UV/Chlorine-BAC treatment of antidepressant drug in drinking water: efficacy, process optimization, and microbiological characterization

Highlights

● Amitriptyline in drinking water can be effectively removed by UV/Chlorine treatment.

● UV/Chlorine can enhance the biodegradability of Amitriptyline.

● UV/Chlorine-BAC can remove Amitriptyline and purify water quality.

● The optimal parameters for UV/Chlorine-BAC operation were determined.

● Microbial communities evolve towards promoting long-term operational benefits.

Abstract

The environmental pollution caused by psychotropic drugs harms human health and has prompted a stronger emphasis on research into water treatment measures. The UV/Chlorine-biological activated carbon (BAC) combined process was employed in this study to treat amitriptyline (AMT), a typical psychotropic drug, in slightly contaminated drinking water. The removal efficiency of AMT in drinking water by UV/Chlorine and the feasibility of combining it with BAC were determined. The results demonstrated that the removal efficiency of 1 μmol/L AMT could reach 98.5% of the 2.0 mg/L chlorine and UV treated for 30 min. A significant removal improvement of AMT was 10%–45% compared to UV alone, Chlorine alone, and other oxidants combined, especially the SOUR (Specific Oxygen Uptake Rate), which was 57%–90% compared to other oxidants combined. Secondly, the optimal process parameters for UV/Chlorine-BAC treatment of slightly contaminated drinking water were a combination of UV exposure, chlorine dosage of 2 mg/L, and reaction times of 15 min followed by 30 min of BAC treatment. The AMT degradation, COD_Mn removal efficiency, and NO₃⁻–N production was 88%, 65%, and 95%, respectively. There was no significant effect on the number of microorganisms in the BAC medium, ensuring good long-term operation. Furthermore, an investigation was conducted to assess the influence of optimal process operation on the microbial community structure within BAC. This analysis unveiled a positive feedback loop in the colony architecture after implementing ideal process parameters. This study provides significant inspiration for addressing residual antidepressant issues using traditional drinking water treatment processes.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

UV/Chlorine-BAC / Amitriptyline removal / Drinking water / Microbial community

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2023YFE0112100).

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-024-1887-1 and is accessible for authorized users.

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