Lecture

Organic Micropollutant Treatment: Processes and Legislation

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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.

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Environmental science

Pollution: Water pollution

Related concepts (31)

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.

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.

Water pollution

Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. Water pollution results when contaminants mix with these water bodies. Contaminants can come from one of four main sources: sewage discharges, industrial activities, agricultural activities, and urban runoff including stormwater. Water pollution is either surface water pollution or groundwater pollution.

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.

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.

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