Algal cultivation in urban wastewater: an efficient way to reduce pharmaceutical pollutants.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether pharmaceutical pollutants in urban wastewater can be reduced during algal cultivation. A mixed population of wild freshwater green algal species was grown on urban wastewater influent in a 650 L photobioreactor under natural light and with the addition of flue gases. Removal efficiencies were very high (> 90 %), moderate (50-90 %), low (10-50 %), and very low or non-quantifiable (< 10 %) for 9, 14, 11, and 18 pharmaceuticals, respectively, over a 7-day period. High reduction was found in the following pharmaceuticals: the beta-blockers atenolol, bispropol, and metoprolol; the antibiotic clarithromycine; the antidepressant bupropion; the muscle relaxant atracurium; hypertension drugs diltiazem and terbutaline used to relive the symptoms of asthma. Regression analysis did not detect any relationship between the reduction in pharmaceutical contents and light intensity reaching the water surface of the algal culture. However, the reduction was positively correlated with light intensity inside the culture and stronger when data collected during the night were excluded. Algae cultivation can remove partially or totally pharmaceutical pollutants from urban wastewater, and this opens up new possibilities for treating urban wastewater.

Keywords

Algae; Nitrogen; Pharmaceuticals; Phosphorus; Wastewater

Published in

Journal of Applied Phycology
2017, volume: 29, number: 1, pages: 255-262

SLU Authors

• Gentili, Francesco

  • Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Global goals (SDG)

SDG6 Clean water and sanitation
SDG11 Sustainable cities and communities

UKÄ Subject classification

Water Treatment
Bioremediation

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-016-0950-0

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/78326