMR 5280, Institut des Sciences Analytiques, CNRS), 5 rue de la Doua, 69100 Villeurbanne, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cren-Olivé
authors.affiliation: ISA (UMR 5280, Institut des Sciences Analytiques, CNRS), 5 rue de la Doua, 69100 Villeurbanne, France.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cartiser
authors.affiliation: LCPP (Laboratoire Central de la Préfecture de Police), 39 bis rue de Dantzig, 75015 Paris, France.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Eudes
authors.affiliation: LEESU (UMR MA 102, Université Paris-Est, AgroParisTech), 61 avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bressy
authors.affiliation: LEESU (UMR MA 102, Université Paris-Est, AgroParisTech), 61 avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Caupos
authors.affiliation: LEESU (UMR MA 102, Université Paris-Est, AgroParisTech), 61 avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moilleron
authors.affiliation: LEESU (UMR MA 102, Université Paris-Est, AgroParisTech), 6-8 avenue Blaise Pascal, Champs-sur-Marne, 77455 Marne-la-Vallée Cedex 2, France.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chebbo
authors.affiliation: SIAAP, Direction du Développement et de la Prospective, 82 avenue Kléber, 92700 Colombes, France.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rocher
mesh_terms: D002606:Charcoal / Q000737:chemistry*; D006728:Hormones / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011208:Powders; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018508:Water Purification; D060753:Water Quality
chemical_list: D002606:Charcoal; D006728:Hormones; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D011208:Powders; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Adsorption; Emerging pollutants; Pharmaceuticals; Powdered activated carbon; Wastewater treatment