利用下水管网系统净化城市污水的模拟试验

用固定化细胞技术进行了下水管网系统污水净化的模拟试验,比较研究了厌氧、好氧、厌氧缺氧好氧、缺氧好氧４ 种工艺净化污水的效果．结果表明,在管网系统中设置固定化细胞,采用缺氧好氧工艺流程,可使污水中的污染物去除６０％ 以上,出水水质可达国家污水综合排放二级标准．     

缺氧━好氧固定床生物膜系统处理焦化废水的试验研究

采用内填弹性立体填料的缺氧━好氧固定床生物膜系统处理焦化废水，试验效果良好。当总水力停留时间≥３５．２ｈ，ＣＯＤ和ＮＨ＿３─Ｎ的去除率分别这８２％和９６％以上，出水浓度均达到国家排放标准。     

Practical consideration for design and optimization of the step feed process

Based on the anoxic/oxic (A/O) step feed process, a modified University of Cape Town (UCT) step feed process was developed by adding an anaerobic zone and adjusting sludge return pipeline. Performance evaluation of these two types of processes was investigated by optimizing operational parameters, such as the anaerobic/anoxic/oxic volumes, internal recycle ratios, and sludge retention times, for removal of chemical oxygen demanding (COD), nitrogen, and phosphorus. Results showed high removal efficiencies of COD of (85.0±1.7)%, ammonium of (99.7±0.2)%, total nitrogen (TN) of (85.5±1.7)%, phosphorus of (95.1±3.3)%, as well as excellent sludge settleability with average sludge volume index of (83.7±9.5) L·mg^-1 in the modified UCT process. Moreover, (61.5±6.0)% of influent COD was efficiently involved in denitrification or phosphorus release process. As much as 35.3% of TN was eliminated through simultaneous nitrification and denitrification process in aerobic zones. In addition, the presence of denitrifying phosphorus accumulating organisms (DNPAOs), accounting for approximately 39.2% of PAOs, was also greatly beneficial to the nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Consequently, the modified UCT step feed process was more attractive for the wastewater treatment plant, because it had extremely competitive advantages such as higher nutrient removal efficiencies, lower energy and dosages consumption, excellent settling sludge and operational assurance.     

蛋白质在城市污水活性污泥处理系统中的降解动力学模型研究

研究了蛋白质在厌氧-缺氧-好氧城市污水处理系统中吸附和降解的特性,分别确定了蛋白质在厌氧、缺氧和好氧条件下的吸附等温线模型,建立了蛋白质在厌氧、缺氧和好氧状态下的降解动力学模型,并对模型预测结果进行了验证分析,结果表明,Freundlich模型可以较好地描述蛋白质在厌氧、缺氧和好氧污泥卜的吸附过程,牛血清白蛋白水解成氨基酸是其生物降解过程的控速步骤,序批式动力学降解试验还表明,厌氧降解速率系数K厌、缺氧降解速率系数k缺与好氧降解速率常数的比值分别为0.40和0.98,说明在同一活性污泥系统的厌氧和缺氧条件下,蛋白质也能被较好地降解,模型得到的各池混合液出水中蛋白质的浓度模拟结果与实测结果相一致(相对误差＜10%).无论在厌氧、缺氧还是好氧环境中,酸溶蛋白质没有积累.     

Biological removal of selenate in saline wastewater by activated sludge under alternating anoxic/oxic conditions

