[Pharmwaste] POSEIDON project report by the EU to assess technologies for PPCP removal

[DeBiasi,Deborah]

The EU (Europeon Union) project, POSEIDON, was formed to assess
technologies for PPCP removal. Participants in this project included
researchers from various European countries, such as Germany's Federal
Institute of Hydrology and ECT Ecotoxicology Gmbh; Eawag; the Swiss
Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology; France's Suez
Environment and universities from Finland, Austria, Spain, and Poland.
The final results were published in June 2005.

http://www.ikse.de/servlet/is/2888/Final-Report-POSEIDON-May2006.pdf?com
mand=downloadContent&filename=Final-Report-POSEIDON-May2006.pdf

Assessment of Technologies for the Removal of Pharmaceuticals and
Personal Care Products in Sewage and Drinking Water Facilities to
Improve the Indirect Potable Water Reuse 
Project acronym:  POSEIDON 

Contract No. EVK1-CT-2000-00047 
http//www.eu-poseidon.com 

This is an excerpt of the technologies by which a POTW can remove PPCPs:

*	Biological degradation and sorption are the main mechanisms for
PPCP removal during municipal wastewater treatment. 
*	Ozonation of treated effluent substantially reduces PPCP
content.
*	Some PPCPs are degraded significantly during anaerobic sludge
digestion. 
*	Removal by sorption onto suspended solids is an important
mechanism for hydrophobic and positively charged compounds. 
*	Stripping is not relevant for PPCP removal in state-of-the-art
municipal wastewater treatment. 
*	A rough estimate of PPCP concentration in raw wastewater is
directly proportional to the amount of PPCPs sold. 
*	During irrigation and soil passage, most of the PPCPs (more than
80 percent) are sorbed or degraded. However, the irrigation can lead to
a pollution of groundwater with iodinated contrast media (ICM).
*	Ozonation or advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are able to
substantially reduce the contamination of groundwater prior to
irrigation of treated wastewater. 
*	Acidic drugs, such as diclofenac, bezafibrate, and ibuprofen
that are removed easily during wastewater treatment are subject to
additional removal during post- treatment steps like polishing lagoons,
gravel filters, or infiltration ponds. Conversely, neutral substances,
such as diazepam and carbamazepine, that show poor removal rates during
wastewater treatment, remain stable during post-treatment steps as well
as in the groundwater. The polycyclic musks tonalide and galaxolide were
significantly removed during wastewater treatment and post-treatment
steps, but showed no significant further reduction during groundwater
flow. 
*	With few exceptions, coagulation and flocculation are
inappropriate to remove PPCPs. 
*	Ozonation is a very effective treatment process to oxidize
PPCPs. Currently, there is no indication that the formed oxidation
products are toxic. 
*	Disinfection with chlorine and chlorine dioxide does not lead to
a general oxidation/removal of PPCPs. Only a few PPCPs were transformed.

*	Activated carbon is a powerful process to remove PPCPs. Only a
limited number of PPCPs, such as iodinated contrast media and the
antibiotic, sulfamethoxazole show insufficient affinity to activated
carbon. 
*	Nanofiltration and ultrafiltration/powdered activated carbon
(PAC) are powerful processes to remove PPCPs. 





Deborah L. DeBiasi
Email:   dldebiasi at deq.virginia.gov
WEB site address:  www.deq.virginia.gov
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Office of Water Permit Programs
Industrial Pretreatment/Toxics Management Program
Mail:          P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA  23218 (NEW!)
Location:  629 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA  23219
PH:         804-698-4028
FAX:      804-698-4032