Evaluation of the k-nearest neighbor method for forecasting the influent characteristics of wastewater treatment plant

The k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) method was evaluated to predict the influent flow rate and four water qualities, namely chemical oxygen demand (COD), suspended solid (SS), total nitrogen (T-N) and total phosphorus (T-P) at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The search range and approach for determining the number of nearest neighbors (NNs) under dry and wet weather conditions were initially optimized based on the root mean square error (RMSE). The optimum search range for considering data size was one year. The square root-based (SR) approach was superior to the distance factor-based (DF) approach in determining the appropriate number of NNs. However, the results for both approaches varied slightly depending on the water quality and the weather conditions. The influent flow rate was accurately predicted within one standard deviation of measured values. Influent water qualities were well predicted with the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) under both wet and dry weather conditions. For the seven-day prediction, the difference in predictive accuracy was less than 5% in dry weather conditions and slightly worse in wet weather conditions. Overall, the k-NN method was verified to be useful for predicting WWTP influent characteristics.     

糖类在城市污水生物处理系统中的去除机理

研究了厌氧、缺氧和好氧状态下淀粉在城市污水生物处理系统中水相和泥相中吸附和降解的动力学参数,建立了淀粉在厌氧、缺氧、好氧状态下的降解动力学模型,并对模型预测的结果进行了验证.结果表明,Fritz-Schlunder模型可以较好地描述糖类在厌氧、缺氧和好氧污泥上的吸附过程,吸附的大分子糖类迅速水解为低一级的高分子物质和小分子物质;厌氧降解速率系数K厌、缺氧的降解速率系数K缺与好氧的降解速率常数的比值分别为0.40和0.64;所建立的动力学模型能较好的预测出水糖类的浓度(相对误差<10%).     

城市污水处理厂污泥处理处置的政策分析

简要介绍了城市污水处理厂污泥处理处置技术，提出污泥产业发展政策的建议，指出土地利用是符合我国国情的污泥处置的方向之一：污泥处理技术主要有减量化、浓缩、脱水、消化、堆肥等；污泥处置技术主要有焚烧、填埋、土地利用、建材利用等。污泥处理处置应按照减量化、稳定化、无害化原则，鼓励污泥资源化综合利用。合理确定污水处理厂污泥处理处置设施的布局和设计规模；鼓励对污泥处理处置给与税、费优惠政策，明确将污泥处理处置的运营费用列入污水排污收费范围，建立科学的价格补偿机制；政府在污泥产业发展中起着较为重要的作用，主要体现为服务与监督，包括承诺、保障和协调三个方面。     

城市污水厂氨气的来源及排放因子研究

通过对城市污水处理厂进行现场调查和分析,选取广州市猎德污水处理厂的格栅、沉砂池、A-B工艺的曝气池、组合交替式(unitank)生化池、污泥浓缩池及脱水机房采集气样,同时在A-B工艺的曝气池、unitank生化池及A-B工艺的沉淀池采集水样,采用模拟实验测试这些污水处理单元的氨挥发速率,并结合理论计算,研究氨气的来源和排放因子.结果表明,A-B工艺的曝气池和unitank工艺的生化池为城市污水处理厂的主要氨排放源.城市污水处理厂污水的氨气平均挥发速率为21.06μg.m-.2s-1,在此基础上计算出其氨气平均排放因子为0.28 g.m-3,其中A-B工艺曝气池的氨排放因子较高,为0.205 g.m-3;unitank生化池的氨排放因子为0.033 g.m-3;A-B工艺沉淀池的氨排放因子较低,为0.0085 g.m-3.     

Characteristic and correlation analysis of influent and energy consumption of wastewater treatment plants in Taihu Basin

