Removal of emerging contaminants from municipal wastewater with an integrated membrane system, MBR-RO.

The presence of emerging contaminants in the aquatic environment and their potential effects on living organisms has become an issue of growing concern. Among emerging contaminants, pharmaceuticals may enter the aquatic environment due to their high consumption and their incomplete removal in conventional municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The main goal of this study was the assessment of the removal efficiency of pharmaceuticals found in municipal wastewater of a coastal WWTP (Castell-Platja d'Aro, Spain) using an integrated pilot scale membrane system (MBR-RO). Twenty multiple-class pharmaceuticals (including psychiatric drugs, macrolide antibiotics, β-blockers, sulfonamide and fluoroquinolone antibiotics, histamine H2 receptor antagonists, anti-inflammatories, nitroimidazole, β-agonist and antiplatelet agent) were measured in real influent with the lowest average concentration for psychiatric drugs (0.017 μg L(-1)) to the highest for macrolide antibiotics (2.02 μg L(-1)). Although some contaminants were in relatively high concentrations (even up to 2.90 μg L(-1) in the case of ofloxacin). The combination of MBR and RO treatment showed excellent overall removal of target emerging contaminants with removal rates above 99% for all of them. For some compounds (metronidazole, hydrocodone, codein, ranitidine) MBR provided high removal efficiency (up to 95%). Additionally RO membrane showed removal rates always higher than 99%.