NONO - Novel Ozonation processes for Non-toxic Oceans

Introduction of ozonation at municipal wastewater treatment plants is one of the main options for removal of pharmaceutical residues, biocides and other contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in wastewater.

Removal of CECs is critical to protection of aquatic environments and water resources but also to enable direct and indirect potable reuse of treated wastewater. Mitigation of potentially toxic by- and transformation products formed during ozonation is a critical question. One important example is the formation of bromate being carcinogenic and contributing to toxicity in receiving waters.

Recent studies indicate very high bromide levels in wastewater in Swedish coastal regions.

The contribution of bromide from seawater in coastal wastewater catchments is largely unexplored and constitutes a problem for upgrading of wastewater treatment plants in these areas.

The project NONO – Novel Ozonation processes for Non-toxic Oceans – provides a potential solution to this problem with a novel method based on bromate removal through microbial reduction of bromate using denitrifying biofilms.

Bromide, the primary precursor of bromate, will be screened in Swedish wastewater and the potential for combined bromate and nitrate reduction in post-denitrifying processes with carrier-attached biofilms will be explored and developed to a process solution.

Results from NONO will be directly communicated both to the scientific community and to different stakeholders on a national level.