Poor biodegradability and insufficient carbon source are discovered from influent. Influent indices presented positively normal distribution or skewed distribution. Average energy consumption of WWTPs in Taihu Basin was as high as 0.458 kWh/m³. Energy consumption increases with the increase in influent volume and COD reduction. The total energy consumption decreases with the NH₃-N reduction. The water quality and energy consumption of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Taihu Basin were evaluated on the basis of the operation data from 204 municipal WWTPs in the basin by using various statistical methods. The influent ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) and total nitrogen (TN) of WWTPs in Taihu Basin showed normal distribution, whereas chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), suspended solid (SS), and total phosphorus (TP) showed positively skewed distribution. The influent BOD₅/COD was 0.4%–0.6%, only 39.2% SS/BOD₅ exceeded the standard by 36.3%, the average BOD₅/TN was 3.82, and the probability of influent BOD₅/TP>20 was 82.8%. The average energy consumption of WWTPs in Taihu Basin in 2017 was 0.458 kWh/m³. The specific energy consumption of WWTPs with a daily treatment capacity of more than 5 × 10⁴ m³ in Taihu Basin was stable at 0.33 kWh/m³. A power function relationship was observed between the reduction in COD and NH₃-N and the specific energy consumption of pollutant reduction, and the higher the pollutant reduction is, the lower the specific energy consumption of pollutant reduction presents. In addition, a linear relationship existed between the energy consumption of WWTPs and the specific energy consumption of influent volume and pollutant reduction. Therefore, upgrading and operation with less energy consumption of WWTPs is imperative and the suggestions for Taihu WWTPs based on stringent discharge standard are proposed in detail.     

Occurrence and migration of microplastics and plasticizers in different wastewater and sludge treatment units in municipal wastewater treatment plant

● Reduce the quantifying MPs time by using Nile red staining. ● The removal rate of MPs and PAEs in wastewater and sludge were investigated. ● MPs and PAEs were firstly analyzed during thermal hydrolysis treatment. ● The removal of PAEs from wastewater and sludge was mainly biodegradation. Microplastics (MPs) and plasticizers, such as phthalate esters (PAEs), were frequently detected in municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWTP). Previous research mainly studied the removal of MPs and PAEs in wastewater. However, the occurrence of MPs and PAEs in the sludge was generally ignored. To comprehensively investigate the occurrence and the migration behaviors of MPs and PAEs in MWTP, a series of representative parameters including the number, size, color, shape of MPs, and the concentrations of PAEs in wastewater and sludge were systematically investigated. In this study, the concentrations of MPs in the influent and effluent were 15.46±0.37 and 0.30±0.14 particles/L. The MP removal efficiency of 98.1% was achieved and about 73.8% of MPs were accumulated in the sludge in the MWTP. The numbers of MPs in the sludge before and after digestion were 4.40±0.14 and 0.31±0.01 particles/g (dry sludge), respectively. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR) analysis showed that the main types of MPs were polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and polystyrene (PS). Six PAEs, including phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), ortho dibutyl phthalate (DBP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), and bis(2-ethyl) hexyl phthalate (DEHP), were detected in the MWTP. The concentrations of total PAEs (ΣPAEs) in the influent and effluent were 76.66 and 6.28 µg/L, respectively. The concentrations of ΣPAEs in the sludge before and after digestion were 152.64 and 31.70 µg/g, respectively. In the process of thermal hydrolysis, the number and size of MPs decreased accompanied by the increase of the plasticizer concentration.     

城市污水处理厂微生物气溶胶污染和粒径分布特征

城市污水处理厂微生物气溶胶的污染与控制逐渐成为人们关注的热点问题。为明确城市污水处理厂微生物气溶胶浓度和粒径分布特征,选择鄂尔多斯市某城市污水处理厂的格栅间、配水池、氧化沟、二沉池、污泥脱水间和厂区门口6个功能区为对象,对各功能区产生的异养细菌、真菌和放线菌气溶胶浓度分布、污染特性和微生物粒子粒径分布特性进行研究。结果表明,该污水处理厂不同功能区内异养细菌、真菌和放线菌的浓度分布存在显著性差异,其中二沉池和污泥脱水间产生的异养细菌和放线菌浓度均较高,真菌浓度较高的区域为厂门口和二沉池;根据相关微生物气溶胶污染评价标准,污泥脱水间逸散的异养细菌浓度均达到污染级,二沉池、氧化沟和厂门口逸散的异养细菌浓度达轻微污染级,格栅间和配水池未受污染,而真菌浓度在各个功能区均未受到污染;各功能区产生的异养细菌、真菌和放线菌粒子粒径分布无明显差异,异养细菌、真菌和放线菌粒子粒径分别集中在第1、4级,第3、4级和第1、2、3级,大体上均呈正态分布;各功能区均逸散出一定比例的可以直接吸入人体呼吸道的微生物粒子,可能对人体健康具有一定的潜在风险。研究结果可为城市污水处理厂运行过程中微生物气溶胶的污染控制提供科学依据。     