Removal of selenate in saline wastewater by activated sludge was examined. Sequencing batch reactor was operated under alternating anoxic/oxic conditions. Above 97% removal of soluble selenium (Se) was achieved continuously. Major Se removal mechanism varied depending on the length of aeration period. Various Se-reducing bacteria likely contributed to coordinately to Se removal. Selenium (Se)-containing industrial wastewater is often coupled with notable salinity. However, limited studies have examined biological treatment of Se-containing wastewater under high salinity conditions. In this study, a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) inoculated with activated sludge was applied to treat selenate in synthetic saline wastewater (3% w/v NaCl) supplemented with lactate as the carbon source. Start-up of the SBR was performed with addition of 1–5 mM of selenate under oxygen-limiting conditions, which succeeded in removing more than 99% of the soluble Se. Then, the treatment of 1 mM Se with cycle duration of 3 days was carried out under alternating anoxic/oxic conditions by adding aeration period after oxygen-limiting period. Although the SBR maintained soluble Se removal of above 97%, considerable amount of solid Se remained in the effluent as suspended solids and total Se removal fluctuated between about 40 and 80%. Surprisingly, the mass balance calculation found a considerable decrease of Se accumulated in the SBR when the aeration period was prolonged to 7 h, indicating very efficient Se biovolatilization. Furthermore, microbial community analysis suggested that various Se-reducing bacteria coordinately contributed to the removal of Se in the SBR and main contributors varied depending on the operational conditions. This study will offer implications for practical biological treatment of selenium in saline wastewater.     

Occurrence and removal of selected polycyclic musks in two sewage treatment plants in Xi’an, China

Polycyclic musks are widely used for cosmetics and other personal care and household cleaning products. The occurrence and removal of two representative polycyclic musks, galaxolide (HHCB) and tonalide (AHTN) were investigated in three different processes of two sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Xi’an, China. The samples were preconcentrated by solid phase extraction procedure and analyzed using a gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) by a modified procedure. The HHCB was in the range of 82.8 to 182.5 ng·L^-1 in the influents and 22.6 to 103.9 ng·L^-1 in the effluents. The AHTN ranged from 11.0 to 19.3 ng·L^-1 in the influents and 2.2 to 8.8 ng·L^-1 in the effluents. The removal efficiency of the two musks varied in the ranges of 43.1%–70.4% for HHCB and 54.2%–84.4% for AHTN. Concentrations of the two musks in aqueous phase of three processes slightly increased along the primary process, and significantly removed during the biologic treatment processes, revealing that the selected musks could be remarkably removed in varied activated sludge processes. Advanced processes of activated sludge did not show a significant superiority on selected musk removal compared to the conventional process. The selected musk removal mainly resulted from the adsorption function of activated sludge. There was no significant change of HHCB/AHTN ratios along the treatment flow, indicating that each sewage treatment structure had a similar removal efficiency for the two musks.     

Effectiveness of tertiary treatment processes in removing different classes of emerging contaminants from domestic wastewater

● Different advanced treatment processes were tested for ECs removal from wastewater. ● UV radiation showed low to moderate removal for 5 of the 38 micropollutants. ● Among tested membrane processes, nanofiltration showed the better performance. ● The use of PAC achieved high or partially removal for 31 out of the 38 compounds. ● The environmental and economical evaluation of a pilot-scale PAC unit is suggested. In this work, 38 different organic emerging contaminants (ECs), belonging to various chemical classes such as pharmaceuticals (PhCs), endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), benzotriazoles (BTRs), benzothiazoles (BTHs), and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), were initially identified and quantified in the biologically treated wastewater collected from Athens’ (Greece) Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). Processes already used in existing STPs such as microfiltration (MF), nanofiltration (NF), ultrafiltration (UF), UV radiation, and powdered activated carbon (PAC) were assessed for ECs’ removal, under the conditions that represent their actual application for disinfection or advanced wastewater treatment. The results indicated that MF removed only one out of the 38 ECs and hence it was selected as pretreatment step for the other processes. UV radiation in the studied conditions showed low to moderate removal for 5 out of the 38 ECs. NF showed better results than UF due to the smaller pore sizes of the filtration system. However, this enhancement was observed mainly for 8 compounds originating from the classes of PhCs and PFCs, while the removal of EDCs was not statistically significant. Among the various studied technologies, PAC stands out due to its capability to sufficiently remove most ECs. In particular, removal rates higher than 70% were observed for 9 compounds, 22 were partially removed, while 7 demonstrated low removal rates. Based on our screening experiments, future research should focus on scaling-up PAC in actual conditions, combining PAC with other processes, and conduct a complete economic and environmental assessment of the treatment.     

