Micropollutants removal by full-scale UV-C/sulfate radical based Advanced Oxidation Processes

J Rodríguez-Chueca; E Laski; C García-Cañibano; M J Martín de Vidales; Á Encinas; B Kuch; J Marugán

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.279

Micropollutants removal by full-scale UV-C/sulfate radical based Advanced Oxidation Processes

Sci Total Environ. 2018 Jul 15:630:1216-1225. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.279. Epub 2018 Mar 7.

Authors

J Rodríguez-Chueca¹, E Laski², C García-Cañibano³, M J Martín de Vidales⁴, Á Encinas⁵, B Kuch², J Marugán⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical and Environmental Technology (ESCET), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/ Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Madrid, Spain; Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Madrid, (UPM), C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
² Department of Hydrochemistry and Hydrobiology, Institute of Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management, University of Stuttgart, Bandtäle 2, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
³ Department of Chemical and Environmental Technology (ESCET), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/ Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Madrid, Spain.
⁴ Mechanical, Chemical and Industrial Design Engineering Department (ETSIDI), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ronda de Valencia 3, 28012 Madrid, Spain.
⁵ Department of Innovation & Technology, FCC Aqualia, S.A., C/ Montesinos 28, 06002 Badajoz, Spain.
⁶ Department of Chemical and Environmental Technology (ESCET), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/ Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: javier.marugan@urjc.es.

PMID: 29554743
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.279

Abstract

The high chemical stability and the low biodegradability of a vast number of micropollutants (MPs) impede their correct treatment in urban wastewater treatment plants. In most cases, the chemical oxidation is the only way to abate them. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) have been experimentally proved as efficient in the removal of different micropollutants at lab-scale. However, there is not enough information about their application at full-scale. This manuscript reports the application of three different AOPs based on the addition of homogeneous oxidants [hydrogen peroxide, peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and persulfate anions (PS)], in the UV-C tertiary treatment of Estiviel wastewater treatment plant (Toledo, Spain) previously designed and installed in the facility for disinfection. AOPs based on the photolytic decomposition of oxidants have been demonstrated as more efficient than UV-C radiation alone on the removal of 25 different MPs using low dosages (0.05-0.5 mM) and very low UV-C contact time (4-18 s). Photolysis of PMS and H₂O₂ reached similar average MPs removal in all the range of oxidant dosages, obtaining the highest efficiency with 0.5 mM and 18 s of contact time (48 and 55% respectively). Nevertheless, PMS/UV-C reached slightly higher removal than H₂O₂/UV-C at low dosages. So, these treatments are selective to degrade the target compounds, obtaining different removal efficiencies for each compound regarding the oxidizing agent, dosages and UV-C contact time. In all the cases, H₂O₂/UV-C is more efficient than PMS/UV-C, comparing the ratio cost:efficiency (€/m³·order). Even H₂O₂/UV-C treatments are more efficient than UV-C alone. Thus, the addition of 0.5 mM of H₂O₂ compensates the increased of UV-C contact time and therefore the increase of electrical consumption, that it should be need to increase the removal of MPs by UV-C treatments alone.

Keywords: Full-scale; Micropollutants; Sulfate radicals; Tertiary treatment; UV-C radiation; WWTP.