1-3_3. impact of pharmaceuticals and personal care products, maja sremacki

Impact of PPCPs on evolution of wastewater treatment in developing

countries

University of Novi Sad, Faculty of technical sciences, Department for environmental engineering and occupational safety

17. May 2012.YWP Conference, Sofia, Bulgaria

Authors:

Maja Sremački, M.Sc. Jovana Simić, M.Sc. Milena Stošić, M.Sc. Srđan Kovačević, M.Sc.

Emerging substances of concern - ESOCs

• Micro pollutants • Organic compounds – Biocides…Bioterrorism agents – Flame retardants, – PPCPs … Drugs,• Chronic doses

– mg/L (ppb)– ng/L (ppt)

– Biological metabolites…

Characteristics of PPCPs• PPCPs – large variety of characteristics and chemical forms

– small organic molecules, – large polymers – high polymorphism potential, – introduction into the environment after human metabolism, – complex chemical structure, – High ionization potential…

• Relevant processes regarding PPCPs in the environment include • sorption to soils and sediments, • complexation with metals and organics, • chemical oxidation, photolysis, volatilization, biodegradation...

Possible exposure routes of PPCPs into environment

PPCPs – chemicals used every day• Dual nature of problem with PPCPs in water• Ciprofloxacin – can alter and be altered by the metabolism and effects of other drugs.– fluoroquinolone class – antibiotics used for treatment of bacterial infections.– stops the multiplication of bacteria by inhibiting the reproduction and repair

of their DNA.• Ibuprofen– nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug – high global consumption rate– rapidly excreted in various forms, which not only have high acute toxicity,

but are also suspected of endocrine disrupting activity in human and wildlife

– CIPRO and IBN in the same body – high possibility of toxic effect.

Metabolite boom! Better the devil you know…

WWT process and potential impact of PPCPs

• Carefully considered and controllable process – designed to take advantage and maximize a microorganism

ability to decompose OM.• Low microorganism activity? • Bacteria responsible for N/P sensitivity to PPCPs.• The effect of pharmaceuticals on bacterial community

structure in AS process (Kraigher et al. 2008). – Analyses of the bacterial rRNA genes indicated a minor but

consistent shift in bacterial community structure in a bioreactor supplied with pharmaceuticals.

Elimination techniques

• Low cost– Dilution– Temperature– SRT– HRT

• High cost– Viability – T&E optimum– O&M – Development

Paths of infiltration Elimination rates

• β-blockers diverse results - <10 to 80% • can be explained with a fact that studies followed only water samples.

• PPCPs could be removed from water due to sorption to sludge and still remain a treat for environment.

Elimination rate [%] Cipro CBZ

Excreted unchanged [%] 1-3 33

CAS (7days) *Joss et al.

86≤60* - 44

Denitrifying (11 days) 79 - 193

Ditch oxidation (3 days) 96 - 32

Serbia• 70 to 84% of state are rural municipalities – projected plan for

WWTP is small standard 2-step treatment plant.

• Increasing trend of consumption• Studies (indirectly) have shown that PPCPs in wastewater are: – detergents and sops, – caffeine, ibuprofen, diclophenac– fluoroquinolones,– β-blockers and cytostatic drugs.

Factor WDS SCS WWTP Total Municipalities ~ 150 ~ 100 ~ 20 168

Households 2.101.767 1.359.385 ~300.000 2.497.187

Population ~ 6.000.000 ~ 4.500.000 ~ 700.000 7.120.666

Planed activities…• Activities

– Legislation overview and suggestions for modification.– Research and development of detailed study for influence of

targeted and present PPCPs in • Waste water• Ground water• Surface water

• Sampling sites– Municipality of Novi Sad – Municipality of Subotica

…and research

• Methods and parameters – TSS, VSS, ON, IN, ammo-

niacal itrogen, TC, IC, TOC– SPE, GC/MS

• Aim of research– Targeted PPCPs and

metabolites, determina-tion their possible impact on WWT processes

Summary

• Analyses of predicted sites for WWTP.• The PPCPs monitoring will be of great

importance in future.• Removal technology for ESOCs may prove

essential for handling of today’s mixtures WW. • These substances are unpredictable and it is

necessary to promptly address and acknowledge their existence in water and WW in order to maximize the treatment efficiency.

Thank You for the attention…Let us thinking ahead…

then, who knows?

Presenter:Maja Sremački

M.Sc. of environmental engineering and occupational safety, PhD. student

Faculty of technical sciences, University of Novi Sad, Serbia

E-mail: majasremacki@uns.ac.rs