How Do Sewage Treatment Plants Manage Emerging Contaminants?

Sewage treatment plants face an escalating challenge – the presence of emerging contaminants that conventional treatment methods cannot fully remove. These unregulated compounds span pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial chemicals and more that eventually make their way into wastewater streams. Even at trace levels, some emerging contaminants can potentially disrupt ecosystems or human health if discharged untreated.So, how are sewage treatment facilities enhancing their capabilities to manage this emerging contaminant threat?

We'll explore the innovative membrane technologies and advanced oxidation processes plants now deploy to minimise environmental releases. Let’s get going...

Membrane Treatment Barriers

Among the most effective sewage treatment solutions for emerging contaminant removal are advanced membrane filtration systems. Microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) create physical barriers that reject contaminant compounds.Reverse osmosis, in particular, can remove over 99% of most micropollutants by size exclusion down to the nanometer scale. Pharmaceutical residues, PFAS compounds, pesticides, microplastics and more get concentrated into RO brine streams for proper disposal. NF and tight UF membranes also demonstrate strong removal for many emerging contaminants.

Advanced Oxidation

Oxidation has long been leveraged for disinfection in sewage treatment. However, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) take things further by generating highly reactive oxidants that degrade emerging contaminants. Ozone, hydrogen peroxide, UV photolysis and catalysts like titanium dioxide produce hydroxyl radicals that mineralize organic micropollutants.AOPs provide a complementary treatment barrier alongside membranes for recalcitrant compounds. Ozonation followed by biologically activated filtration is one robust hybrid AOP/membrane configuration used by plants. Different AOPs can also be combined in sequence to maximise contaminant destruction.

Source Control & Proper Disposal

While end-of-pipe treatment helps control releases, proper disposal of emerging contaminants when possible avoids their introduction into sewage in the first place. Many healthcare facilities and pharmaceutical manufacturers now segregate hazardous pharmaceutical wastes for medical incineration or specialised hazardous landfills instead of sewering.Pretreatment programs also regulate industrial dischargers, limiting the release of PFAS from manufacturers, pesticides from agriculture operations, and other toxins. Household source control educating the public on proper drug disposal further reduces loadings. These preventative approaches reduce the burden on treatment plants.

Bioanalytical Monitoring

To prioritise emerging contaminant management strategies, accurate measurement of compound presence and toxicity is crucial. Conventional analytical chemistry struggles to monitor the universe of potential contaminants cost-effectively. However, bioanalytical screening tools can provide an integrated assessment.

Techniques employ living organism responses to concentrated sewage samples to detect and quantify overall toxicity caused by mixtures of contaminants. Bioassays measuring impacts like mutagenicity, endocrine disruption and reproductive toxicity can pinpoint problematic sewage batches warranting additional treatment. As sensors improve, bioanalytical monitoring promises smarter treatment optimisation for emerging contaminants.

Conclusion

Sewage treatment plants face a daunting challenge with emerging contaminants from myriad industrial, pharmaceutical and household sources. These unregulated micropollutants pose environmental and health risks if discharged untreated. Fortunately, innovative physical separation and advanced oxidation solutions provide multi-barrier protection to mitigate these threats.

The adoption of membrane filtration, like reverse osmosis, combined with oxidative approaches like ozonation, allows plants to reject and degrade emerging contaminants cost-effectively. Source control and bioanalytical monitoring streamline treatment processes, too. As public awareness grows alongside escalating regulations, sewage facilities continue optimising emerging contaminant management using these modern technologies and strategies to protect environmental quality.

To explore customised commercial RO plants, Industrial RO plants, ETP or STP solutions for your needs in your areas and nearby regions, contact Netsol Water at:

Phone: +91-965-060-8473, Email: enquiry@netsolwater.com