Skip to main content
Log in

Simultaneous removal of emerging contaminants and disinfection for municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent quality improvement: a systemic analysis of the literature

  • Advanced Oxidation/Reduction Technologies: An Perspective from Iberoamerican Countries
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This work presents a bibliographic review of the literature regarding the simultaneous removal of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and disinfection in domestic wastewater matrices. These two responses are usually evaluated independently, as most attention has been centered on the discussion over the removal of CECs in the last 10 years. However, the simultaneous removal of CECs and pathogens from wastewater has been recently brought to the spotlight, especially considering the removal of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Aiming at a reproducible and nonbiased methodology, a combination of the construction of a bibliometric portfolio with systemic analysis was performed with peer-reviewed manuscripts published between 2008 and 2019 in five distinct databases. Several keyword combinations were necessary to achieve a relevant portfolio according to strict criteria. As a result, five highly cited papers and authors were selected. Among the advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) explored for simultaneous removal of CECs and disinfection in these papers, detailed results have been elucidated mainly for ozonation. Thus, revealing the broad range of questions that have yet to be investigated in depth for new technologies such as irradiated solar processes. In addition, there is a lack of information associated with simultaneous assessment of CEC removal and disinfection in real samples and in wastewater matrices originated from different secondary treatment technologies in diverse locations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information file.

References

Download references

Funding

This work was supported by Foundation of Support and Research of the state of Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), the Coordination of Superior Level Staff Improvement (CAPES), and National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). The authors received scholarship supported by the Program CAPES/PDSE/Process Number 88881.187715/2018-01 financed by CAPES-Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

E.P. Costa was responsible for the idea and conception of this review article, for literature search and data analysis, and also writing the first draft. M. C. V. M. Starling was responsible for the data analysis, manuscript writing, and critical revision. C. C. Amorim was responsible for the data analysis and critical revision. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Camila C. Amorim.

Ethics declarations

Disclaimer

The funding sources were not involved in study design, nor the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, nor in the writing of the report, nor in the decision to submit the article for publication.

Ethical approval

Not applicable.

Consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent to publish

Not applicable.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Vítor Pais Vilar

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

ESM 1

(DOCX 99 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Costa, E.P., Starling, M.C.V.M. & Amorim, C.C. Simultaneous removal of emerging contaminants and disinfection for municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent quality improvement: a systemic analysis of the literature. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 24092–24111 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12363-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12363-5

Keywords

Navigation