Nitrification and the Removal ofMicropollutants from Wastewater

Arizona SpaceGrant ConsortiumUndergraduate Research Internship Program Symposium

April 18, 2008

SpaceGrant MentorDr. Robert Arnold

Chemical and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Arizona

SpaceGrant InternDave NewmanCivil Engineering

University of Arizona

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Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)AzSGC

• Chemicals that mimic or block hormones and disrupt normal functions

• Concentrations in environment are generally in the 1 to 100 parts per trillion range (ng/L)

• Structural commonalities include aromatic rings and large size

• Ecological effects include gonadal egg development and skewed sex ratios

EDC MW[g/mol]

Solubility[mg/L ]

Log KOW

E2 Relative Potency

Description

Estrone (E1) 270.4 13.0 3.43 0.38 Estrogen metabolite

17-Estradiol (E2) 272.4 13.0 3.94 1.0 Primary estrogen in vertebrates

Estriol (E3) 288.4 13.0 2.81 0.024 Estrogen metabolite

Ethinyl Estradiol (EE2) 296.4 4.8 4.15 1.19 Oral contraceptive ingredient

Nonylphenol (NP) 220.0 5.4 4.48 0.00014 Surfactant, detergent

Kidd et al 2007Estrone Ethinyl EstradiolEstriol17-Estradiol

Nonylphenol

Measured Concentrations for 30 FrequentlyDetected Organic Wastewater Contaminants AzSGC

Kolpin et al 2002

= Known Estrogenic Effects

Micropollutants in the Environment

AP/CNN 03/10/08

Kolpin et al 2002

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EDCs in Wastewater Treatment

• Wastewater represents ongoing point source as well as centralized treatment opportunity

• AC, MBR, ozonation, UV radiation, ultra filtration and advanced oxidation have, at times, indicated high removal efficiencies

• However, most common treatment process in US is Activated Sludge (AS)

• Nitrifying AS systems have indicated increased removal efficiency over non-nitrifying AS systems

• Required US infrastructure improvements/upgrades estimated in hundreds of billions

• Jones et al 2007 estimated advanced treatment strategies 1.5 to 2.5 times more expensive than conventional AS

Clara et al 2004

Nitrification >10 days

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Study Objectives and Design

Objectives• Establish a bench-scale, completely-mixed AS reactor

• Operate reactor over nitrifying and non-nitrifying conditions

• Dose influent with nonylphenol and investigate treatment performance

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Clarified Effluent ClarifierSynthetic WastewaterCMAS ReactorBioStat MD Control Unit

Pumpsp-Nonylphenol

“Between the Idea and the Reality…Lies the Shadow” (T.S. Elliot)

The Research ProcessAzSGC

• Equipment Refrigerator, Pumps, BioStat, Glass, Piping

• Reactor Parameters and WW Recipe V = 1 L, = 6 hr, Q = 4 L/d Synthetic WW (Esperanza et al 2004)

• AS Seeding and Pilot Testing Inoculated w/ sludge from Ina Road BNR Train Operate system hydraulically

• Issues and Hurdles Hydraulic and Mechanical

Field ResultsAzSGC

• Ina Road Water Pollution Control Facility Activated Sludge 2 Treatment Trains (Nitrifying and Non-Nitrifying)

• Measured Estrogenic Activity using in vitro Bioassay

Courtesy of Bingfeng Dong, Ph.D. Student, UA, CHEE

Future WorkAzSGC

• Batch Reactor “Proof of Concept” Investigate nitrification via Ion Chromatograph 200 mL batch reactor, seeded with CMAS sludge Dose with nonylphenol (NP) Allow to operate for 5 days Measure NP using GC-ECD

• Run CMAS as continuous flow

• Operate over range of sludge ages

• Dose with other EDCs?

AcknowledgementsAzSGC

Dr. Bob Arnold, SpaceGrant MentorDr. Eduardo Saez

Brian BarbarisBingfeng Dong & Alandra Kahl

Susan BrewMatt Giardina & AzSGC Staff

Sondra TeskeJeff and Mario

Arla AllenCharley Amling & UA Glass Shop

Questions or Comments?AzSGC