Duduku Saidulu, Bramha Gupta, Ashok Kumar Gupta, Partha Sarathi Ghosal,

A review on occurrences, eco-toxic effects, and remediation of emerging

contaminants from wastewater: Special emphasis on biological treatment based hybrid
systems,
Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering,
Volume 9, Issue 4,
2021,
105282,
ISSN 2213-3437,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2021.105282.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213343721002591)
Abstract: The ubiquitous presence of emerging contaminants (ECs), such as
pharmaceutically active compounds, personal care products, pesticides, endocrine-
disrupting chemicals, etc., in the aquatic environment and their harmful impacts on
the biosphere, is a global concern. Subsequently, removal of these persistent and
eco-toxic compounds from wastewater is also a significant thrust area in
environmental management. This paper presents an overview of genesis, pathways, and
eco-toxicological effects of various ECs, and their management practices as well.
The presence of many of these pernicious compounds in different regions across the
globe is observed with a concentration exceeding the predicted no-effect
concentration and calculated drinking water equivalent limit. Given the limitations
of the conventional biological system concerning the recalcitrant and biocide
nature of many of the ECs, the advanced biological system coupled with physical and
chemical processes is emerging as the promising treatment option. Here, the
performance analysis of several biological processes as well as the integrated
treatment systems are extensively conducted highlighting their design and
operational parameters, removal mechanisms, and criticality in hybridization
techniques targeting the enhanced ECs removal. Among them, a combination of
biological-chemical systems has shown better performance for the removal of ECs
even achieving a complete removal in field scale systems. The present review
catalyzes the research and its application in the real-life scenario for the
treatment and management of ECs and brings forth a pragmatic solution to the
policymakers and water engineers.
Keywords: Emerging contaminants; Eco-toxicological effects; Drinking water
equivalent limit; Biological techniques; Hybrid systems