On-line controlling system for nitrogen and phosphorus removal of municipal wastewater in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR)

The objectives of this study were to establish an on-line controlling system for nitrogen and phosphorus removal synchronously of municipal wastewater in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The SBR for municipal wastewater treatment was operated in sequences: filling, anaerobic, oxic, anoxic, oxic, settling and discharge. The reactor was equipped with on-line monitoring sensors for dissolved oxygen (DO), oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and pH. The variation of DO, ORP and pH is relevant to each phase of biological process for nitrogen and phosphorus removal in this SBR. The characteristic points of DO, ORP and pH can be used to judge and control the stages of process that include: phosphate release by the turning points of ORP and pH; nitrification by the ammonia valley of pH and ammonia elbows of DO and ORP; denitrification by the nitrate knee of ORP and nitrate apex of pH; phosphate uptake by the turning point of pH; and residual organic carbon oxidation by the carbon elbows of DO and ORP. The controlling system can operate automatically for nitrogen and phosphorus efficiently removal.     

Effects of Al3+ on pollutant removal and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) under anaerobic,anoxic and oxic conditions

The highest removal efficiencies of COD and TN were achieved under 10 mg/L of Al³⁺. The highest TP removal efficiency occurred under 30 mg/L of Al³⁺. EPS, PS and PN concentrations increased with the addition of Al³⁺. Sludge properties significantly changed with the addition of Al³⁺. Aluminum ions produced by aluminum mining, electrolytic industry and aluminum-based coagulants can enter wastewater treatment plants and interact with activated sludge. They can subsequently contribute to the removal of suspended solids and affect activated sludge flocculation, as well as nitrogen and phosphorus removal. In this study, the effects of Al³⁺ on pollutant removal, sludge flocculation and the composition and structure of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were investigated under anaerobic, anoxic and oxic conditions. Results demonstrated that the highest chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiencies were detected for an Al³⁺ concentration of 10 mg/L. In addition, the maximal dehydrogenase activity and sludge flocculation were also observed at this level of Al³⁺. The highest removal efficiency of total phosphorus (TP) was achieved at an Al³⁺ concentration of 30 mg/L. The flocculability of sludge in the anoxic zone was consistently higher than that in the anaerobic and oxic zones. The addition of Al³⁺ promoted the secretion of EPS. Tryptophan-like fluorescence peaks were detected in each EPS layer in the absence of Al³⁺. At the Al³⁺ concentration of 10 mg/L, fulvic acid and tryptophan fluorescence peaks began to appear, while the majority of protein species and the highest microbial activity were also detected. Low Al³⁺ concentrations (<10 mg/L) could promote the removal efficiencies of COD and TN, yet excessive Al³⁺ levels (>10 mg/L) weakened microbial activity. Higher Al³⁺ concentrations (>30 mg/L) also inhibited the release of phosphorus in the anaerobic zone by reacting with PO₄^3-.     

Fate and risk assessment of emerging contaminants in reclaimed water production processes

