Lecture
Investigation of enzymatic post-treatment of ozonation products of micropollutants in wastewater
- 09.04.2024 at 11:00 - 11:30
- ICM Saal 3
- Language: English
- Type: Lecture
Lecture description
Micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals have been detected in water supplies around the world and are of public health concern because these compounds can resist current wastewater treatment methods, potentially bioaccumulate and have adverse effects on (aquatic) organisms. Ozonation is a promising technique for the removal of micropollutants in advanced wastewater treatment [1]. However, it typically does not lead to mineralisation but to the formation of a variety of transformation products. As these products can in some cases be even more harmful than the parent compound, additional post-treatment is required, typically using microorganisms to mitigate residual environmental risks.
The "Enz4Water" research project, funded in the framework of the European Regional Development Fund, investigated the use of laccases for the degradation of micropollutants and the post-treatment of ozonation products, from mechanistic analysis in the laboratory to pilot plant scale. Laccases are enzymes of the oxidoreductase group, which can use atmospheric oxygen to convert aromatic substrates without external energy or co-factors. Acetaminophen, diclofenac and sulfamethoxazole were selected as model compounds for the kinetic analysis of the formation of ozonation products, their enzymatic degradation and the formation of secondary enzymatic transformation products using reversed-phase ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) after solid phase extraction. A. fischeri luminescence was used to monitor ecotoxicity during the treatment. In the ozonation process, maximum ecotoxicity was observed when the parent compound was almost consumed, which coincided with the maximum transformation product concentration. The laccase from Trametes versicolor was able to convert the vast majority of the ozonation products detected, thus reducing the ecotoxic potential. The widely varying degradation kinetics and efficiencies were rationalised by mechanistic analysis, which revealed different reaction pathways for enzymatically generated radicals.
The concept was transferred to the pilot plant scale by immobilising three different fungal laccases on a filter textile. The textile was used to construct a biocatalytic filter capable of treating the effluent of a local wastewater treatment plant with a flow rate of 100 L/h.
Literature:
[1] Y.Lee, U. von Gunten, Environ. Sci. Water Res. Technol., 2016, 2(3), 421.[2] D. Schmiemann et al., Environ. Sci. Pollut. 2023, 30(18), 53128. [3] D. Schmiemann et al., Umweltchem. und Ökotox., 2023, 2, 45.
The "Enz4Water" research project, funded in the framework of the European Regional Development Fund, investigated the use of laccases for the degradation of micropollutants and the post-treatment of ozonation products, from mechanistic analysis in the laboratory to pilot plant scale. Laccases are enzymes of the oxidoreductase group, which can use atmospheric oxygen to convert aromatic substrates without external energy or co-factors. Acetaminophen, diclofenac and sulfamethoxazole were selected as model compounds for the kinetic analysis of the formation of ozonation products, their enzymatic degradation and the formation of secondary enzymatic transformation products using reversed-phase ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) after solid phase extraction. A. fischeri luminescence was used to monitor ecotoxicity during the treatment. In the ozonation process, maximum ecotoxicity was observed when the parent compound was almost consumed, which coincided with the maximum transformation product concentration. The laccase from Trametes versicolor was able to convert the vast majority of the ozonation products detected, thus reducing the ecotoxic potential. The widely varying degradation kinetics and efficiencies were rationalised by mechanistic analysis, which revealed different reaction pathways for enzymatically generated radicals.
The concept was transferred to the pilot plant scale by immobilising three different fungal laccases on a filter textile. The textile was used to construct a biocatalytic filter capable of treating the effluent of a local wastewater treatment plant with a flow rate of 100 L/h.
Literature:
[1] Y.Lee, U. von Gunten, Environ. Sci. Water Res. Technol., 2016, 2(3), 421.[2] D. Schmiemann et al., Environ. Sci. Pollut. 2023, 30(18), 53128. [3] D. Schmiemann et al., Umweltchem. und Ökotox., 2023, 2, 45.
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