Removal of Selected Micropollutants During Conventional and Advanced Water Treatment Processes

Abstract

Micropollutants such as caffeine, carbamazepine, metoprolol (MTP), and sulfamethoxazole (SMZ), which are frequently detected in aquatic environments, were selected, and their removal and persistence using classical water treatment processes (coagulation, adsorption, and chlorination), and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) (ozonation, UV photolysis, UV/H2O2, and UV/chlorine) were examined using liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). While SMZ was most effectively removed, MTP showed the lowest removal efficiency in all applied water treatments. During coagulation and adsorption processes, SMZ was effectively removed by electrostatic interaction. Chlorination was not effective for removal of the selected micropollutants. Among AOPs, UV/chlorine reaction showed the most effective removal (90-100%) for selected micropollutants, including MTP. Considering its persistence, MTP was proposed as an indicator micropollutant during water treatment.