Occurrence and Removal of Priority Substances and Contaminants of Emerging Concern at the WWTP of Benidorm (Spain)

This work is part of the European research project LIFE15 ENV/ES/00598 whose objective was to develop an efficient and sustainable methodology eliminate Priority Substances (PS) Contaminants Emerging Concern (CEC), in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP). The aim achieve reduce concentration PSs until their below quality limit established DIRECTIVE 2013/39/EU, reductions 99% initial for selected CECs. plant experimentation Benidorm WWTP (Spain). publication studied appearance elimination, conventional treatment this plant, 12 priority substances (EU) 16 emerging pollutants (5 them included EU watch lists) during a year experimentation. analytical methods choice were High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled Mass Spectrometer (HPLC-MS/MS) Gas (GC-MS/MS). Results showed that atrazine, brominated diphenyl ether, isoproturon, octylphenol, pentachlorobenzene, simazine, terbutryn, tributyltin, trifluralin, CECs 17-?-ethinylestradiol, 17-?-estradiol, imazalil, orthophenylphenol, tertbutylazine, thiabendazole, not detected. micropollutants with highest a-verage percentages removal (>90%) are: chloramphenicol (100%), estriol (100%) ibuprofen (99%). Partially removed ketoprofen (79%), chlorpyrifos (78%), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate estrone (76%), sulfamethoxazole (68%), fluoxetine (53%). compounds lowest average percentage (<50%) are diclofenac (30%), erythromycin (1%), diuron (0%) carbamazepine (0%). For chlorpyrifos, diclofenac, erythromycin, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, fluoxetine, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, complementary treatments will be necessary case there need concentrations effluent certain standard. presence different samples regular. Some presented continuously, such as carbamazepine; however, others sporadically associated seasonal variations or related remarkable periods time, sulfamethoxazole.