Removal of pharmaceuticals in aerated biofilters with manganese feeding.

A tertiary treatment step is required in current wastewater treatment plants to remove trace pollutants and thus to prevent their extensive occurrence in the aquatic environment. In this study, natural MnOx ore and natural zeolite were separately used to pack two lab-scale aerated biofilters, which were operated in approximately 1.5 years for the removal of frequently occurring pharmaceuticals, including carbamazepine (CBZ), diclofenac (DFC), and sulfamethoxazole (SMX), out of synthetic and real secondary effluents. Mn(2+) was added in the feeds to promote the growth of iron/manganese oxidizing bacteria which were recently found to be capable of degrading recalcitrant pollutants. An effective removal (80-90%) of DFC and SMX was observed in both biofilters after adaptation while a significant removal of CBZ was not found. Both biofilters also achieved an effective removal of spiked Mn(2+), but a limited removal of carbon and nitrogen contents. Additionally, MnOx biofilter removed 50% of UV254 from real secondary effluent, indicating a high potential on the removal of aromatic compounds.