Several microcontaminants have been identified in wastewaters, such as alkylphenols (APs), phthalates, flame retardants, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), among others. Most of these compounds are not efficiently removed by the conventional treatments in the wastewater plants,   thus they end up being discharged in the receiving waters and ultimately they might accumulate in tissues of aquatic and terrestrial biota. Thus, their presence in the environmental waters at �g L-1 levels in some cases, is producing endocrine disruption in marine organisms,  neurotoxicity, and alterations at the ecosystem level.  On the other hand, water reclamation is now recognized worldwide as a key component in the efficient management of water resources. Hence, the use of recycled water extends the drinking water supplies, reduces the amount of treated wastewater discharged into the environmental waters and reduces the reliance on costly imported water supplies.  For such reasons, there is an increasing need to optimize wastewater treatment conditions in order to minimize the release of such toxic substances, and finally ensure an effluent with a low contamination load.  Slow sand filtration (SSF) is a biological inexpensive treatment method that consists of a bed of sand through which contaminated water slowly passes. A biofilm develops on the surface of the sand grains and is responsible for the removal of pollutants that may be in the water. Its efficiency on pathogens has been fairly widely studied, but only a few works have focused on its performance on chemical pollution, especially organic micropollutants.  Here we present the assessment of the performance of SSF in the elimination of 25 micropollutants, mostly endocrine disruptors included in the EU and US priority lists, i.e., 15 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), 3 plasticizers, 3 pesticides, 2 flame retardants and 2 surfactants, from effluent wastewater intend to be both reused or discharged.

Assessment of slow sand filtration as a technique to polish reclaimed water in terms of micropollutants

248th National Meeting (2014)

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