wastewater treatment

Would you say that wastewater treatment is peanuts? You would not state that, right? Everyone knows that without wastewater treatment, we are polluting the environment with organic matter (proteins, carbohydrates, fats etc.) and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus compounds) that are a food source for microorganisms & algae that deplete the oxygen level causing fish and other aquatic species to die. Wastewater can also contain pathogenic bacteria directly causing epidemics, and inorganic compounds that are often harmful byproducts of commercial and industrial activities.

The generation of organic wastes, such as sludge from wastewater treatment plants and food waste, is an inevitable byproduct of human activity. In line with the Federal Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 and the principles of Green Chemistry, waste that cannot be prevented or recycled must be managed in an environmentally sustainable manner. Conventional waste management methods, including incineration and landfilling, pose significant environmental risks, such as greenhouse gas emissions and soil and groundwater contamination.

Electrochemical methods like electrocoagulation (EC) can remove a vast array of compounds from wastewater but are not ideal for emerging pollutants found at low concentrations (ng/L to μg/L). In contrast, enzymes are known to effectively target these pollutants, but their performance can be hindered in complex water matrices. This work explores a biocatalytic treatment assisted by electrochemical processes to remove two emerging pollutants, Bisphenol A (BPA) and Triclosan (TCS) from municipal wastewater.

The low bioavailability of widely used drugs, such as metformin (MFH), makes it necessary to administer constant doses to achieve the desired therapeutic effect, which leads to an increase in adverse effects and toxicity. In addition, their disposal also causes an environmental impact on both the ecosystem and organisms [1,2]. The development of materials based on biocompatible polymers is one of the most promising alternatives to reduce the dosage of active ingredients. Besides, these materials can function as adsorbents of micropollutants in the wastewater treatment [3].