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Lee CS, Wang M, Clyde PM, Mao X, Brownawell BJ, Venkatesan AK. 1,4-Dioxane removal in nitrifying sand filters treating domestic wastewater: Influence of water matrix and microbial inhibitors. Chemosphere 2023; 324:138304. [PMID: 36871806 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
1,4-Dioxane is a recalcitrant pollutant in water and is ineffectively removed during conventional water and wastewater treatment processes. In this study, we demonstrate the application of nitrifying sand filters to remove 1,4-dioxane from domestic wastewater without the need for bioaugmentation or biostimulation. The sand columns were able to remove 61 ± 10% of 1,4-dioxane on average (initial concentration: 50 μg/L) from wastewater, outperforming conventional wastewater treatment approaches. Microbial analysis revealed the presence of 1,4-dioxane degrading functional genes (dxmB, phe, mmox, and prmA) to support biodegradation being the dominant degradation pathway. Adding antibiotics (sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin), that temporarily inhibited the nitrification process during the dosing period, showed a minor effect in 1,4-dioxane removal (6-8% decline, p < 0.05), suggesting solid resilience of the 1,4-dioxane-degrading microbial community in the columns. Columns amended with sodium azide significantly (p < 0.05) depressed 1,4-dioxane removal in the early stage of dosing but followed by a gradual increase of the removal over time to >80%, presumably due to a shift in the microbial community toward azide-resistant 1,4-dioxane degrading microbes (e.g., fungi). This study demonstrated for the first time the resilience of the 1,4-dioxane-degrading microorganisms during antibiotic shocks, and the selective enrichment of efficient 1,4-dioxane-degrading microbes after azide poisoning. Our observation could provide insights into designing better 1,4-dioxane remediation strategies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Shiuan Lee
- New York State Center for Clean Water Technology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, 11794, USA; Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Mian Wang
- New York State Center for Clean Water Technology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, 11794, USA; Department of Civil Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Patricia M Clyde
- New York State Center for Clean Water Technology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, 11794, USA; School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Xinwei Mao
- New York State Center for Clean Water Technology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, 11794, USA; Department of Civil Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Bruce J Brownawell
- New York State Center for Clean Water Technology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, 11794, USA; School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Arjun K Venkatesan
- New York State Center for Clean Water Technology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, 11794, USA; Department of Civil Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA; School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
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Clyde PM, Lee CS, Price RE, Venkatesan AK, Brownawell BJ. Occurrence and removal of PPCPs from on-site wastewater using nitrogen removing biofilters. Water Res 2021; 206:117743. [PMID: 34717243 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment is primarily the result of discharge of waste, including from onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTSs) which are employed by 25% of homes in the United States. However, the occurrence and removal of PPCPs in OWTSs is not well understood, particularly given the large diversity in PPCP compounds as well as in OWTS designs. In this study, we monitored 26 different PPCPs in 13 full-scale nitrogen removing biofilters (NRBs), an innovative/alternative type of OWTS that utilizes an overlying sand layer and an underlying woodchip/sand layer to simultaneously remove nitrogen and other wastewater-derived contaminants. The specific objectives of this study were (i) to measure the occurrence of PPCPs in septic tank effluent (STE) that served as an influent to NRBs, (ii) to quantify PPCP removal in three types of NRB configurations (n = 13), and (iii) to evaluate PPCP removal with depth and environmental conditions in NRBs. Aqueous samples were taken during 42 separate sampling events during 2016 - 2019 and analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Analysis of the STE samples yielded detection of 23 of the 26 PPCPs, with caffeine being the most abundant and frequently detected compound at 52,000 ng/L (range: 190 - 181,000 ng/L), followed by acetaminophen and paraxanthine at 47,500 ng/L (190 - 160,000 ng/L), and 34,300 ng/L (430 - 210,000 ng/L), respectively. Cimetidine, fenofibrate, and warfarin were the only compounds not detected. The average removal of PPCPs by NRBs ranged from 58% to >99% for the various compounds. PPCP removal as a function of depth in the systems showed that 50 to >99% of the observed removal was achieved within the top oxic layer (0 - 46 cm) of the NRBs for 19 analytes. Seven of the compounds had >85% removal by the same depth. These results indicate that NRBs are effective at removing PPCPs and that a large portion of the removal is achieved within the oxic nitrifying layer of the NRBs. Overall, the removal of PPCPs in NRBs was comparable (n = 8) or better (n = 15) than that observed for conventional wastewater treatment plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia M Clyde
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States; New York State Center for Clean Water Technology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States
| | - Cheng-Shiuan Lee
- New York State Center for Clean Water Technology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States
| | - Roy E Price
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States; New York State Center for Clean Water Technology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States
| | - Arjun K Venkatesan
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States; New York State Center for Clean Water Technology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States.
| | - Bruce J Brownawell
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States; New York State Center for Clean Water Technology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, United States
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