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1. The fate and removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products within wastewater treatment facilities discharging to the Great Bay Estuary

   https://doi.org/10.1002/wer.1680  

   Hidrovo, Alexandria ; Luek, Jenna L. ; Antonellis, Carmela ; Malley, Jr., James P. ; Mouser, Paula J. ( January 2022 , Water Environment Research)

   Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are contaminants of emerging concern that derive primarily in the water environment from combined sewer overflows and discharges from industrial and municipal wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs). Due to incomplete removal during wastewater treatment, PPCP impacts to aquatic ecosystems are a major concern. The Great Bay Estuary (New Hampshire, USA) is an important ecological, commercial, and recreational resource where upstream WWTFs have recently been under pressure to reduce nitrogen loading to the estuary and consequently upgrade treatment systems. Therefore, we investigated the distribution and abundance of 18 PPCPs and three flame retardants within the Great Bay Estuary and WWTFs discharging to the estuary to examine how WWTF type influenced PPCP removal. All 21 analytes were frequently detected at μg/L to ng/L concentrations in influent and effluent and ng/kg in sludge. WWTFs with enhanced nutrient removal and longer solids retention times correlated to higher PPCP removal, indicating facility upgrades may have benefits related to PPCP removal. Understanding PPCP fate during treatment and in downstream waters informs our ability to assess the environmental and ecological impacts of PPCPs on estuarine resources and develop mitigation strategies to better protect marine ecosystems from emerging contaminant exposure.

   PPCP removal positively correlated with solids retention time and varied by treatment facility and compound.

   Upgrade of WWTFs for biological nitrogen removal may also increase PPCP removal.

   Surface water fluoxetine concentrations may present an ecological risk to the Great Bay Estuary.

    

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2. A Review of the Applications, Environmental Release, and Remediation Technologies of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

   https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218117  

   Meegoda, Jay N. ; Kewalramani, Jitendra A. ; Li, Brian ; Marsh, Richard W. ( November 2020 , International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health)

   null (Ed.)

   Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are pollutants that have demonstrated a high level of environmental persistence and are very difficult to remediate. As the body of literature on their environmental effects has increased, so has regulatory and research scrutiny. The widespread usage of PFAS in industrial applications and consumer products, complicated by their environmental release, mobility, fate, and transport, have resulted in multiple exposure routes for humans. Furthermore, low screening levels and stringent regulatory standards that vary by state introduce considerable uncertainty and potential costs in the environmental management of PFAS. The recalcitrant nature of PFAS render their removal difficult, but existing and emerging technologies can be leveraged to destroy or sequester PFAS in a variety of environmental matrices. Additionally, new research on PFAS remediation technologies has emerged to address the efficiency, costs, and other shortcomings of existing remediation methods. Further research on the impact of field parameters such as secondary water quality effects, the presence of co-contaminants and emerging PFAS, reaction mechanisms, defluorination yields, and the decomposition products of treatment technologies is needed to fully evaluate these emerging technologies, and industry attention should focus on treatment train approaches to improve efficiency and reduce the cost of treatment. 

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3. Creating a Circular Nitrogen Bioeconomy in Agricultural Systems through Nutrient Recovery and Upcycling by Microalgae and Duckweed: Past Efforts and Future Trends

   https://doi.org/10.13031/ja.14891  

   Femeena, Pandara Valappil ; House, Gregory R. ; Brennan, Rachel A. ( January 2022 , Journal of the ASABE)