Microplastics in municipal wastewater treatment plants: a case study of Denizli/Turkey

● High amounts of microplastics are released to receiving media from WWTPs. ● The effect of classical treatment processes on MP removal is important. ● MP load in the effluent of WWTPs is important for developing treatment technology. ● Additional physical treatment could help further reduce MP discharge. Plastic particles smaller than 5 mm are microplastics. They are among the significant pollutants that recently attracted attention. Great quantities of microplastics enter the sewage system daily and reach wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). As a result, WWTPs are potential microplastic sources. Hence, they create a pathway for microplastics to reach aquatic environments with treated wastewater discharge. Studies on microplastic characterization in WWTPs have gained momentum in academia. This study investigates the abundance, size, shape, color, polymer type, and removal efficiencies of microplastics in a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Denizli/Turkey. The results showed that the dominant microplastic shape in wastewater samples was fibers (41.78%–60.77%) in the 100–500 µm (58.57%–80.07%) size range. Most of the microplastics were transparent-white (32.86%–58.93%). The dominant polymer types were polyethylene (54.05%) and polyethylene vinyl acetate (37.84%) in raw wastewater. Furthermore, the microplastic removal efficiencies of the Denizli Central WWTP as a whole and for individual treatment units were evaluated. Although the microplastic pollution removal efficiency of the Denizli Central WWTP was over 95%, the microplastic concentration discharged daily into the receiving environment was considerably high (1.28 × 10¹⁰ MP/d). Thus, Denizli Central WWTP effluents result in a high volume of emissions in terms of microplastic pollution with a significant daily discharge to the Çürüksu Stream.     

Distribution,characteristics and daily fluctuations of microplastics throughout wastewater treatment plants with mixed domestic–industrial influents in Wuxi City,China

• MPs were analyzed throughout three WWTPs with mixed domestic–industrial influents. • White polyethylene granules from plastic manufacturing were the most dominant MPs. • MPs abundance in random grab-sampling was lower than that in daily dense sampling. • The production of MPs such as microbeads need to be restricted from the source. In wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), microplastics (MPs) are complex, especially with mixed domestic–industrial influents. Conventional random grab sampling can roughly depict the distribution and characteristics of MPs but can not accurately reflect their daily fluctuations. In this study, the concentration, shape, polymer type, size, and color of MPs were analyzed by micro-Raman spectroscopy (detection limit of 0.05 mm) throughout treatment stages of three mixed domestic–industrial WWTPs (W1, W2, and W3) in Wuxi City, China, and the daily fluctuations of MPs were also obtained by dense grab sampling within 24 h. For influent samples, the average MP concentration of 392.2 items/L in W1 with 10% industrial wastewater was much higher than those in W2 (71.2 items/L with 10% industrial wastewater) and W3 (38.3 items/L with 60% industrial wastewater). White polyethylene granules with a diameter less than 0.5 mm from plastic manufacturing were the most dominant MPs in the influent of W1, proving the key role of industrial sources in MPs pollution. In addition, the daily dense sampling results showed that MP concentration in W1 influent fluctuated widely between 29.1 items/L and 4617.6 items/L within a day. Finally, few MPs (less than 4.0 items/L) in these WWTPs effluents were attributed to the effective removal of wastewater treatment processes. Thus, further attention should be paid to regulating the primary sources of MPs.     

Evaluation of the performance of rural wastewater treatment plants using chemical measurements in combination with statistical techniques: a case study

