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Ecotoxicity evaluation of a WWTP effluent treated by solar photo-Fenton at neutral pH in a raceway pond reactor

  • Advances and trends in Advanced Oxidation processes
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Abstract

Some pollutants can be resistant to wastewater treatment, hence becoming a risk to aquatic and terrestrial biota even at the very low concentrations (ng L−1–μg L−1) they are commonly found at. Tertiary treatments are used for micropollutant removal but little is known about the ecotoxicity of the treated effluent. In this study, a municipal secondary effluent was treated by a solar photo-Fenton reactor at initial neutral pH in a raceway pond reactor, and ecotoxicity was evaluated before and after micropollutant removal. Thirty-nine micropollutants were identified in the secondary effluent, mainly pharmaceuticals, with a total concentration of ≈80 μg L−1. After treatment, 99 % microcontaminant degradation was reached. As for ecotoxicity reduction, the assayed organisms showed the following sensitivity levels: Tetrahymena thermophila > Daphnia magna > Lactuca sativa > Spirodela polyrhiza ≈ Vibrio fischeri. The initial effluent showed an inhibitory effect of 40 % for T. thermophila and 20 % for D. magna. After 20 min of photo-Fenton treatment, no toxic effect was observed for T. thermophila and toxicity dropped to 5 % for D. magna.

Ecotoxicity removal by solar photo-Fenton at neutral pH.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness (Spanish Government) CTQ2013-46398-R, the Junta de Andalucía (Andalusian Regional Government) P10-RNM-05951, and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Gracia Rivas Ibáñez would like to acknowledge the Andalusian Regional Government for her FPI scholarship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biology, Federal University of Technology-Paraná (UTFPR), Curitiba, Brazil

    A. M. Freitas

  2. Solar Energy Research Centre (CIESOL), University of Almería-CIEMAT, Almería, Spain

    G. Rivas, M. C. Campos-Mañas, J. L. Casas López, A. Agüera & J. A. Sánchez Pérez

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  1. A. M. Freitas
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  2. G. Rivas
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  3. M. C. Campos-Mañas
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  4. J. L. Casas López
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  5. A. Agüera
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  6. J. A. Sánchez Pérez
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Correspondence to J. A. Sánchez Pérez.

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Freitas, A.M., Rivas, G., Campos-Mañas, M.C. et al. Ecotoxicity evaluation of a WWTP effluent treated by solar photo-Fenton at neutral pH in a raceway pond reactor. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 1093–1104 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7101-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7101-7

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