   Highlights Aquatic vegetation-based nutrient recovery offers an alternate approach for treating agricultural wastewater. Microalgae and duckweed can upcycle waste nutrients into valuable bio-based products. Producing feed, fertilizer, and fuel from manure-grown aquatic vegetation promotes a circular N-bioeconomy. Abstract . The massive amounts of nutrients that are currently released into the environment as waste have the potential to be recovered and transformed from a liability into an asset through photosynthesis, industry insight, and ecologically informed engineering design aimed at circularity. Fast-growing aquatic plant-like vegetation such as microalgae and duckweed have the capacity to enable local communities to simultaneously treat their own polluted water and retain nutrients that underlie the productivity of modern agriculture. Not only are they highly effective at upcycling waste nutrients into protein-rich biomass, microalgae and duckweed also offer excellent opportunities to substitute or complement conventional synthetic fertilizers, feedstocks in biorefineries, and livestock feed while simultaneously reducing the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions that would otherwise be required for their production and transport to farms. Integrated systems growing microalgae or duckweed on manure or agricultural runoff, and subsequent reuse of the harvested biomass to produce animal feed, soil amendments, and biofuels, present a sustainable approach to advancing circularity in agricultural systems. This article provides a review of past efforts toward advancing the circular nitrogen bioeconomy using microalgae- and duckweed-based technologies to treat, recover, and upcycle nutrients from agricultural waste. The majority of the work with microalgae- and duckweed-based wastewater treatment has been concentrated on municipal and industrial effluents, with <50% of studies focusing on agricultural wastewater. In terms of scale, more than 91% of the microalgae-based studies and 58% of the duckweed-based studies were conducted at laboratory-scale. While the range of nutrient removals achieved using these technologies depends on various factors such as species, light, and media concentrations, 65% to 100% of total N, 82% to 100% of total P, 98% to 100% of NO3-, and 96% to 100% of NH3/NH4+ can be removed by treating wastewater with microalgae. For duckweed, removals of 75% to 98% total N, 81% to 93% total P, 72% to 98% NH3/NH4+, and 57% to 92% NO3- have been reported. Operating conditions such as hydraulic retention time, pH, temperature, and the presence of toxic nutrient levels and competing species in the media should be given due consideration when designing these systems to yield optimum benefits. In addition to in-depth studies and scientific advancements, policies encouraging supply chain development, market penetration, and consumer acceptance of these technologies are vitally needed to overcome challenges and to yield substantial socio-economic and environmental benefits from microalgae- and duckweed-based agricultural wastewater treatment. Keywords: Circular bioeconomy, Duckweed, Manure treatment, Microalgae, Nitrogen, Nutrient recycling, Wastewater treatment. 

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4. Investigation into Micropollutant Removal from Wastewaters by a Membrane Bioreactor

   https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16081363  

   Kamaz, Mohanad ; Wickramasinghe, S. Ranil ; Eswaranandam, Satchithanandam ; Zhang, Wen ; Jones, Steven M. ; Watts, Michael J. ; Qian, Xianghong ( April 2019 , International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health)

   Direct potable reuse of wastewater is attractive as the demand for potable water increases. However, the presence of organic micropollutants in industrial and domestic wastewater is a major health and environmental concern. Conventional wastewater treatment processes are not designed to remove these compounds. Further many of these emerging pollutants are not regulated. Membrane bioreactor based biological wastewater treatment has recently become a preferred method for treating municipal and other industrial wastewaters. Here the removal of five selected micropollutants representing different classes of emerging micropollutants has been investigated using a membrane bioreactor. Acetaminophen, amoxicillin, atrazine, estrone, and triclosan were spiked into wastewaters obtained from a local wastewater treatment facility prior to introduction to the membrane bioreactor containing both anoxic and aerobic tanks. Removal of these compounds by adsorption and biological degradation was determined for both the anoxic and aerobic processes. The removal as a function of operating time was investigated. The results obtained here suggest that removal may be related to the chemical structure of the micropollutants. 

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5. Current and future approaches to wet weather flow management: A review

   https://doi.org/10.1002/wer.1506  

   Peters, Paige E. ; Zitomer, Daniel H. ( January 2021 , Water Environment Research)

   Sewers can become hydraulically overburdened during high‐intensity precipitation resulting in untreated water entering receiving streams. Combined (CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) cause adverse public health and environmental impacts as well as management challenges for many wastewater utilities. This novel review presents information regarding wet weather flow regulation, impacts, and current management methods, and offers ideas for future approaches in the United States. Currently, storage followed by conventional municipal water reclamation facility treatment after precipitation events is often employed. Stand‐alone alternative technologies include high‐rate solids removal, rapid disinfection, filtration, and green infrastructure. However, most current stand‐alone approaches do not address soluble BOD₅or emerging contaminants in stormwater and wastewater. As the needs for wet weather flow management change, future approaches should include a goal of zero overflows and achieve effluent quality as good as or better than conventional treatment. To help achieve zero overflows and complete treatment, the “peaker facility” concept is proposed. The peaker facility often remains idle but treats excess flow when needed. Considering the challenges of remaining idle for long periods, starting up quickly, and handling high flows, chemical oxidation may be an applicable peaker facility component. However, more research and development are needed to determine best practices.

   Combined (CSO) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) pose both environmental and public health risks as untreated water is discharged into lakes and rivers during high‐intensity rain events.

   Current stand‐alone approaches for managing or treating CSOs focus on particulate BOD/COD and solids removal, and do not typically address soluble BOD or emerging contaminants in stormwater and wastewater (including pathogens).

   New wet weather policies and regulations encourage more holistic approaches by wastewater utilities, and future approaches should include a zero‐overflow goal for all CSOs and SSOs.

   To help achieve zero overflows, the concept of the “peaker facility” is proposed.

   Chemical oxidation may be an applicable component of peaker facilities for its short detention time and ability to remove, oxidize, or inactive water impairment‐causing contaminants.

    

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