The low-level presence of emerging contaminants (ECs) in the environment has raised a great concern due to their persistence, chronic toxicological, and endocrine disrupting effects on terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have become hotspots for the spread of these contaminants to the environment as conventional processes are not efficient in removing them.… Continue reading Removal of contaminants of emerging concern from real wastewater by an innovative hybrid membrane process – UltraSound, Adsorption, and Membrane ultrafiltration (USAMe®)
This study investigates the removal of selected pharmaceuticals, as recalcitrant organic compounds, from synthetic wastewater using an electro-membrane bioreactor (eMBR). Diclofenac (DCF), carbamazepine (CBZ), and amoxicillin (AMX) were selected as representative drugs from three different therapeutic groups such as anti-inflammatory, anti-epileptic, and antibiotic, respectively. An environmentally relevant concentration (10 μg/L) of each compound was spiked into… Continue reading Control of emerging contaminants by the combination of electrochemical processes and membrane bioreactors
The occurrence and fate of pharmaceuticals in the environment, and in aquatic media in particular, have received considerable attention by the scientific community during the last two decades. Pharmaceuticals, which are designed to be biologically active substances, are usually lipophilic and resistant to biodegradation, thus having the potential for accumulation and persistence in the environment.… Continue reading Sonochemical degradation of twenty-three emerging contaminants in urban wastewater