Pharmaceutical impacts on aerobic granular sludge morphology and potential implications for abiotic removal

The goal of this study was to investigate abiotic pharmaceutical removal and abiotic pharmaceutical effects on aerobic granular sludge morphology. For 80 days, a pharmaceutical mixture containing approximately 150 μg/L each of diclofenac, erythromycin, and gemfibrozil was fed to an aerobic granular...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemosphere (Oxford) 2024-02, Vol.350, p.141187-141187, Article 141187
Main Authors: Bodle, Kylie B., Kirkland, Catherine M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adsorption
Aerobic granular sludge
Aerobiosis
Bioreactors
EPS
Lipids
Nitrogen
Pharmaceutical Preparations
Pharmaceuticals
Sewage - chemistry
Waste Disposal, Fluid
Wastewater
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Summary:The goal of this study was to investigate abiotic pharmaceutical removal and abiotic pharmaceutical effects on aerobic granular sludge morphology. For 80 days, a pharmaceutical mixture containing approximately 150 μg/L each of diclofenac, erythromycin, and gemfibrozil was fed to an aerobic granular sludge sequencing batch reactor and granule characteristics were compared with those from a control reactor. Aqueous and solid phase pharmaceutical concentrations were monitored and staining was used to assess changes in biofilm structures. Solid phase pharmaceutical concentrations were elevated over the first 12 days of dosing; however, they then dropped, indicative of desorption. The lipid content in pharmaceutical-exposed granules declined by approximately half over the dosing period, though the relative concentrations of other key biofilm components (proteins, alpha-, and beta-polysaccharides) did not change. Batch experiments were conducted to try to find an explanation for the desorption observed, but reduced solid phase pharmaceutical concentrations could not be linked with the presence of common wastewater constituents such as ammonia or phosphate. Sorption of all three compounds was modeled best by the Henry isotherm, indicating that, even at 150 μg/L, granules’ sorption site coverage was incomplete. Altogether, this study demonstrates that simplified batch systems may not accurately represent the complex abiotic processes occurring in flow-through, biotic systems. [Display omitted] •Abiotic removal and effects of DCF, ERY, and GEM were monitored in an AGS-SBR.•Lipids declined in pharmaceutical-exposed granules.•Pharm. sorption in the SBR was inconsistent and poorly predicted by batch tests.•Sorptive capacities were an order of magnitude higher in batch tests.
ISSN:0045-6535
1879-1298
DOI:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141187