Removal of perfluorinated compounds from secondary effluent using the AOP/GAC/AOP multibarrier method

• Grant number: 24/10224-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2029
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment
• Principal Investigator: Renato Falcão Dantas
• Grantee: Zain Ul Abidin
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Tecnologia (FT). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Limeira , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/00454-0 - Assessment of a multibarrier tertiary treatment for micropollutants removal from WWTP of São Paulo, AP.R

Abstract

The treatment of secondary effluents using advanced techniques promotes the production of effluents with sufficient quality for greater protection of the environment and also of human health. Furthermore, as municipal effluent treatment stations are not designed for the removal of organic microcontaminants, a tertiary treatment is essential to promote greater safety for the effluent produced. Among the microcontaminants that cause concern, the group classified as perfluorinated are persistent in the environment and recalcitrant to many types of treatments, including advanced oxidative processes, which are recognized for their high efficiency in the removal of microcontaminants in general. In this sense, this project seeks to develop a multi-barrier tertiary treatment based on the use of a combination of advanced oxidation processes with granular activated carbon (GAC) with the objective of obtaining removals of perfluorinated compounds with greater presence in Brazil. As a complementary strategy to overcome the resistance of perfluorinated compounds to degradation, we will test the use of advanced reductive processes in place of oxidative ones, since these have demonstrated efficiency for some of these compounds. The produced effluent will be tested for its quality by analyzing the usual effluent quality parameters, removal of perfluorinated compounds, disinfection and ecotoxicity.