Operational viability of an AnSBBR in the treatment of sewage: diclofenac and ibuprofen removal

• Grant number: 22/05522-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: September 01, 2022
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Zaiat
• Grantee: Ana Paula Paoli
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The occurrence of drugs such as diclofenac and ibuprofen, two of the most prescribed drugs worldwide, in wastewater and treated water has increased significantly in recent decades. Two important facts have contributed to this problem and made it a growing concern: first, improved quantification technologies have given researchers the ability to measure low concentrations; second, its consumption has rapidly increased. The detection of these emerging contaminants in treatment plants indicates the ineffectiveness of the treatment systems currently employed and, therefore, they can cause adverse effects on human health and aquatic ecosystem. A technology that has already proven to be efficient in the treatment of different types of wastewater and 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. For this purpose, anaerobic bioreactors operated in sequential batches have been studied by the research group of the Mauá Institute of Technology for two decades and have shown promising results obtained on lab-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 at the operational viability of an anaerobic sequencing batch and fed-batches biofilm reactor (AnSBBR) in the treatment of sewage for the removal of diclofenac and ibuprofen. The variables studied will be feeding strategy; cycle time; temperature; and co-digestion over system stability and performance regarding substrate and micropollutants conversion, methane productivity and yield. In addition, fundamental aspects intrinsic to the process will be evaluated, such as: stoichiometry; kinetic model; thermodynamics; and molecular biology. (AU)

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ALBANEZ, ROBERTA; PAULINETTI, ANA PAULA; AUGUSTO, ISABELA MEHI GASPARI; LOVATO, GIOVANNA; RODRIGUES, JOSE ALBERTO DOMINGUES; RATUSZNEI, SUZANA MARIA. Integrated production of bacterial cellulose and biogas from agro-industrial wastewater: technical feasibility of implementing a biorefinery concept. Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering, v. N/A, p. 12-pg., 2024-05-15. (22/01425-4, 21/13810-7, 22/10615-1, 22/05522-4)

PAULINETTI, ANA PAULA; GUERIERI, FERNANDA FURTUNATO; AUGUSTO, ISABELA MEHI GASPARI; LAZARO, CAROLINA ZAMPOL; ALBANEZ, ROBERTA; LOVATO, GIOVANNA; RATUSZNEI, SUZANA MARIA; RODRIGUESA, JOSE ALBERTO DOMINGUES. Thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic digestion of soybean molasses: A performance vs. stability trade-off. Journal of Environmental Management, v. 370, p. 14-pg., 2024-10-03. (22/01425-4, 22/05522-4, 22/10615-1, 21/13810-7, 21/13797-0)

ALMEIDA, PRISCILLA DE SOUZA; DE MENEZES, CAMILA APARECIDA; AUGUSTO, ISABELA MEHI GASPARI; PAULINETTI, ANA PAULA; LOVATO, GIOVANNA; RODRIGUES, JOSE ALBERTO DOMINGUES; SILVA, EDSON LUIZ. Integrated production of hydrogen and methane in a dairy biorefinery using anaerobic digestion: Scale-up, economic and risk analyses. Journal of Environmental Management, v. 348, p. 13-pg., 2023-10-10. (15/06246-7, 22/01425-4, 22/05522-4)

DE MENEZES, CAMILA APARECIDA; ALMEIDA, PRISCILLA DE SOUZA; AUGUSTO, ISABELA MEHI GASPARI; PAULINETTI, ANA PAULA; LOVATO, GIOVANNA; RODRIGUES, JOSE ALBERTO DOMINGUES; SILVA, EDSON LUIZ. A techno-economic assessment of hydrogen and methane production from the anaerobic treatment of vinasse and glycerol: Single- vs. two-stage process. PROCESS SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, v. 187, p. 12-pg., 2024-05-15. (22/01425-4, 22/05522-4)