Technologies for micropollutants removal
Résumé
Organic micropollutants (OMPs), mainly pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), are present in raw urban wastewaters usually at concentrations in the ng/L-µg/L range due to their widespread consumption. Most OMPs are only partially removed in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and therefore, discharged into the environment, which may pose ecotoxicological effects on the long term. Most OMPs show a low tendency to sorb onto solids, with the exception of musk fragrances, and can only be removed by biotransformation during the biological treatment. This chapter reviews the state-of-the art about the impact of innovative technologies for sewage treatment, such as enhanced primary clarification, granular reactors, anammox process or hybrid systems, on the fate and removal of OMPs. Two sections on the fate of transformation products (TPs) in WWTPs and modelling of OMPs during sewage treatment, respectively, are also included.