Joanna Lach

Fate and removal of pharmaceuticals and illegal drugs present in drinking water and wastewater

Abstract Rapid development of pharmaceutical industry, and thus widespread availability of different types of therapeutical and increased intake of pharmaceuticals, results in elevated concentrations of pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater subjected to treatment in wastewater treatment plants. Pharmaceuticals present in raw wastewater discharged from hospitals, households, veterinary and health care clinics eventually end up in wastewater treatment plants. Commonly applied methods for treating wastewater do not allow complete removal of these contaminants. As a consequence, pharmaceuticals still present in treated wastewater are introduced to water environment. The most frequently identified pharmaceuticals in surface water belong to the following groups: non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, beta-blockers, estrogens and lipid regulators. The most difficult is removal of diclofenac, clofibric acid and carbamazepine as these substances show low biodegradability. Diclofenac can be removed in the process of wastewater treatment by 40%, carbamazepine by 10%, and clofibric acid from 26 to 50%. The presence of diclofenac sodium in the rivers in Poland was confirmed and the concentrations were following: 380 ng/dm3 (the Warta river), 470 ng/dm3 (the Odra river), 140 ng/dm3 (the Vistula river). Naproxene was found in the Warta river at the concentration of 100 ng/dm3. The presence of pharmaceuticals in surface water can be toxic to aqueous microorganisms and fish. Recent studies confirmed also the presence of pharmaceuticals in drinking water. This is considered as a problem especially in urban agglomerations such as Berlin or large cities in Spain and China. The studies showed that pharmaceuticals were also identified in the samples taken from the Polish rivers and drinking water. The presence of naproxene and diclofenac at the concentrations of 13 and 4 ng/dm3 was identified in drinking water sampled from water intakes in Poznan. Surface water and drinking water showed also the presence of illegal drugs.

The influence of modification of activated carbon on adsorption of Ni(II) and Cd(II)

AbstractAdsorption of Cd(II) and Ni(II) ions on the modified activated carbon (WG-12) was measured. Two methods of activated carbon modification, i.e. a traditional method in a rotary furnace and a method developed by the author in a reactor that uses Joule’s heat, were analysed. The effects of performed modification were evaluated based on the surface area, water vapour adsorption, volume of micro-, meso- and macropores, and a number of oxygen groupings measured with the Boehm method. The application of these two methods resulted in the increase in adsorption of Ni2+ and Cd2+. The most favourable results for adsorption of both Ni2+ and Cd2+ were obtained for activated carbons modified in a rotary furnace at 800°C and with atmospheric oxygen at 400°C. Adsorption of Ni2+ and Cd2+ on activated carbons modified with Joule’s heat was slightly higher than in the case of activated carbons modified in a rotary furnace with carbon dioxide and water vapour at the same temperature (400°C). The presented method deve...

Influence of fertilisation with sewage sludge-derived preparation on selected soil properties and prairie cordgrass yield

ABSTRACT The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of using a fertilizer obtained from waste substances on selected physical and chemical properties of soil and biomass yield Spartina pectinate. The fertilizer used for soil (C) fertilisation contained sewage sludge (SS), waste soil fractions of brown coal (BC), brown coal ash (BCA) enriched with mineral potassium (K) fertilizer (C+SS+BC+BCA+K). The composition of the preparation was developed by the authors and adjusted to the quality of the fertilised soil and the individual characteristics of the plant. It was assumed that the preparation should replace expensive conventional fertilisation methods, allow for management of waste substances and improve soil properties, leading to a high yield of Spartina pectinata used as energy crop. The plants were grown on the soil from the Huta Częstochowa steelworks effect zone. The soil was light, with acid reaction (pH KCl =5.5), with small contents of such contaminants as Cd and Zn and elevated Pb content. Based on a three‐year pot experiment, the paper presents the results of the examinations concerning the effect of fertilisation on soil pH, hydrolytic acidity, sorptive properties, content of humic acids, organic coal and total nitrogen in soil and crop yielding. The effect of the use of the fertilizer (C+SS+BC+BCA+K) was compared with the use of the sludge (C+SS), sludge with mineral fertilizers (C+SS+NPK), mixture of brown coal and mineral fertilizers (C+BC+NPK) and effect of only mineral fertilizers (C+NPK). Fertilisation with (C+SS+BC+BCA+K) led to the increase in soil pH from 5.5 to 6.0, which is considered sufficient for light soils. The fertilised soil was characterized by sorption capacity of ca. 5.8 cmol(+)/kg, and, after fertilisation with O+W+P, reached the value of ca. 8.0 cmol(+) kg−1. Consequently the soil can be regarded as of good quality in terms of its capability to store nutrients. The C:N ratio was also extended from 11:1 (control soil) to 14:1 (C+SS+BC+BCA+K). The yield of Spartina pectinata in the first year was 1.6 and in the third year 2.7 times higher in the case of fertilisation with the investigated mixture as compared to the control. HighlightsFertilisation have advantageous effect on physical and chemical properties of soils.The mixture of sewage sludge, coal, brown coal ash and potassium fertilizer increases soil pH, sorption capacity, content of humic acid and the C:N.Spartina pectinata can be cultivated with using unconventional fertilisation with the mixtures of sewage sludge, brown coal and brown coal ash.