Comparison of advanced biological treatment and nature-based solutions for the treatment of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs): A comprehensive study for wastewater and sewage sludge

Passing of pharmaceutical residues into environment in an uncontrolled manner as a result of continuous increase in drug consumption across the globe has become a threatening problem for the ecosystems and almost all living creatures. In this study, diclofenac (DCF), carbamazepine (CBZ), 17 beta-estradiol (17 beta-E2) and 17 alpha ethynylestradiol (EE2) belonging to different therapeutic classes were investigated simultaneously in advanced biological treatment and nature-based treatments during 12-months sampling campaign. In this context, behavior patterns of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) throughout the both wastewater and sludge lines in advanced biological wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), wastewater stabilization pond (WSP) and constructed wetland (CW) were discussed in detail based on each treatment processes seasonally. Furthermore, statistically evaluated data obtained in full-scale WWTPs were compared with each other in order to determine the valid removal mechanisms of these pharmaceutical compounds. While DCF and CBZ were detected very intensively both in the wastewater and sludge lines of the investigated WWTPs, steroid hormones,17 beta-E2 and EE2, were determined below the LOQ value in general. Annual average removal efficiencies achieved in studied WWTPs for DCF ranged between & minus;23.3% (in CW) and 75.2% (in WSP), while annual average removal rates obtained for CBZ varied between & minus;20.7% (in advanced biological treatment) and 10.0% (in CW). It has been found that DCF was highly affected by different wastewater treatment processes applied in the WWTPs compared to CBZ which showed extraordinary resistance to all different treatment processes. Although calculated in different rates for each compounds, biodegradation/biotransformation and sorption onto sewage sludge were determined as the main removal mechanisms for PhACs in plants. Although showed a similar behavior in the sludge dewatering unit (decanter) present in the advanced biological WWTP, quite different behaviors ob-served in the anaerobic digester for DCF (up to 15% decrease) and CBZ (up to 95% increase). Sorption and desorp-tion behaviors of DCF and CBZ were also evaluated in the sludge treatment processes found in advanced biological WWTP. Percentages of originated extra annual average of pharmaceutical loads were calculated as 0.64% and 0.90% for DCF and CBZ, respectively in the advanced biological WWTP due to the sidestream caused by the sludge dewatering unit. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The uncontrolled release of pharmaceutical residues into the environment due to the continuous increase in drug consumption globally poses a threat to ecosystems and nearly all living organisms. Different therapeutic classes of pharmaceutical compounds showed varying removal efficiencies in different treatment systems, with biodegradation and sorption identified as the main removal mechanisms in plants.