Wastewater treatment (for pharmaceuticals) with activated carbon from sewage sludge at Aarhus Universitet

We at Aarhus University, Center for Advanced Purification are collaborating with a company making sewage sludge based activated carbon and a utility that is interested in using these materials in full scale, after we have demonstrated the feasibility.

On the technology side this project will characterise removal reates of micropollutants, loading capacity of the activated carbon (how much water can be treated) in a loading experiment with effluent wastewater.

Learning goals: a)how does the technology work b) how are removal rates and capacities assessed in a activated carbon column.

On the chemical side the candidate will be working with advanced analytical equipment such as HPLC-MS/MS (HPLC coupled to tandem mass spectrometrery) to determne main pollutant components. If feasible it will be possible to integrate extraction procedures to improve detection limits for selected compounds.

Eventually the target analysis by HPLC tandem mass spectrometry on 50 pharmaceuticals and metabolites can be complemented with non target analysis by HPLC coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry.

Learning goals: gain mastership on HPLC-MS/MS based analytical protocols and procedures.

 

contact

Kai Bester

Aarhus University, Environmental Science, Roskilde

e-mail: kb@envs.au.dk

Tel.: 93508089

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