Periodic Reporting for period 2 - RADIOFREPOLIS (An Innovative and Energy-Efficient Radio Frequency Pretreatment on Emerging Micropollutants and Transformation Products in Anaerobic Sludge Digestion for Waste Reuse)
Reporting period: 2021-08-01 to 2022-07-31
Many authorities continuously strive to reduce excess sludge production, and the operational costs of sludge treatment and disposal in wastewater treatment facilities by environmentally friendly approaches. As a part of resource recovery within the circular economy framework, the land application of stabilized wastewater sludge (as biosolids) is considered a sustainable and low-cost sludge disposal option. Prior to the beneficial reuse of biosolids, anaerobic digestion has been recognized as a well-known and preferred technology worldwide for sludge stabilization and renewable energy production. However, releasing emerging micropollutants into the environment via land application or disposal of biosolids creates potential ecological and human health risks. These contaminants may only be partially eliminated, and transformed into their transformation products (or metabolites) during wastewater and sludge treatment processes. For this reason, wastewater sludge is considered as an endpoint for many emerging micropollutants and their possible transformation products due to their limited biodegradability and physiochemical characteristics. Of a broad range of emerging micropollutants, pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) have been frequently detected in wastewater sludge at high levels due to their widespread usage in daily life and their refractory nature. Then, these PPCPs have been reported to accumulate in biosolids and biosolid-amended agricultural soils.
There is limited knowledge on the occurrence and behavior of PPCPs, and their transformation products in solid matrices due to the highly complex nature of solid matrices and the difficulties encountered during their quantitative analysis. Therefore, the detection and reduction of these problematic chemicals in solid matrices have become a priority topic for many authorities.
Developing energy-efficient biomass-based technologies can help to solve growing worldwide environmental concerns. As an emerging thermal pretreatment technology, a radio frequency heating operating at a frequency of 13.56 MHz is a novel and energy-efficient system for sludge disintegration and bioenergy recovery. The EU-funded RADIOFREPOLIS project investigated the removal and transformation of PPCPs from biosolids by applying this custom-designed/built radio frequency sludge pretreatment followed by anaerobic digestion to produce eco-friendly and high-quality organic residues for beneficial reuse of sludge.
This project's action has allowed controlling the release of these emerging contaminants into the environment and increased bioenergy to move towards a better net energy balance of the overall process. RADIOFREPOLIS project successfully demonstrated that an innovative, sustainable, and energy-efficient technology, such as anaerobic sludge digestion combined with a custom-designed RF pretreatment, can be used to manage the wastewater treatment sludge contaminated with emerging micropollutants.
There is limited knowledge on the occurrence and behavior of PPCPs, and their transformation products in solid matrices due to the highly complex nature of solid matrices and the difficulties encountered during their quantitative analysis. Therefore, the detection and reduction of these problematic chemicals in solid matrices have become a priority topic for many authorities.
Developing energy-efficient biomass-based technologies can help to solve growing worldwide environmental concerns. As an emerging thermal pretreatment technology, a radio frequency heating operating at a frequency of 13.56 MHz is a novel and energy-efficient system for sludge disintegration and bioenergy recovery. The EU-funded RADIOFREPOLIS project investigated the removal and transformation of PPCPs from biosolids by applying this custom-designed/built radio frequency sludge pretreatment followed by anaerobic digestion to produce eco-friendly and high-quality organic residues for beneficial reuse of sludge.
This project's action has allowed controlling the release of these emerging contaminants into the environment and increased bioenergy to move towards a better net energy balance of the overall process. RADIOFREPOLIS project successfully demonstrated that an innovative, sustainable, and energy-efficient technology, such as anaerobic sludge digestion combined with a custom-designed RF pretreatment, can be used to manage the wastewater treatment sludge contaminated with emerging micropollutants.
The specific research objectives were set in line with the project's work packages. The first objective was to develop a new analytical method for the simultaneous determination of target PPCPs and their potential transformation products in wastewater sludge. The second objective was to investigate the effects of a novel and energy-efficient radio frequency sludge pretreatment on the fate of target micropollutants and their potential transformation products during advanced anaerobic digestion. Another objective was to compare how radio frequency heating at a frequency of 13.56 MHz and microwave heating at a frequency of 2450 MHz under identical heating profiles can affect the concentrations of spiked emerging micropollutants and even their transformation products in wastewater sludge. The final objective was to transfer newly acquired knowledge on an innovative and energy-efficient radio frequency system to Europe and to initiate preparing the complementary project proposal in Europe with multidisciplinary collaboration.
