Assessment of zooplankton-based eco-sustainable wastewater treatment at laboratory scale

The combination of the filtration capacity of zooplankton (e.g. Daphnia) with the nutrient removal capacity of bacterial/algal biofilm in a zooplankton-containing reactor could provide a natural-based alternative for wastewater treatment. A laboratory-scale zooplankton-based reactor was tested at di...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Pous Rodríguez, Narcís, Hidalgo Muñoz, Manuela, Serra Putellas, Teresa, Colomer, Jordi, Colprim Galceran, Jesús, Salvadó Martín, Victòria
Format: article
Status:Versión aceptada para publicación
Publication Date:2020
Country:España
Institution:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repository:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:10256/18717
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10256/18717
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Daphnia
Aigües residuals -- Depuració -- Eliminació de compostos orgànics
Sewage -- Purification -- Organic compounds removal
Aigües residuals -- Depuració -- Tractament biològic
Sewage -- Purification -- Biological treatment
Bioremediació
Bioremediation
Description
Summary:The combination of the filtration capacity of zooplankton (e.g. Daphnia) with the nutrient removal capacity of bacterial/algal biofilm in a zooplankton-containing reactor could provide a natural-based alternative for wastewater treatment. A laboratory-scale zooplankton-based reactor was tested at different HRTs resulting in a significant reduction in nutrient concentrations in wastewater when the system was operated at HRTs longer than 1.1 days (preferably of between 2 and 4 days). However, the presence of high concentrations of organic matter (>250 mg COD L−1) in the wastewater inhibited zooplankton activity, limiting its use to tertiary treatment. Therefore, in combination with other natural treatments that can perform primary and secondary treatments, zooplankton may provide a solution for wastewater clarification and nutrient polishing. The effect of a common metal such as copper on the filtration capacity of Daphnia was also evaluated. Daphnia, as well as the whole zooplankton-based reactor, adapted to copper concentrations of up to 70 μg Cu L−1 but an overload of 380 μg Cu L−1 for two-weeks severely affected the biological system