Removal of diclofenac and ibuprofen in sewage by anaerobic digestion in AnSBBR: feasibility of co-digestion with glucose, sucrose and lactose

• Grant number: 22/06536-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2022
• End date: July 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment
• Principal Investigator: Giovanna Lovato
• Grantee: Laura Santos Rivera
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia Mauá (EEM). Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia. São Caetano do Sul , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The occurrence of pharmaceutical compounds, such as sodium diclofenac and ibuprofen, in surface water, soils, wastewater, and drinking water has increased significantly in recent decades, and the trend is to continue to increase. Two important facts contributed to this problem and made it a growing concern: the improvement of quantification technologies and the increase in the consumption of these substances. The detection of these emerging contaminants in treatment plants indicates the ineffectiveness of the systems currently used and they can cause adverse effects on human health and aquatic ecosystems. An efficient technology in the treatment of different types of wastewater and which is a suitable alternative for the removal of such drugs is anaerobic digestion, which requires less energy and has a lower cost compared to other methods. The application of anaerobic co-digestion is a viable option to overcome some disadvantages of monodigestion (such as low organic loads), improving treatment efficiency and the economic viability of conventional plants. For this purpose, anaerobic bioreactors operated in sequential batches have been studied by the research group of the Mauá Engineering School of the Mauá Institute of Technology for two decades and have shown promising results obtained on a bench scale. The main advantages of this type of bioreactor are its simplicity; better solids retention; and high efficiency of organic matter removal. In this context, the present project aims to study the operational feasibility of an anaerobic sequencing batch biofilm reactor (AnSBBR) in the treatment of synthetic sanitary sewage for the removal of diclofenac and ibuprofen, evaluating the influence of the addition of the co-substrates glucose, sucrose, and lactose. The results will be evaluated on the stability and efficiency of the process in relation to substrate and micropollutants conversion, methane productivity, and yield between methane produced and substrate consumed.(AU)