Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
in medium and larger sized sewage plants, and that some pollutants (i.e. Carbam-
azepine and diazepam) might require an even longer period, where speci
c infor-
mation on pollutants is tested or known. 5 However, Ternes et al. ( 2004 ) noted that
many wastewater treatment plants in the United States and the EU do not operate
with solid retention times long enough to satisfy these requirements.
But of course
Germany is way ahead of most countries in total tertiary treatment of all waste-
water, as noted above.
Furthermore, since many PPCPs have limited biological degradability, these
compounds cannot be totally removed by wastewater treatment plants before
entering into water bodies (Ternes et al. 2004). Treatments such as Nano
ltration
(NF) or activated carbon adsorption are more cost-effective, and therefore they are
applied to groundwater recharging or directly for water that would be reused for
drinking water (Ternes et al. 2004 ). Compared to these short-term solutions, source
control or emission control appears to be the permanent, cost-effective measure for
most compounds (Ternes et al. 2004 ). The other more sustainable measures that can
be implemented are as follows (Ternes et al. 2004 ):
a. Since hospital wastewater contains pharmaceuticals and antibiotic-resistant
bacteria, it should be treated separately by using a membrane bioreactor fol-
lowed by ozonation of the ef
uent. These applications could also be bene
cial
flushing toilets and for
gardening or discharged directly; such measures would aid conservation and
also reduce associated drinking water fees as well as wastewater fees.
b. Providing consumers with information on the environmental impacts of PPCPs
would result in a signi
to the hospital when the treated wastewater is reused for
cant reduction in the disposal of these substances into
household wastewater.
c. There could be direct control of the disposal of PPCPs; for example, expired
products could be separated and sent directly for incineration at wastewater
treatment plants.
d. Separation and segregated treatment of urine would signi
cantly reduce the
loading of wastewater because pharmaceuticals are excreted to a great extent in
urine (Larsen and Gujer 1996 ; Klaschka et al. 2003 ).
financial support, and
public awareness, and they may not be achieved in a short time. In Germany,
micropollutants continue to be a key issue in the wastewater sector. As noted by the
German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU 2014 ),
However,
these measures require political decisions,
a major challenge for
the future will be the elimination of pollutants in wastewater which, to date, have
not been taken into account, such as pharmaceutical residues, antibiotics from
animal husbandry or chemicals displaying hormone-like effects even in minute
5 The lipid regulator beza brate, the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole, and the antiphlogistics
ibuprofen and acetylsalicylic acid require a sludge age of 2
5 days for signi cant degradation;
17 -ethinylestradiol, the anti-in ammatory diclofenac, the contrast medium iopromide, and the
antibiotic roxithromycin need 5 - 15 days. Carbamazepine and diazepam are not degraded even at a
sludge age >20 days (Ternes et al. 2004 ).
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