• PPCPs had the highest removal efficiency in A²O combined with MBR process (86.8%). • ARGs and OPFRs were challenging to remove (6.50% and 31.0%, respectively). • Octocrylene and tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate posed high risks to aquatic organisms. • Meta-analysis was used to compare the ECs removal in wastewater treatment. • Membrane treatment technology is the most promising treatment for ECs removal. Reclaimed water has been widely applied in irrigation and industrial production. Revealing the behavior of emerging contaminants in the production process of reclaimed water is the first prerequisite for developing relevant water quality standards. This study investigated 43 emerging contaminants, including 22 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), 11 organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs), and 10 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in 3 reclaimed wastewater treatment plants (RWTPs) in Beijing. The composition profiles and removal efficiencies of these contaminants in RWTPs were determined. The results indicated that the distribution characteristics of the different types of contaminants in the three RWTPs were similar. Caffeine, sul2 and tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate were the dominant substances in the wastewater, and their highest concentrations were 27104 ng/L, 1.4 × 10⁷ copies/mL and 262 ng/L, respectively. Ofloxacin and sul2 were observed to be the dominant substances in the sludge, and their highest concentrations were 5419 ng/g and 3.7 × 10⁸ copies/g, respectively. Anaerobic/anoxic/oxic system combined with the membrane bioreactor process achieved a relatively high aqueous removal of PPCPs (87%). ARGs and OPFRs were challenging to remove, with average removal rates of 6.5% and 31%, respectively. Quantitative meta-analysis indicated that tertiary treatment processes performed better in emerging contaminant removal than secondary processes. Diethyltoluamide exhibited the highest mass load discharge, with 33.5 mg/d per 1000 inhabitants. Octocrylene and tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate posed high risks (risk quotient>1.0) to aquatic organisms. This study provides essential evidence to screen high priority pollutants and develop corresponding standard in RWTPs.     

Degradation of pharmaceuticals by ultrasound-based advanced oxidation process

Water pollution by pharmaceutically active compounds is an emerging issue. Toxicological studies reveal that pharmaceuticals are indeed toxic for living organisms. The lack of suitable treatment technology for the complete removal of pharmaceuticals is therefore a major challenge. Advanced oxidation processes are emerging removal techniques that have many advantages versus conventional technologies. Many studies indicate that advanced oxidation processes, either in single or in combination with other degradation techniques, can enhance the degradation of pharmaceuticals in aqueous solutions. Here, we review the degradation of pharmaceuticals by sonolysis, an oxidation processes using ultrasound. In this technique, hydroxyl radicals are generated by pyrolytic cleavage of water molecules. We review the influence of operational parameters, additives and hybrid techniques on the degradation of pharmaceuticals. The maximum degradation of organic compounds was observed in the frequency range of 100–1000 kHz, which is in the high-frequency medium-power ultrasound. Even though almost all the experiments presented more than 90 % removal and good biodegradability of the target compound, good mineralization and the toxicity removal were hardly achieved. The efficiency of the degradation varies with water matrixes and varying pH. Major pathways of degradation are hydroxylation, dehalogenation, demethylation, decarboxylation, deamination, etc. More hybrid techniques have to be developed to scale up the application of ultrasound.     

人工快速渗滤法处理小城镇污水的模拟试验研究

小城镇污水既是水资源的主要污染源,同时也是可利用水资源的重要组成部分,高效率、低成本的小城镇污水处理技术是农业生态安全和工程节水的急需。研究采用人工快速渗滤方法处理小城镇污水,在湿干比一定（湿干比1∶3）的条件下设3种填料比[V（土）∶V（砂）=1∶1、2∶1和3∶1）和3种不同水力负荷周期[短周期（0.5 d进水,1.5 d落干）、中周期（1 d进水,3 d落干）和长周期（3 d进水,9 d落干）]进行交叉试验。跟踪测定处理后水中COD、总磷、凯氏氮和铵氮的去除率。结果表明,系统的COD和总磷去除效果较好,最高去除率分别达到73.19%和54.86%。COD的去除受水力负荷周期影响较大,在长水力负荷周期条件下去除效率高,总磷的去除受水力负荷周期的影响小。系统对凯氏氮和铵氮的去除效率偏低,两者的最高去除率分别为46.67%和40.67%,均在长周期条件下取得。     

Occurrence and fate of antibiotics in advanced wastewater treatment facilities and receiving rivers in Beijing,China

The occurrence and removal of 13 antibiotics were investigated in five wastewater treatment plants （WWTPs） with advanced wastewater treatment processes in Beijing, China. Most of the target antibiotics were detected in the secondary and tertiary effluents, with the concentrations of 4.8-1106.0 and 0.3-505.0ng·L^-1. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics showed relatively high concentrations in all samples （782-1814ng·L^-1）. Different tertiary treatment processes showed discrepant antibiotics removal performances. Ozonation process was found more effective in removing target antibiotics compared to the coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation process and sand filtration process. Investigation of the target antibiotics in three typical urban rivers in Beijing was carried out to understand antibiotics occurrence in surface water environment. Eight antibiotics were detected in the studied rivers, with highest concentration of antibiotics in the fiver which was mainly replenished by reclaimed water. This study showed the necessity of employing more effective advanced treatment facilities to further reduce the discharge amount of antibiotics.     

