Removal of antibiotics from urban wastewater by constructed wetland optimization.

Seven mesocosm-scale constructed wetlands (CWs), differing in their design characteristics, were set up in the open air to assess their efficiency to remove antibiotics from urban raw wastewater. A conventional wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) was simultaneously monitored. The experiment took place in autumn.

Biogenic metals for the oxidative and reductive removal of pharmaceuticals, biocides and iodinated contrast media in a polishing membrane bioreactor.

Pharmaceutical and personal care products, biocides and iodinated contrast media (ICM) are persistent compounds, which appear in ng to μg L(-1) in secondary effluents of sewage treatment plants (STPs). In this work, biogenic metals manganese oxides (BioMnOx) and bio-palladium (Bio-Pd) were applied in lab-scale membrane bioreactors (MBR) as oxidative and reductive technologies, respectively, to remove micropollutants from STP-effluent. From the 29 substances detected in the STP-effluent, 14 were eliminated in the BioMnOx-MBR: ibuprofen (>95%), naproxen (>95%), diuron (>94%), codeine (>93%), N-acetyl-sulfamethoxazole (92%), chlorophene (>89%), diclofenac (86%), mecoprop (81%), triclosan (>78%), clarithromycin, (75%), iohexol (72%), iopromide (68%), iomeprol (63%) and sulfamethoxazole (52%).

Ecotoxicologial evaluation of wastewater ozonation based on detritus-detritivore interactions.

Advanced oxidation technologies such as ozonation have been proposed to improve removal efficiency of micropollutants during wastewater treatment. In a meta-analysis of peer-reviewed literature, we found no ecotoxicological effects of wastewater ozonation on invertebrates (n=82), but significant adverse effects on bacteria (n=24) and fish (n=5). As information on functional endpoints or trophic interactions is lacking, we applied a bioassay relating to leaf litter decomposition to fill this gap.

Environmental risk assessment of ivermectin: A case study.

The veterinary parasiticide ivermectin was selected as a case study compound within the project ERAPharm (Environmental Risk Assessment of Pharmaceuticals). Based on experimental data generated within ERAPharm and additional literature data, an environmental risk assessment (ERA) was performed mainly according to international and European guidelines. For the environmental compartments surface water, sediment, and dung, a risk was indicated at all levels of the tiered assessment approach.

Assessing effects of the pharmaceutical ivermectin on meiobenthic communities using freshwater microcosms.

Ivermectin is a widely applied veterinary pharmaceutical that is highly toxic to several non-target organisms. So far, little is known about its impact on benthic freshwater species, although its rapid sorption to sediment particles and high persistence in aquatic sediments have raised concerns about the risk for benthic organisms. In the present study, indoor microcosms were used to assess the impact of ivermectin on freshwater meiobenthic communities over a period of 224 days.

Comparison of electrospray ionization and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization for multi-residue analysis of biocides, UV-filters and benzothiazoles in aqueous matrices and activated sludge by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

This paper describes the development of a multi-residue method for the determination of 36 emerging organic pollutants (26 biocides, 5 UV-filters and 5 benzothiazoles) in raw and treated wastewater, activated sludge and surface water using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The target analytes were enriched from water samples adjusted to pH 6 by solid-phase extraction (SPE) on Oasis HLB 200mg cartridges and eluted with a mixture of methanol and acetone (60/40, v/v). Extraction of freeze-dried sludge samples was accomplished by pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) using a mixture of methanol and water (50/50, v/v) as extraction solvent followed by SPE.

Effects of ivermectin-spiked cattle dung on a water-sediment system with the aquatic invertebrates Daphnia magna and Chironomus riparius.

A two-species test using a water-sediment test system was performed to investigate chronic effects of the parasiticide ivermectin on Daphnia magna and Chironomus riparius. To simulate exposure by direct excretion of cattle into surface waters, ivermectin was applied via spiked cattle dung. The parasiticide was applied once, at concentrations ranging from 11 to 1314 microg kg(-1) dung dry weight.

Fate of beta blockers in aquatic-sediment systems: sorption and biotransformation.

