Removal of PPCPs From Wastewater for Reuse.

Recently, a number of new kinds of chemicals (also known as emerging contaminants or micropollutants) have been detected in municipal wastewater, source water and drinking water. Some of these chemicals are suspected of causing adverse ecological effects, and are not effectively removed by conventional water and wastewater treatment plants. Water demand for domestic, industrial, agricultural and recreational purposes has been on the increase while the availability of good quality water is on the decrease.  Hence, water reuse is highly desirable to improve the sustainability of natural resources and the environment as a whole. One issue regarding reuse of treated municipal wastewater is the potential threat of contamination from untreated ECs.  For example, the treated water may contain ECs which could pollute the existing EC-free aquifer. This issue could be mitigated by (1) removing ECs using advanced technologies such as ozonation, etc and (2) by re-using the treated water for groundwater recharge and for other needs. A number of technologies such as ozone, UV and peroxide in different combinations, ultrasound, ion-exchange and novel adsorbents are being currently researched at the NSF Water and Environmental Technology Center at Temple University.  This presentation will discuss some of these technologies for the removal of ECs from water and wastewater.