北方某市城区水环境中轮状病毒的初步检测

轮状病毒(Rotavirus,RV)是引起全世界婴幼儿肠胃炎的最主要病原体.在我国,儿童秋季腹泻发病达到高峰,也主要由轮状病毒引起.论文改进了RT-nested-PCR检测水中轮状病毒的方法,于2006年10月对北方某市城区水环境(包括污水、地表水和饮用水)中的轮状病毒进行了初步检测.结果表明,该市某污水厂进水和不同工艺段出水、主要公园的景观水体、主要自来水厂进水和出水以及城区管网水,均检出轮状病毒.综合分析从水源到管网的过程,认为管网水中的轮状病毒可能与水源水污染有关.管网水中有轮状病毒检出,说明秋季该市饮用水中存在潜在的轮状病毒传染源.同期对管网水进行的细菌学指标检测,没有发现总大肠菌群、耐热大肠菌群、粪链球菌,可见目前城市供水水质标准中的细菌学指标并不能准确反映病毒污染状况.     

Worm burrows and oxic microniches in marine sediments. 1. Spatial and temporal scales

The upper 2 to 10 cm of shallow-water sediments may represent a mosaic of oxic and anoxic microhabitats. In the studied sediments the volume fraction of patches of oxic sediments decreased with depth from around 0.2 in the upper centimetres to zero at 5 to 10 cm depth. The mean volume fraction of oxic microhabitats beneath a unit surface and down to 5–8 cm depth ranged between 0.06 and 0.16. The mean distance between such neighbouring oxic microniches was several millimetres in the upper centimetres of the sediment. The oxic microniches are caused by sinall (diameter: 0.5 to 2 mm), inhabited worm burrows which have not previously drawn attention in bioturbation studies. An implication is that anaerobic and aerobic microbial processes take place at identical depths. In such sediments the apparent vertical zonation of microbial processes and of microbial biota over a scale of several centimetres reflects the diminishing fraction of oxic habitats with depth rather than an idealised vertical redox sequence (such as found over a few millimetres in microbial mats which develop in the absence of bioturbation).     

Simultaneous denitrifying phosphorus accumulation in a sequencing batch reactor

In order to achieve simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal in the biological treatment process, denitrifying phosphorus accumulation (DNPA) and its affecting factors were studied in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with synthetic wastewater. The results showed that when acetate was used as the sole carbon resource in the influent, the sludge acclimatized under anaerobic/aerobic operation had good phosphorus removal ability. Denitrifying phosphorus accumulation was observed soon when fed with nitrate instead of aeration following the anaerobic stage, which is a vital premise to DNPA. If DNPA sludge is fed with nitrate prior to the anaerobic stage, the DNPA would weaken or even disappear. At the high concentration of nitrate fed in the anoxic stage, the longer anoxic time needed, the better the DNPA was. Induced DNPA did not disappear even though an aerobic stage followed the anoxic stage, but the shorter the aerobic stage lasted, the higher the proportions of phosphorus removal via DNPA to total removal.     