The fate of beta blockers (atenolol, acebutolol, bisoprolol, celiprolol, metoprolol, nadolol, pindolol, propranolol, and sotalol) was studied in surface water-sediment systems. A new analytical method was developed to determine the beta blockers in sediments by LC-ESI-tandem MS detection. The relative recoveries in sediments ranged from 89 +/- 7% (acebutolol) to 102 +/- 3% (nadolol) using deuterated surrogate standards.

The fate of selected micropollutants in a single-house MBR.

Membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology is an interesting option for single-house wastewater treatment or small communities. Because typically a very high effluent quality is achieved with respect to pathogens, suspended solids, organics and nitrogen, the permeate is well suited for reuse. Little is known about the fate of micropollutants in such small systems.

Fate of beta blockers and psycho-active drugs in conventional wastewater treatment.

The removal of beta blockers and psycho-active drugs was investigated in a representative conventional German WWTP by long-term measurement campaigns along different biological treatment processes. The activated sludge treatment with an elevated SRT of 18 d was the only process which led to a significant removal of certain beta blockers and psycho-active drugs. The removal efficiency was below 60% for all compounds except for the natural opium alkaloids codeine and morphine being removed by more than 80%.

Sorption behavior of potential organic wastewater indicators with soils.

Soil-aquifer treatment is a wastewater treatment and reclamation option to facilitate beneficial water reuse. The fate of wastewater originated micropollutants in the soil-aquifer system is important to understand. In the study the sorption behavior of potential wastewater indicators such as two antiepileptic drugs (carbamazepine, primidone), one sulfonamide (sulfamethoxazole), and one corrosion inhibitor (benzotriazole) were determined with three natural soils (Lufa 2.

Analysis and sorption of psychoactive drugs onto sediment.

An analytical method was developed to analyze eight psychoactive pharmaceuticals--including the antiepileptic carbamazepine, the opiates morphine, codeine, dihydrocodeine, the opiode tramadol, and the tranquilizers diazepam, oxazepam, temazepam--and the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole as well as three metabolites (10,11-dihydrocarbamazepine (DHC), 10,11-dihydroxy-10, 11-dihydrocarbamazepine, and N4-acetylsulfamethoxazole) in river sediments. Relative recoveries of all analytes exceeded 97% using either deuterated or 13C15N-labeled surrogate standards. Sorption isotherms of all analytes were constructed at pH 6.

Determination of the solid-water distribution coefficient (Kd) for pharmaceuticals, estrogens and musk fragrances in digested sludge.

This work determined the solid-water distribution coefficient (K(d)) and the organic carbon normalized distribution coefficient (K(oc)) of several pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, iopromide, sulfamethoxazole and roxithromycin), three estrogens (estrone, 17beta-estradiol and 17alpha-ethinylestradiol) and two musk fragrances (HHCB and AHTN) in digested sludge. These sorption coefficients can be used to evaluate the fate of these substances during sludge treatment, thus avoiding the expensive and time-consuming analysis in the sludge phase. For determining the K(d) and K(oc) values of the target compounds in digested sludge, their concentrations were measured in the aqueous and solid phase of the effluent of an anaerobic digestion pilot plant run at several operational conditions.

Effects of the parasiticide ivermectin on the cladoceran Daphnia magna and the green alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata.

Although widely used for the treatment of endo- and ectoparasites in livestock and pets, very few data on chronic effects on aquatic organisms are available for the parasiticide ivermectin. In the present study, toxicity of ivermectin to two freshwater organisms, the cladoceran Daphnia magna and the green alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata was investigated. For D.

Simultaneous determination of psychoactive drugs and their metabolites in aqueous matrices by liquid chromatography mass Spectrometry.

A multi-residue method was developed that allows for the simultaneous determination of psychoactive compounds such as opioids, tranquilizers, antiepileptics (primidone, carbamazepine plus two metabolites),the cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine, the antidepressant doxepin, as well as the calcium channel blocker verapamil in raw and treated wastewater, surface water, groundwater, and drinking water. After solid-phase extraction with Oasis HLB at neutral pH, the analytes were detected by LC electrospray tandem MS in the positive ion mode. With a few exceptions relative recoveries of the analytes exceeded 70%.