title: Investigation on removal pathways of Di 2-ethyl hexyl phthalate from synthetic municipal wastewater using a submerged membrane bioreactor.
abstract: Highly hydrophobic Di 2-ethyl hexyl phthalate (DEHP) is one of the most prevalent plasticizers in wastewaters. Since its half-life in biological treatment is around 25days, it can be used as an efficiency indicator of wastewater treatment plant for the removal of hydrophobic emerging contaminants. In this study, the performance of submerged membrane bioreactor was monitored to understand the effect of DEHP on the growth of aerobic microorganisms. The data showed that the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia concentration were detected below 10 and 1.0mg/L, respectively for operating conditions of hydraulic retention time (HRT)=4 and 6hr, sludge retention time (SRT)=140day and sludge concentration between 11.5 and 15.8g volatile solid (VS)/L. The removal efficiency of DEHP under these conditions was higher and ranged between 91% and 98%. Results also showed that the removal efficiency of DEHP in biological treatment depended on the concentration of sludge, as adsorption is the main mechanism of its removal. For the submerged membrane bioreactor, the pore size is the pivotal factor for DEHP removal, since it determines the amount of soluble microbial products coming out of the process. Highly assimilated microorganisms increase the biodegradation rate, as 74% of inlet DEHP was biodegraded; however, the concentration of DEHP inside sludge was beyond the discharge limit. Understanding the fate of DEHP in membrane bioreactor, which is one of the most promising and futuristic treatment process could provide replacement for conventional processes to satisfy the future stricter regulations on emerging contaminants.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Scientific Research, Water, Earth and Environment (INRS-ETE), University of Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec G1K 9A9, Canada.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zolfaghari
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Scientific Research, Water, Earth and Environment (INRS-ETE), University of Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec G1K 9A9, Canada. Electronic address: patrick.drogui@ete.inrs.ca.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Drogui
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Scientific Research, Water, Earth and Environment (INRS-ETE), University of Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec G1K 9A9, Canada.
authors.forename: Brahima
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Seyhi
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Scientific Research, Water, Earth and Environment (INRS-ETE), University of Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec G1K 9A9, Canada.
authors.forename: Satinder Kaur
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Brar
authors.affiliation: Industrial Research Center of Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec G1P 4C7, Canada.
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Buelna
authors.affiliation: Industrial Research Center of Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec G1P 4C7, Canada.
authors.forename: Rino
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dubé
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Scientific Research, Water, Earth and Environment (INRS-ETE), University of Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec G1K 9A9, Canada.
authors.forename: Nouha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Klai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057219:Biofouling; D057919:Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology; D002947:Cities; D003621:Daphnia / Q000187:drug effects; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D007101:Immersion; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D012995:Solubility; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D009584:Nitrogen; D010758:Phosphorus; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Di 2-ethyl hexyl phthalate; Removal efficiency; Soluble microbial products; Submerged membrane bioreactor; Toxicity