Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Organic Micropollutant Treatment: Processes and Legislation

In course

ENV-509: Applied wastewater engineering

This course on applied wastewater treatment focuses on engineering and scientific aspects to achieve high effluent water quality and to handle wastes and air emissions generated in wastewater treatment plants. ...

Description

This lecture covers the treatment processes for organic micropollutants (OMPs) in wastewater engineering, focusing on the removal efficiency and financing of OMP treatment installations. The instructor discusses the Swiss legislation defining maximal concentrations for medicines and pesticides in surface waters, as well as the choice of substances monitored for OMP removal. Various treatment methods, such as biological OMP removal and sorption to sludge, are explained in detail, emphasizing the impact of sludge age on removal efficiency. Additionally, the lecture addresses the challenges of applying certain treatment processes to communal wastewater due to cost, specificity, toxicity, and footprint considerations.

This video is available exclusively on Mediaspace for a restricted audience. Please log in to MediaSpace to access it if you have the necessary permissions.

Watch on Mediaspace

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Environmental science

Pollution: Water pollution

Related concepts (32)

Sewage treatment

Sewage treatment (or domestic wastewater treatment, municipal wastewater treatment) is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable to discharge to the surrounding environment or an intended reuse application, thereby preventing water pollution from raw sewage discharges. Sewage contains wastewater from households and businesses and possibly pre-treated industrial wastewater. There are a high number of sewage treatment processes to choose from.

Persistent organic pollutant

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that are resistant to degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes. They are toxic chemicals that adversely affect human health and the environment around the world. Because they can be transported by wind and water, most POPs generated in one country can and do affect people and wildlife far from where they are used and released.

Wastewater treatment

Wastewater treatment is a process which removes and eliminates contaminants from wastewater and converts this into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once returned to the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on the environment or is reused for various purposes (called water reclamation). The treatment process takes place in a wastewater treatment plant. There are several kinds of wastewater which are treated at the appropriate type of wastewater treatment plant.

Industrial wastewater treatment

Industrial wastewater treatment describes the processes used for treating wastewater that is produced by industries as an undesirable by-product. After treatment, the treated industrial wastewater (or effluent) may be reused or released to a sanitary sewer or to a surface water in the environment. Some industrial facilities generate wastewater that can be treated in sewage treatment plants.

Water treatment

Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it appropriate for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, including being safely returned to the environment. Water treatment removes contaminants and undesirable components, or reduces their concentration so that the water becomes fit for its desired end-use. This treatment is crucial to human health and allows humans to benefit from both drinking and irrigation use.

Related lectures (31)

Water and Wastewater Treatment: Introduction

Covers the basics of water and wastewater treatment, including the history of wastewater treatment, undesirable pollutants, and treatment performance.

Wastewater Treatment I

Explores wastewater treatment principles, BOD removal efficiency, and typical pollutant concentrations.

Wastewater Treatment: Nutrient Removal

Explores biological nutrient removal and chemical phosphorous removal in wastewater treatment plants, emphasizing denitrification and phosphate removal methods.

Biological Nutrient Removal: Nitrogen and Phosphorus

Explores biological nutrient removal in wastewater treatment, covering nitrogen and phosphorus removal, activated sludge process, nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus recovery.

Wastewater Treatment II