Sustainable management and treatment technologies for micro-pollutants in wastewater

Micro-pollutants (MPs) are of great concern to public health and the environment because they present as microconcentrations and can accumulate in humans via the food chain and drinking water. Long-term exposure to MPs can result in high-risk health problems such as endocrine disruption and cancer. To cope with this issue, treatment technologies have been developed and applied to wastewater treatment plants to remove MPs. These technologies are diverse, for example, physical, chemical, and biological, such as membrane, advanced oxidation, anaerobic, activated sludge, and adsorption processes. They demonstrate certain efficiencies in removing MPs in both aqueous and solid phases. Another rising concern of MPs relates to metabolites because they can be more toxic than the parent compounds. Understanding the transformation mechanism of MPs and their metabolites is still challenging. Therefore, in addition to treatment technologies, management policies are also a sustainable strategy for alleviating the impact of MPs. Establishing discharge standards and life cycle and health risk assessment for MPs requires integrated MP treatment and management; however, these are time-consuming and methodical procedures. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.