Linear and Non-Linear Models to Predict Removal Efficiencies of Compounds of Emerging Concern (CECs) During Wastewater Treatment

Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) and personal care products (PCPs), are a substantial subset of emerging contaminants recently named as contaminant of emerging concern (CEC) that have been detected at trace concentrations in municipal wastewater effluents, groundwater and drinking water. CECs have already been detected at concentrations capable of inducing fish feminization and sexual development defects (known as “intersex”). Even though these compounds are not regulated, they have captured the public's attention, and as a result there is intense interest in preventing their release to surface waters, groundwaters and public water supplies. Investigating and collecting data on the fate and removal rates of these constituents during treatment processes is an important step to understand if these constituents exist at levels that are a concern to human health and warrant regulation as MCLs. Investigating removal efficiencies of these compounds during wastewater treatment is also an important step to understand capabilities of the conventional wastewater treatment processes and what additional treatment needs to be provided to reduce these compounds. Although removal efficiencies of the CECs during wastewater treatment are complex and not widely studied, a substantial body of drinking water research indicates that removal efficiencies highly depend on physical and chemical properties of CECs. In this study, using literature findings, simple linear (one variable), multi variable linear and non-linear models are developed to establish CECs removal as function of operating parameters and physical-chemical properties of the compounds. This paper summarizes study findings.