The performance of a wastewater treatment plant was assessed statistically using multivariate cluster and principle component analysis. This was after measuring some physico-chemical properties in the influent, effluent, downstream, and upstream waters over a 4-month period. The cluster analysis grouped the sampling sites into three clusters: relatively non-polluted (upstream), medium polluted (downstream), and polluted (influent and effluent). The polluted water was further subdivided into very highly (influent) and highly (effluent) polluted. The grouping of influent and effluent into one cluster was due to some water quality parameters such as amount of copper, lead, and phosphates that are not efficiently removed by the plant. Using principal component analysis, samples from the same site taken over a period of 4 months were scattered, indicating inconsistencies in the performance of the plant. This was more pronounced during the rainy season, suggesting that increased water volumes from open sewers make the already poorly performing plant worse. The major loading factors found by principle component analysis were phosphate, lead, iron, zinc, copper, pH, and conductivity. Generally, the wastewater treatment system was found to be efficient in removing heavy metals and these were found in the sludge, but not anions. The mean percentage metal removal could be arranged in the following decreasing order: iron (85%)?>?zinc (57%)?>?copper (40%) and lead (38%) following the concentrations (mg?kg^?1) found in the sludge: iron (11,300)?>?zinc (820)?>?copper (180)?>?lead (20)?>?cadmium (3). Phosphate and iron concentrations in the effluent were found to be above the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) recommendations. The major cause of poor performance is the high volume of the wastewater, exceeding the capacity of the plant 10 times.     

Research progress and prospects of complete ammonia oxidizing bacteria in wastewater treatment

• Comammox bacteria have unique physiological characteristics. • Comammox bacteria are widely distributed in natural and artificial systems. • Comammox bacteria have the potential to reduce N₂O emissions. • Coupling comammox bacteria with DEAMOX can be promoted in wastewater treatment. • Comammox bacteria have significant potential for enhancing total nitrogen removal. Complete ammonia oxidizing bacteria, or comammox bacteria (CAOB), can oxidize ammonium to nitrate on its own. Its discovery revolutionized our understanding of biological nitrification, and its distribution in both natural and artificial systems has enabled a reevaluation of the relative contribution of microorganisms to the nitrogen cycle. Its wide distribution, adaptation to oligotrophic medium, and diverse metabolic pathways, means extensive research on CAOB and its application in water treatment can be promoted. Furthermore, the energy-saving characteristics of high oxygen affinity and low sludge production may also become frontier directions for wastewater treatment. This paper provides an overview of the discovery and environmental distribution of CAOB, as well as the physiological characteristics of the microorganisms, such as nutrient medium, environmental factors, enzymes, and metabolism, focusing on future research and the application of CAOB in wastewater treatment. Further research should be carried out on the physiological characteristics of CAOB, to analyze its ecological niche and impact factors, and explore its application potential in wastewater treatment nitrogen cycle improvement.     

焦化废水中有机物的识别、污染特性及其在废水处理过程中的降解

采用液-液萃取辅以硅胶、氧化铝净化的方法,并结合GC/MS分析技术,系统分析了焦化废水中有机物的组成.在焦化废水中检测到15类558种有机物.根据有机物的分子结构、废水中的含量、毒性及环境效应,筛选出焦化废水中的特征性有机污染物,以区别于其它工业废水,可作为追溯环境中污染物来源的依据.经物理、生物和化学处理后,焦化废水中大部分有机物被去除,其中,对去除率的主要贡献是生物处理阶段.为了更好地考察生物处理阶段对有机污染物的去除特征,选定酚类、多环芳烃和喹啉类物质作为研究对象,分析了3类特征性污染物在A/O2工艺各单元中的去除状况及组成变化特征.     

Current status of municipal wastewater treatment plants in North-east China: implications for reforming and upgrading

● The performance and costs of 20 municipal WWTPs were analyzed. ● Effluent COD and NH₄⁺-N effluent exceed the limits more frequently in winter. ● Nitrification and refractory pollutant removal are limited at low temperatures. ● To meet the national standards, electricity cost must increase by > 42% in winter. ● Anammox, granular sludge, and aerobic denitrification are promising technologies. Climate affects the natural landscape, the economic productivity of societies, and the lifestyles of its inhabitants. It also influences municipal wastewater treatment. Biological processes are widely employed in municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and the prolonged cold conditions brought by the winter months each year pose obstacles to meeting the national standards in relatively cold regions. Therefore, both a systematic analysis of existing technical bottlenecks as well as promising novel technologies are urgently needed for these cold regions. Taking North-east China as a case, this review studied and analyzed the main challenges affecting 20 municipal WWTPs. Moreover, we outlined the currently employed strategies and research issues pertaining to low temperature conditions. Low temperatures have been found to reduce the metabolism of microbes by 58% or more, thereby leading to chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH₄⁺-N levels that have frequently exceeded the national standard during the winter months. Furthermore, the extracellular matrix tends to lead to activated sludge bulking issues. Widely employed strategies to combat these issues include increasing the aeration intensity, reflux volume, and flocculant addition; however, these strategies increase electricity consumption by > 42% in the winter months. Internationally, the processes of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), granular sludge, and aerobic denitrification have become the focus of research for overcoming low temperature. These have inspired us to review and propose directions for the further development of novel technologies suitable for cold regions, thereby overcoming the issues inherent in traditional processes that have failed to meet the presently reformed WWTP requirements.     

