(12e) AOP Performance at Wastewater Treatment Plants

Emerging contaminants originate from a wide variety of sources and are becoming more prolific throughout the country and world. However, emerging contaminants are often ignored and unmeasured in many regions where they pose a significant threat to human and wildlife health. One group of emerging contaminants, endocrine disruptors, alter the normal functions of hormones resulting in impaired development, reproductive disorders, genetic mutation and the appearance of both sex characteristics in fish. Emerging contaminants from industrial, agricultural, and residential sources threaten the river drinking water sources to millions of people.

This paper investigates the use of advanced oxidation treatment (aimed at generating hydroxyl radicals) performed at wastewater treatment plants, aimed at “softening” (making emerging contaminants more biodegradable in nature). This study will also address the use of nano zero-valent iron systems (nZVI) for degrading organic contaminants. This will provide the opportunity to compare the effectiveness of multiple advanced oxidation processes in removing detected emerging contaminants. This paper provides a summary of results reported in the technical literature. Performance data (e.g., removal efficiencies, cost-effectiveness, energy requirements, etc.) will be described and analyzed using laboratory-scale experiments, pilot-treatment applications, and reported case studies conducted at full-scale wastewater treatment plants.