Fate and removal of typical pharmaceutical and personal care products in a wastewater treatment plant from Beijing: a mass balance study

The fate and removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has received great attention during the last decade. Numerous data concerning concentrations in the water phase can be found in the literature, however corresponding data from sludge as well as associated mass balance calculations are very limited. In the present study, the adsorbed and dissolved concentrations of 9 PPCPs were investigated in each unit of a WWTP in Beijing, China. Based on the calculation of mass balance, the relative mass distribution and removal efficiency of each target compound was obtained at each process. The amount of PPCPs entering into the WWTP ranged from 12 g·d^–1 to 3848 g·d^–1. Five target compounds (caffeine, chloramphenicol, bezafibrate, clofibric acid, and N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) were effectively removed, with rates of 57%–100%. Negative removal efficiencies were obtained for sulpiride, metoprolol, nalidixic acid, and carbamazepine, ranging from -19% to -79%. PPCPs mainly existed in dissolved form (≥92%) in both the raw influent and the final effluent. The sludge cake carried a much lower amount of PPCPs (17 g·d^–1) compared with the discharged effluent (402 g·d^–1). In A²/O treatment tanks, the anaerobic and anoxic tanks showed good performance for PPCPs removal, and the amount of adsorbed PPCPs was increased. The results reveal that both the dissolved and the adsorbed phases should be considered when assessing the removal capacity of each A²/O tank.     

Pollution of NPEOs in four municipal sewage treatment plants in the north of China

The concentration and distribution of nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NPEOs represents the mixture, and NPnEO represents the monomer) and its metabolites in the influent and effluent of four municipal sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the north of China were measured. Moreover, the concentration and distribution of the above chemicals in the sludge of two STPs were also determined, and the transfer and fate of NPEOs in the sewage treatment process were discussed primarily by analyzing the distribution of the products in the effluent and the sludge. The results showed that NPEOs and its metabolites existed in all the samples of the influent, effluent, and sludge. NPEOs were degraded in the sewage treatment process with the removal efficiency in the range of 23.38%–77.11%, or an average of 52.86%. However, the large analogs of NPnEO were only degraded to small ones, whose degradation rate was rather slow, and consequently the degradation was not complete. Hence, the concentrations of some small metabolites, such as nonylphenol (NP), nonylphenol monoethoxylate (NP1EO), and nonylphenol diethoxylate (NP2EO) were elevated in the effluent. These small metabolites are more toxic than the large NPnEO analogs, and some of them were reported to exhibit environmental endocrine disrupting activity. From this point of view, the process of sewage treatment does not reduce but elevate the risk of NPEOs, which becomes the main source of these small NPnEO in the environment. The sludge exhibited good adsorption ability for NPEOs, especially for the small analogs, which led to the high level of NPEOs in the sludge. Hence, reasonable disposal of the surplus sludge to avoid re-pollution is very important.     

Distribution and removal of antibiotic resistance genes during anaerobic sludge digestion with alkaline,thermal hydrolysis and ultrasonic pretreatments

Sludge digestion is critical to control the spread of ARGs from wastewater to soil. Fate of ARGs in three pretreatment-AD processes was investigated. UP was more efficient for ARGs removal than AP and THP in pretreatment-AD process. The total ARGs concentration showed significant correlation with 16S rRNA gene. The bacteria carrying ARGs could be mainly affiliated with Proteobacteria. Sewage sludge in the wastewater treatment plants contains considerable amount of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). A few studies have reported that anaerobic digestion (AD) could successfully remove some ARGs from sewage sludge, but information on the fate of ARGs in sludge pretreatment-AD process is still very limited. In this study, three sludge pretreatment methods, including alkaline, thermal hydrolysis and ultrasonic pretreatments, were compared to investigate the distribution and removal of ARGs in the sludge pretreatment-AD process. Results showed that the ARGs removal efficiency of AD itself was approximately 50.77%, and if these three sludge pretreatments were applied, the total ARGs removal efficiency of the whole pretreatment-AD process could be improved up to 52.50%–75.07%. The ultrasonic pretreatment was more efficient than alkaline and thermal hydrolysis pretreatments. Although thermal hydrolysis reduced ARGs obviously, the total ARGs rebounded considerably after inoculation and were only removed slightly in the subsequent AD process. Furthermore, it was found that the total ARGs concentration significantly correlated with the amount of 16S rRNA gene during the pretreatment and AD processes, and the bacteria carrying ARGs could be mainly affiliated with Proteobacteria.     

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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