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Removal of xenobiotics from effluent discharge by adsorption on zeolite and expanded clay: an alternative to activated carbon?

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Abstract

Xenobiotics such as pesticides and pharmaceuticals are an increasingly large problem in aquatic environments. A fixed-bed adsorption filter, used as tertiary stage of sewage treatment, could be a solution to decrease xenobiotics concentrations in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) effluent. The adsorption efficiency of two mineral adsorbent materials (expanded clay (EC) and zeolite (ZE)), both seen as a possible alternative to activated carbon (AC), was evaluated in batch tests. Experiments involving secondary treated domestic wastewater spiked with a cocktail of ten xenobiotics (eight pharmaceuticals and two pesticides) known to be poorly eliminated in conventional biological process were carried out. Removal efficiencies and partitions coefficients were calculated for two levels of initial xenobiotic concentration, i.e, concentrations lower to 10 μg/L and concentrations ranged from 100 to 1,000 μg/L. While AC was the most efficient adsorbent material, both alternative adsorbent materials showed good adsorption efficiencies for all ten xenobiotics (from 50 to 100 % depending on the xenobiotic/adsorbent material pair). For all the targeted xenobiotics, at lower concentrations, EC presented the best adsorption potential with higher partition coefficients, confirming the results in terms of removal efficiencies. Nevertheless, Zeolite presents virtually the same adsorption potential for both high and low xenobiotics concentrations to be treated. According to this first batch investigation, ZE and EC could be used as alternative absorbent materials to AC in WWTP.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Onema (The French National Agency for Water and Aquatic Ecosystems) for providing financial support, Calgon Carbon (AC), Somez (ZE) and Weber (EC) for providing the materials tested. We are also grateful to L. Dherret, E. Vray, S. Schiavone, C. Michard, D. Gorini, L. Richard and P. le Pimpec for their assistance with sampling and subsequent analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Irstea, UR MALY, 5 rue de la Doua, CS70077, 69626, Villeurbanne Cedex, France

    A. Tahar, J. M. Choubert, C. Miège & M. Coquery

  2. CIRSEE, Suez Environnement, 38 rue du Président Wilson, 78230, Le Pecq, France

    M. Esperanza

  3. EPOC-LPTC, Université Bordeaux 1, 351 Cours de la libération, 33405, Talence cedex, France

    K. Le Menach & H. Budzinski

  4. UMR Qualisud, UFR des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, Université Montpellier 1, 15 Avenue Charles Flahault BP 14491, 34093, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    C. Wisniewski

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  1. A. Tahar
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  2. J. M. Choubert
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  3. C. Miège
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  4. M. Esperanza
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  5. K. Le Menach
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  7. C. Wisniewski
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  8. M. Coquery
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Correspondence to C. Wisniewski.

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Responsible editor: Hongwen Sun

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Tahar, A., Choubert, J.M., Miège, C. et al. Removal of xenobiotics from effluent discharge by adsorption on zeolite and expanded clay: an alternative to activated carbon?. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 5660–5668 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-2439-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-2439-6

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