以污水流行病学监测广西某市12个污水处理厂服务区域精神活性物质的消耗量

精神活性物质滥用和使用量逐年递增正成为社会稳定、环境健康新的关注点。准确地估算某一地区这类化合物的消耗总量是管理这类物质的关键。本研究对中国广西某市12个污水处理厂(wastewater treatment plants,WWTPs)服务区域中的8种精神活性物质消耗量进行了调查。首先,采用固相萃取-液相色谱-串联质谱法测定了广西某市12个WWTPs进水中8种精神活性物质的浓度,检测到在<方法检测(method detection limit,MDL)至170.9 ng·L^-1范围内的5种精神活性物质。然后,依据污水流行病学(wastewater-based epidemiology,WBE)进行消耗量反算。结果表明,氯胺酮(ketamine,KET)、吗啡(morphine,MOR)、冰毒(methamphetamine,METH)、摇头丸(3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine,MDMA)是主要检出的精神活性物质,平均消耗量分别为682.4、167.8、44.6、11.3 mg·d^-1·1000inh^-1;而可卡因(cocaine,COC)、苯甲酰爱康宁(benzoylecgonine,BE)、甲卡西酮(methcathinone,MC)没有被检出。对WWTPs进水中精神活性物质的残留进行分析,估算这些物质在特定区域的消耗量,为防控风险提供支持。     

The combined effects of biomass and temperature on maximum specific ammonia oxidation rate in domestic wastewater treatment

• Actual SAORs was determined using MLVSS and temperature. • Measured SAOR decreased with increasing MLVSS 1.1‒8.7 g/L. • Temperature coefficient (θ) decreased with increasing MLVSS. • Nitrification process was dynamically simulated based on laboratory-scale SBR tests. • A modified model was successfully validated in pilot-scale SBR systems. Measurement and predicted variations of ammonia oxidation rate (AOR) are critical for the optimization of biological nitrogen removal, however, it is difficult to predict accurate AOR based on current models. In this study, a modified model was developed to predict AOR based on laboratory-scale tests and verified through pilot-scale tests. In biological nitrogen removal reactors, the specific ammonia oxidation rate (SAOR) was affected by both mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS) concentration and temperature. When MLVSS increased 1.6, 4.2, and 7.1-fold (1.3‒8.9 g/L, at 20°C), the measured SAOR decreased by 21%, 49%, and 56%, respectively. Thereby, the estimated SAOR was suggested to modify when MLVSS changed through a power equation fitting. In addition, temperature coefficient (θ) was modified based on MLVSS concentration. These results suggested that the prediction of variations ammonia oxidation rate in real wastewater treatment system could be more accurate when considering the effect of MLVSS variations on SAOR.     

Occurrence and removal of N-nitrosodimethylamine and its precursors in wastewater treatment plants in and around Shanghai

Six wastewater treatment plants （WWTPs） were investigated to evaluate the occurrence and removal of N-nitrosodimethylamine （NDMA）, NDMA formation potential （FP） and four specific NDMA precursors, dimethylamine （DMA）, trimethylamine （TMA）, dimethyl- formamide （DMFA） and dimethylaminobenzene （DMAB）. DMA and tertiary amines with DMA functional group commonly existed in municipal wastewater. Chemically enhanced primary process （CEPP） had no effect on removal of either NDMA or NDMA FP. In WWTPs with secondary treatment processes, considerable variability was observed in the removal of NDMA （19%-85%） and NDMA FP （16%-76%）, moreover, there was no definite relationship between the removal of NDMA and NDMA FP. DMA was well removed in all the six surveyed WWTPs; its removal efficiency was greater than 97%. For the removal of tertiary amines, biologic treatment processes with nitrification and denitrification had better removal efficiency than conventional activated sludge process. The best removal efficiencies for TMA, DMFA and DMAB were 95%, 68% and 72%, respectively. CEPP could remove 73% of TMA, 23% of DMFA and 36% of DMAB. After UV disinfection, only 17% of NDMA was removed due to low dosage of UV was applied in WWTP. Although chlorination could reduce NDMA precursors, NDMA concentration was actually increased after chlorination.     

