Improving the control of pharmaceutical compounds in activated sludge wastewater treatment plants: Key operating conditions and monitoring parameters

The control of pharmaceutical compounds (PhCs) in urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is an issue of health and environmental relevance, expected to become mandatory in the European Union and beyond, but studies at full scale are still scarce. A long-term (2.5-year) full-scale study addressing practical strategies for controlling PhCs was conducted in two activated sludge WWTPs with nitrification (BEI with A2O process; FNW with oxidation ditch). The results showed similar removal patterns in both plants - some of the most abundant influent PhCs were highly removed, others presented intermediate and variable removals, and some were recalcitrant. These behaviours validated a 4-class (A-D) PhC framework (based on biodegradation (kbio) and solid-water distribution (Kd)) for interpreting and predicting PhC removal, particularly sensitive to kbio, with a turning point at 1 L/(gSS.d). A statistical analysis conducted to unveil the key operation variables showed T254 is a good indicator of PhC removal and confirmed that favouring conditions for nitrifiers to grow is an operational strategy to improve PhC control. In BEI, F/M (food to microorganisms ratio) showed the most consistent role (over the sludge retention time), values below 0.08 d-1 being associated with effluent PhC concentrations 26-45 % lower. In FNW, the nitrification role was statistically expressed by the alkalinity reduction, values above 40 % (i.e., Nt-removals >80 %) being associated with effluent PhC concentrations 23-61 % lower.

Automated summary

This article reports a long-term (2.5-year) full-scale study conducted in two activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to investigate practical strategies for controlling pharmaceutical compounds (PhCs). The results showed that some of the most abundant influent PhCs were highly removed, while others had variable removals and some were recalcitrant. The study established a 4-class PhC framework based on biodegradation and solid-water distribution, which was particularly sensitive to the biodegradation rate. Statistical analysis revealed key operational variables and highlighted the importance of optimizing conditions for nitrifiers to improve PhC control.