Removal of organic micropollutants in the biological units of a Swedish wastewater treatment plant

Paper in proceeding, 2021

The present study investigates the presence and removal of target organic micropollutants in a large Swedish wastewater treatment plant designed for nutrient removal including activated sludge, trickling filters, nitrifying moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) and post-denitrifying MBBRs. A total of 28 organic micropollutants were analysed, at concentrations ranging from few ng/L to µg/L, in the influent and effluent of the different biological reactors in two sampling campaigns. The observed micropollutant removal efficiencies of the wastewater treatment plant varied from insignificant (< 20%) to high (> 90%) between compounds. The activated sludge reactor, being the first in line, contributed to most of the removal from the water phase. Additional removal of a few compounds was observed in the biofilm units, but most of the persistent compounds remained stable through all biological treatments.