Effect-based evaluation of ozone treatment for removal of micropollutants and their transformation products in waste water

ABSTRACT

The aim of this interdisciplinary research project in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany, entitled “Elimination of pharmaceuticals and organic micropollutants from waste water” involved the conception of cost-effective and innovative waste-water cleaning methods. In this project in vitro assays, in vivo assays and chemical analyses were performed on three municipal waste-water treatment plants (WWTP). This publication focuses on the study of the in vitro bioassays. Cytotoxic, estrogenic, genotoxic and mutagenic effects of the original as well as enriched water samples were monitored before and after wastewater treatment steps using MTT and PAN I, ER Calux and A-YES, micronucleus and Comet assays as well as AMES test. In most cases, the measured effects were reduced after ozonation, but in general, the biological response depended upon the water composition of the WWTP, in particular on the formed by-products and concentration of micropollutants. In order to be able to assess the genotoxic and/or mutagenic potential of waste-water samples using bioassays like Ames test, Comet assay or micronucleus test an enrichment of the water sample via solid-phase extraction is recommended. This is in agreement with previous studies such as the “ToxBox”-Project of the Environmental Agency in Germany.

KEYWORDS:

• Micropollutant elimination
• pharmaceuticals
• advanced waste water treatment
• full-scale ozonation
• in vitro effects
• bioassays

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Acknowledgments

Financial support from the Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MKULNV NRW) is gratefully acknowledged. We would also like to thank the many partners who worked on this project for their support, fruitful discussions and the excellent cooperation. Our special thanks for support and helping hand during operation and sampling belong to Emschergenossenschaft/Lippeverband (EG/LV), Ruhrverband (RV) and Wirtschaftsbetriebe Duisburg AöR (WBD) and their especially dedicated personnel.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MKULNV NRW) [08/058.1].