Tratamiento de aguas residuales para la eliminación de microcontaminantes emergentes

Abstract

Emerging pollutants are compounds produced mainly by municipal wastewater. The presence of these contaminants in the environment, despite not being significant in terms of concentration, does represent a potential health risk. It is known that they can interfere with the endocrine system and it is also suspected that they may have an incidence in other conditions such as cancer, neurological development problems, among others. Emerging contaminants can be classified into two main groups, which are Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products (PPCP) and Endocrine Disruptors Chemicals (EDC). Conventional systems for wastewater treatment have been found to be ineffective in removing most emerging pollutants, so advanced treatments are necessary to reduce their concentration in wastewater effluents. In this context, a large number of investigations have been developed to evaluate the efficiency of different physical, chemical, and biological treatment techniques. Processes such as advanced oxidation (photocatalysis, ozonation, and fenton), ultrafiltration and nanofiltration, osmosis, adsorption, and other biological degradation treatments have shown promising results. This article presents a review of existing research in advanced wastewater treatment for the removal of emerging pollutants and their results and possible application are discussed.