Characterization of the genes involved in nitrogen cycling in wastewater treatment plants using DNA microarray and most probable number-PCR

To improve nitrogen removal performance of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), it is essential to understand the behavior of nitrogen cycling communities, which comprise various microorganisms. This study characterized the quantity and diversity of nitrogen cycling genes in various processes of municipal WWTPs by employing two molecular-based methods:most probable number-polymerase chain reaction (MPN-PCR) and DNA microarray. MPN-PCR analysis revealed that gene quantities were not statistically different among processes, suggesting that conventional activated sludge processes (CAS) are similar to nitrogen removal processes in their ability to retain an adequate population of nitrogen cycling microorganisms. Furthermore, most processes in the WWTPs that were researched shared a pattern:the nirS and the bacterial amoA genes were more abundant than the nirK and archaeal amoA genes, respectively. DNA microarray analysis revealed that several kinds of nitrification and denitrification genes were detected in both CAS and anaerobic-oxic processes (AO), whereas limited genes were detected in nitrogen removal processes. Results of this study suggest that CAS maintains a diverse community of nitrogen cycling microorganisms; moreover, the microbial communities in nitrogen removal processes may be specific.

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Composition,dispersion, and health risks of bioaerosols in wastewater treatment plants: A review

• Bioaerosols are produced in the process of wastewater biological treatment. • The concentration of bioaerosol indoor is higher than outdoor. • Bioaerosols contain large amounts of potentially pathogenic biomass and chemicals. • Inhalation is the main route of exposure of bioaerosol. • Both the workers and the surrounding residents will be affected by the bioaerosol. Bioaerosols are defined as airborne particles (0.05–100 mm in size) of biological origin. They are considered potentially harmful to human health as they can contain pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. This review summarizes the most recent research on the health risks of bioaerosols emitted from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in order to improve the control of such bioaerosols. The concentration and size distribution of WWTP bioaerosols; their major emission sources, composition, and health risks; and considerations for future research are discussed. The major themes and findings in the literature are as follows: the major emission sources of WWTP bioaerosols include screen rooms, sludge-dewatering rooms, and aeration tanks; the bioaerosol concentrations in screen and sludge-dewatering rooms are higher than those outdoors. WWTP bioaerosols contain a variety of potentially pathogenic bacteria, fungi, antibiotic resistance genes, viruses, endotoxins, and toxic metal(loid)s. These potentially pathogenic substances spread with the bioaerosols, thereby posing health risks to workers and residents in and around the WWTP. Inhalation has been identified as the main exposure route, and children are at a higher risk of this than adults. Future studies should identify emerging contaminants, establish health risk assessments, and develop prevention and control systems.     

Occurrence,removal, and environmental risks of pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment plants in south China

Pharmaceutically active compounds in wastewater released from human consumption have received considerable attention because of their possible risks for aquatic environments. In this study, the occurrence and removal of 10 pharmaceuticals in three municipal wastewater treatment plants in southern China were investigated and the environmental risks they posed were assessed. Nifedipine, atenolol, metoprolol, valsartan and pravastatin were detected in the influent wastewater. The highest average concentration in the influents was observed for metoprolol (164.6 ng/L), followed by valsartan (120.3 ng/L) in August, while median concentrations were higher in November than in August. The total average daily mass loadings of the pharmaceuticals in the three plants were 289.52 mg/d/person, 430.46 mg/d/person and 368.67 mg/d/person, respectively. Elimination in the treatment plants studied was incomplete, with metoprolol levels increasing during biological treatment. Biological treatment was the most effective step for PhACs removal in all of the plants studied. Moreover, the removal of PhACs was observed with higher efficiencies in August than in November. The WWTP equipped with an Unitank process exhibited similar removals of most PhACs as other WWTPs equipped with an anoxic/oxic (A/O) process or various anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (A²/O) process. The environmental risk assessment concluded that all of the single PhAC in the effluents displayed a low risk (RQ<0.1) to the aquatic environments.

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