During the last decades in Europe and around the world, ecosystems are facing the exposure to slowly biodegradable pharmaceuticals. Traditional polluted water treatment methods (biological, physico-chemical) are inefficient and economically not attractive. Therefore, the combination of biological and physico-chemical processes becomes more attractive because of process efficiency. However, more research has to be performed in order to characterize these systems. The aim of this project – to test the laboratory pilot reactor, which combines advanced oxidation and biological activated carbon technologies. Secondary effluent from domestic wastewater treatment plant, which is polluted with slowly biodegradable organic compounds, nitrogen and phosphorous, will be used as a feed-stock. Based on the obtained results, final report will be handled at the end of the project, and will help to improve the system till the 5th technology readiness level.
Project funding:
Project is funded by EU Structural Funds according to the 2014–2020 Operational Programme for the European Union Funds’ Investments priority “Development of scientific competence of researchers, other researchers, students through practical scientific activities” under Measure No. 09.3.3-LMT-K-712.
Project results:
During the activities of this project, preliminary adsorption and biodegradation experiments have been performed with combined ozonation and biological activated carbon laboratory model. Optimal conditions were found, based on that the most effective removal efficiencies of total organic carbon and slowly biodegradable pharmaceuticals were achieved:
1) 20 g/L activated carbon concentration
2) dissolved ozone concentration 0.5 mg/L
3) hydraulic retention time in ozonation reactor was 60 minutes
4) 24 hours retention time in biological activated carbon tractor was optimal
5) Removal efficiency of total organic carbon was 42%
6) Removal of pharmaceuticals was: Triclosan 58%, Caffeine 82%, Carbamazepine 45%, Sulfametoxazole 67%
Based on these results, experimental pilot reactor will be modified by constructing more advanced ozone dissolving system coupled with oxygen generator.
Period of project implementation: 2019-07-01 - 2019-08-31
Project coordinator: Kaunas University of Technology
