The Effect of Salinity on the Removal of Contaminants of Concern During Biological Water

Conventional wastewater treatment operations are dependent on the settleability of biosolids. Past research has shown that biosolid flocculation is dependent on the monovalent-to-divalent-cation ratio (M/D ratio). In other words, bioflocculation (aggregation of biological solids) is enhanced by the presence or absence of divalent cations such as calcium and/or magnesium ions and deteriorates with high concentrations of monovalent cations such as sodium, potassium, and ammonium ions. The project examines the effect of cation composition on the removal of hydrophobic contaminants of concern during wastewater treatment.

Originally funded as WERF project Reuse-05-08.