Evaluation of contaminants of emerging concern attenuation through a vegetation filter managed using different operating conditions

Blanca Huidobro-López; Virtudes Martínez-Hernández; Lucía Barbero; Raffaella Meffe; Leonor Nozal; Irene de Bustamante

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132217

Evaluation of contaminants of emerging concern attenuation through a vegetation filter managed using different operating conditions

J Hazard Mater. 2023 Oct 5:459:132217. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132217. Epub 2023 Aug 4.

Authors

Blanca Huidobro-López¹, Virtudes Martínez-Hernández², Lucía Barbero³, Raffaella Meffe², Leonor Nozal⁴, Irene de Bustamante⁵

Affiliations

¹ IMDEA Water Institute, Avda. Punto Com 2, 28805 Madrid, Spain; Alcalá University, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, E-28871 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: blanca.huidobro@imdea.org.
² IMDEA Water Institute, Avda. Punto Com 2, 28805 Madrid, Spain.
³ IMDEA Water Institute, Avda. Punto Com 2, 28805 Madrid, Spain; Alcalá University, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, E-28871 Madrid, Spain.
⁴ Alcalá University and General Foundation of Alcalá University, Center of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, E-28871 Madrid, Spain.
⁵ IMDEA Water Institute, Avda. Punto Com 2, 28805 Madrid, Spain; Alcalá University, Department of Geology, Geography and Environment, A-II km 33,0, 28805 Madrid, Spain.

PMID: 37544173
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132217

Abstract

In wastewater treatment using Vegetation Filters (VFs), natural processes reduce contaminants present in water although some of them can reach the environment. In this study, 39 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are evaluated in a pilot VF under different operating conditions during almost four years. The use of woodchip amendments and the change from surface irrigation through furrows to drip irrigation (and from weekly to daily water application) provide CEC concentration reductions in the water infiltrating through the vadose zone. Biodegradation is the main process taking place and has been favoured mainly by woodchip soil amendments and the increased residence. Median attenuation percentages of the CECs most frequently detected with highest concentrations in applied wastewater vary between 52% and 100% at the end of the study (at 45 cm depth). Among targeted CECs, caffeine, and its transformation product paraxanthine are the most attenuated. Flecainide and venlafaxine show a persistent behaviour. However, their leaching concentrations are very low (< 31 ng/L). Concerning the underlying aquifer, the groundwater quality in terms of CEC concentrations is conditioned by the surrounding area rather than the operation of the VF. Levels in groundwater are always below those in wastewater and infiltrating water.

Keywords: Biodegradation; Groundwater; Nature-based solution; Pharmaceuticals; Soil amendments; Sorption.