The continuous release of emerging contaminants (ECs) in the aquatic environment, as a result of the inadequate removal by conventional treatment methods, has prompted research to explore viable solutions to this rising global problem. One promising alternative is the use of electrochemical processes since they represent a simple and highly efficient technology with less footprint. In this paper, the feasibility of treating ECs (i.e., pharmaceuticals) using an intermittent electrocoagulation process, a known electrochemical technology, has been investigated. Diclofenac (DCF), carbamazepine (CBZ) and amoxicillin (AMX) were chosen as being representative of highly consumed drugs that are frequently detected in our water resources and were added in synthetic municipal wastewater. The removal efficiencies of both individual and combined pharmaceuticals were determined under different experimental conditions: hydraulic retention time (HRT) (6, 19 and 38 h), initial concentration (0.01, 4 and 10 mg/L) and intermittent application (5 min ON/20 min OFF) of current density (0.5, 1.15 and 1.8 mA/cm2). Results have shown that these parameters have significant effects on pharmaceutical degradation. Maximum removals (DCF = 90%, CBZ = 70% and AMX = 77%) were obtained at a current density of 0.5 mA/cm2, an initial concentration of 10 mg/L and HRT of 38 h.

The increasing application of membrane filtration in water and wastewater treatment necessitates techniques to improve performance, especially in fouling control. Ultrasound is one promising technology for this purpose as cavitational effects facilitate continuous cleaning of the membrane. This research studied ultrafiltration of lake water in systems with constant permeate flux under medium frequency (45 kHz) ultrasound irradiation. Fouling was investigated by monitoring transmembrane pressure (TMP) using continuous or intermittent ultrasound irradiation and dead-end or crossflow operation. Best performance was observed with continuous ultrasound irradiation in crossflow mode. Intermittent irradiation reduced the rate of TMP build-up but nevertheless allowed irreversible fouling to develop.

High operational cost due to membrane fouling propensity remains a major drawback for the widespread application of membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology. As a result, studies on membrane fouling mitigation through the application of integrated processes have been widely explored. In this work, the combined application of electrochemical processes and moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) technology within an MBR at laboratory scale was performed by applying an intermittent voltage of 3 V/cm to a reactor filled with 30% carriers. The treatment efficiency of the electro moving bed membrane bioreactor (eMB-MBR) technology in terms of ammonium nitrogen (NH₄-N) and orthophosphate (PO₄-P) removal significantly improved from 49.8% and 76.7% in the moving bed membrane bioreactor (MB-MBR) control system to 55% and 98.7% in the eMB-MBR, respectively. Additionally, concentrations of known fouling precursors and membrane fouling rate were noticeably lower in the eMB-MBR system as compared to the control system. Hence, this study successfully demonstrated an innovative and effective technology (i.e., eMB-MBR) to improve MBR performance in terms of both conventional contaminant removal and fouling mitigation.

Real-time monitoring of energetic-environmental parameters in wastewater treatment plants enables big-data analysis for a true representation of the operating condition of a system, being still frequently mismanaged through policies based on the analysis of static data (energy billing, periodic chemical–physical analysis of wastewater). Here we discuss the results of monitoring activities based on both offline (“static”) data on the main process variables, and on-line (“dynamic”) data collected through a monitoring system for energetic-environmental parameters (dissolved oxygen, wastewater pH and temperature, TSS intake and output). Static-data analysis relied on a description model that employed statistical normalization techniques (KPIs, operational indicators). Dynamic data were statistically processed to explore possible correlations between energetic-environmental parameters, establishing comparisons with static data. Overall, the system efficiently fulfilled its functions, although it was undersized compared to the organic and hydraulic load it received. From the dynamic-data analysis, no correlation emerged between energy usage of the facility and dissolved oxygen content of the wastewater, whereas the TSS removal efficiency determined through static measurements was found to be underestimated. Finally, using probes allowed to characterize the pattern of pH and temperature values of the wastewater, which represent valuable physiological data for innovative and sustainable resource recovery technologies involving microorganisms.