Abwasser

A tiered process was developed to assess the transformation, CO₂ formation and uptake of four organic micropollutants by carrier-attached microorganisms from two municipal wastewater treatment plants. At the first tier, primary transformation of ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, and mecoprop by carrier-attached microorganisms was shown by the dissipation of the target compounds and the formation of five transformation products using LC-tandem MS. At the second tier, the microbial cleavage of the four organic micropollutants was confirmed with ¹⁴C-labeled micropollutants through liquid scintillation counting of the ¹⁴CO₂ formed. At the third tier, microautoradiography coupled with fluorescence in situ hybridization (MAR-FISH) was used to screen carrier-attached microorganisms for uptake of the four radiolabeled micropollutants. Results from the MAR-FISH screening indicated that only a small fraction of the microbial community (≤1‰) was involved in the uptake of the radiolabeled micropollutants and that the responsible microorganisms differed between the compounds. At the fourth tier, the microbial community structure of the carrier-attached biofilms was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The sequencing results showed that the MAR-FISH screening targeted ∼80% of the microbial community and that several taxonomic families within the FISH-probed populations with MAR-positive signals (i.e. Firmicutes, Gammaproteobacteria, and Deltaproteobacteria) were present in both biofilms. From the broader perspective of organic micropollutant removal in biological wastewater treatment, the MAR-FISH results of this study indicate a high degree of microbial substrate specialization that could explain differences in transformation rates and patterns between micropollutants and microbial communities.

Ozonation and subsequent post-treatments are increasingly implemented in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for enhanced micropollutant abatement. While this technology is effective, micropollutant oxidation leads to the formation of ozonation transformation products (OTPs). Target and suspect screening provide information about known parent compounds and known OTPs, but for a more comprehensive picture, non-target screening is needed. Here, sampling was conducted at a full-scale WWTP to investigate OTP formation at four ozone doses (2, 3, 4, and 5 mg/L, ranging from 0.3 to 1.0 gO₃/gDOC) and subsequent changes during five post-treatment steps (i.e., sand filter, fixed bed bioreactor, moving bed bioreactor, and two granular activated carbon (GAC) filters, relatively fresh and pre-loaded). Samples were measured with online solid-phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS) using electrospray ionization (ESI) in positive and negative mode. Existing non-target screening workflows were adapted to (1) examine the formation of potential OTPs at four ozone doses and (2) compare the removal of OTPs among five post-treatments. In (1), data processing included principal component analysis (PCA) and chemical knowledge on 31 possible oxidation reactions to prioritize non-target features likely to be OTPs. Between 394 and 1328 unique potential OTPs were detected in positive ESI for the four ozone doses tested; between 12 and 324 unique potential OTPs were detected in negative ESI. At a specific ozone dose of 0.5 gO₃/gDOC, 27 parent compounds were identified and were related to 69 non-target features selected as potential OTPs. Two OTPs were confirmed with reference standards (venlafaxine N-oxide and chlorothiazide); 34 other potential OTPs were in agreement with literature data and/or reaction mechanisms. In (2), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was applied on profiles detected in positive ESI mode across the WWTP and revealed 11 relevant trends. OTP removal was compared among the five post-treatments and 54–83% of the non-target features that appeared after ozonation were removed, with the two GAC filters performing the best. Overall, these data analysis strategies for non-target screening provide a useful tool to understand the behavior of unknown features during ozonation and post-treatment and to prioritize certain non-targets for further identification.

Thirty-seven laboratories from 25 countries present the development of an inter-laboratory testing scheme for the analysis of seven illicit drug residues in standard solutions, tap- and wastewater. Almost 10 000 concentration values were evaluated: triplicates of up to five samples and 26 laboratories per year. The setup was substantially improved with experiences gained across the six repetitions (e.g. matrix type, sample conditions, spiking levels). From this, (pre-)analytical issues (e.g. pH adjustment, filtration) were revealed for specific analytes which resulted in formulation of best-practice protocols for inter-laboratory setup and analytical procedures. The results illustrate the effectiveness of the inter-laboratory setup to assess laboratory performance in the framework of wastewater-based epidemiology. The exercise proved that measurements of laboratories were of high quality (>80% satisfactory results for six out of seven analytes) and that analytical follow-up is important to assist laboratories in improving robustness of wastewater-based epidemiology results.

Noch liegen in der Schweiz erst wenige grosstechnische Erfahrungen mit den Technologien zur Elimination organischer Spurenstoffe auf Abwasserreinigungsanlagen vor. Deswegen wurde 2012 die Plattform «Verfahrenstechnik Mikroverunreinigungen» gegründet und innerhalb des Verbands der Schweizer Abwasser- und Gewässerschutzfachleute (VSA) angesiedelt. Sie soll helfen, Wissen aufzubauen, den Austausch unter den Akteuren zu fördern sowie offene Fragen zu bearbeiten.

Auf einer durchschnittlichen Kläranlage werden Tausende Signale aufgezeichnet. Ihr Potenzial für einen besseren Anlagebetrieb ist beachtlich. Dennoch werden sie selten systematisch genutzt und ausgewertet. Dank einer spezialisierten Software ist es jetzt möglich, eine Anlage und ihre Prozesse schneller und besser zu verstehen, zu überwachen und zu optimieren.

Ist eine ressourcenschonende Abwasserreinigung durch Abwassertrennung und Dezentralisierung realistisch? Rund 40 international bekannte Wissenschafter und Wissenschafterinnen behandeln auf 520 Seiten in einem 2013 erschienenen Buch nuanciert diese Fragestellung. Die Editoren der Eawag diskutieren das Thema des Buches im Schweizer Kontext.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) reduces the amount of waste and generates products of value, such as biogas and nutrient-rich digestate. Contrary to the wide dissemination of digesters in rural areas where animal manure is used as feedstock and despite its apparent potential, AD still plays a negligible role as a treatment option for organic kitchen and market waste in cities of low-and middle-income countries.
This book compiles existing and recently generated knowledge on AD of urban biowaste at small and medium scale with special consideration given to the conditions prevailing in developing countries. Written for actors working in the waste and renewable energy sector, the book is divided into two parts: Part 1 focuses on practical information related to the AD supply chain (substrate-, process-, and product chain), and Part 2 presents selected case studies from around the world.