Presence and removal of Organic Micropollutants in 8 different Wastewater Treatment Plants and Risk Assessment of treated effluent

Increasing attention has been paid in the recent years to the presence of Organic MicroPollutants (OMPs) in water, being considered a source of a high risk for public health and environment (Rodriguez-Narvaez et al., 2017). The present study belongs to a wide research activity carried out since 2018 and still ongoing having the aim to assess the occurrence with time and removal rate of OMPs in full-scale Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) (Di Marcantonio et al. 2020). The present paper shows the results of the monitoring activity conducted on the influent and effluent of 8 WWTPs focusing on 14 selected OMPs belonging to different classes (e.g. caffeine, illicit drugs, pharmaceuticals). The study activity included measuring in the same samples the traditional water quality parameters (e.g. COD, nitrogen species, TSS) to evaluate if there is any correlation between their removal and that of the selected OMPs. The investigated plants were chosen being representative of different treatment processes, of the type of final disposal of the treated water and the characteristics and extension of the area served by the sewage network. Finally, the environmental risk assessment was carried out based on the values of OMPs measured in the effluent of the plants.