All planned work packages have been completed with their respective objectives.
The teaching and supervisory activities have also been performed during the return phase for transferring newly acquired knowledge from the outgoing phase besides already acquired knowledge.
Regarding the dissemination activities, the project updates have been shared regularly by using the project's and social websites. Several research papers and conference proceedings have been prepared based on the experimental data obtained in this project, and some of them have already been published in peer-reviewed open-access scientific journals and conference proceedings books.
For communication activities, several school visits have been conducted to encourage young minds, especially for STEAM education. Various seminars have also been conducted for high school students to increase awareness on the global environmental challenges/concerns as well as innovative solutions/technologies. Additionally, the public-facing virtual and on-site communication activities have been achieved.
All planned work packages have been completed with their respective objectives.
The teaching and supervisory activities have also been performed during the return phase for transferring newly acquired knowledge from the outgoing phase besides already acquired knowledge.
Regarding the dissemination activities, the project updates have been shared regularly by using the project's and social websites. Several research papers and conference proceedings have been prepared based on the experimental data obtained in this project, and some of them have already been published in peer-reviewed open-access scientific journals and conference proceedings books.
For communication activities, several school visits have been conducted to encourage young minds, especially for STEAM education. Various seminars have also been conducted for high school students to increase awareness on the global environmental challenges/concerns as well as innovative solutions/technologies. Additionally, the public-facing virtual and on-site communication activities have been achieved.
The cost-effective, fast, and reliable analytical method for the simultaneous determination of target micropollutants in wastewater treatment sludge was developed within the scope of the first research objective. This new multi-compound analytical method detects/quantifies target analytes in the sludge samples and helps to study their fate in order to reduce their uncontrolled release into the environment.
The custom-built radio frequency heating system has been previously tested with highly promising results in terms of sludge disintegration, methane production, and solids destruction. This novel technology has been found to have significantly higher energy efficiency and lower energy consumption than other thermal heating systems. However, there has been no study reporting on how this energy-efficient radio frequency heating affects the fate of emerging micropollutants and their potential transformation products during advanced anaerobic digestion. As an innovative and highly efficient thermal pretreatment method, this custom-built radio frequency system was found to be effective in enhancing the removal of target compounds during advanced anaerobic sludge digestion.
The RADIOFREPOLIS project investigated the impact of a novel sludge treatment technique to allow controlling the release of problematic micropollutants into the environment. This project has also been provided by reducing the quantity of excess sludge, improving the quality of excess sludge, and increasing renewable energy to obtain a positive energy balance of the overall process, which contributes to the competitiveness of Europe.
RADIOFREPOLIS has transferred knowledge of this newly acquired custom-built radio frequency heating technology to Europe and is trying to develop a new project with multidisciplinary collaboration. This MSCA-IF-GF fellowship is increasing the knowledge and expertise of the experienced researcher in environmental biotechnology, where Europe needs highly trained researchers.
RADIOFREPOLIS can positively change the sludge management approach by combining conventional anaerobic digestion with a novel and energy-efficient radio frequency sludge pretreatment method.
The custom-built radio frequency heating system has been previously tested with highly promising results in terms of sludge disintegration, methane production, and solids destruction. This novel technology has been found to have significantly higher energy efficiency and lower energy consumption than other thermal heating systems. However, there has been no study reporting on how this energy-efficient radio frequency heating affects the fate of emerging micropollutants and their potential transformation products during advanced anaerobic digestion. As an innovative and highly efficient thermal pretreatment method, this custom-built radio frequency system was found to be effective in enhancing the removal of target compounds during advanced anaerobic sludge digestion.
The RADIOFREPOLIS project investigated the impact of a novel sludge treatment technique to allow controlling the release of problematic micropollutants into the environment. This project has also been provided by reducing the quantity of excess sludge, improving the quality of excess sludge, and increasing renewable energy to obtain a positive energy balance of the overall process, which contributes to the competitiveness of Europe.
RADIOFREPOLIS has transferred knowledge of this newly acquired custom-built radio frequency heating technology to Europe and is trying to develop a new project with multidisciplinary collaboration. This MSCA-IF-GF fellowship is increasing the knowledge and expertise of the experienced researcher in environmental biotechnology, where Europe needs highly trained researchers.
RADIOFREPOLIS can positively change the sludge management approach by combining conventional anaerobic digestion with a novel and energy-efficient radio frequency sludge pretreatment method.