Advanced Wastewater Treatment Strategies for Potable Reuse in Health-Resilient Cities

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To sustain economic development, accessibility to freshwater is becoming a key factor also for water-rich regions such as Ontario. Potable reuse trains have been developed to inactivate pathogens and remove recalcitrant pollutants from wastewater with the design philosophy of adding unit processes "in-series" after secondary treatment (e.g., microfiltration, reverse osmosis and UV-initiated advanced oxidation). However, such approach has already shown major limitations including production of highly-polluted brines, large footprint, limited resiliency and lack of efficacy against an increasingly wide range of contaminants entering the water cycle. Multifunctional reactors integrating novel potable reuse processes in a single treatment stage are groundbreaking in nature, and have high potential for decentralized treatment in remote communities with water sources affected by geogenic and anthropogenic pollutants. We have set as strategic objective of this research program the development of safe, health-resilient and cost-effective processes for potable reuse operated in multifunctional reactors. Studies will be carried out to fill knowledge gaps in the following complementary areas: "Alternative disinfectants, antibiotic resistance and virus control", "Fate of fibers in primary and secondary processes and their impact on advanced wastewater treatment" and "Development and scale-up of novel multifunctional reactors for potable reuse using computational fluid dynamics". In the area of "Alternative disinfectants, antibiotic resistance and virus control", our research will focus on the mechanisms of pathogens inactivation by peracids and their byproducts in presence of halogens (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine and astatine). Furthermore, we will assess the efficacy of these alternative disinfectants in combination with transition metals (iron, cobalt and molybdenum) for promoting catalytic oxidation of antibiotic resistant genes and recalcitrant micropollutants. To gain a mechanistic understanding on the interplay between upstream processes and advanced wastewater treatment, research studies will be carried out in the area of "Fate of fibers in primary and secondary processes and their impact on advanced wastewater treatment" focusing on the understanding the complex role of highly-absorbing and slowly biodegradable fiber microparticles and the fate of pathogens and micropollutants at plant wide scale. Finally, the scalability of the newly developed, integrated processes will be assessed focusing on the "Development and scale-up of novel multifunctional reactors for potable reuse using computational fluid dynamics", where well-designed laboratory studies will be used in conjunction with computational fluid dynamics models. This will also involve the integration of advanced reduction processes (ARPs) with biofiltration to enhance the removal of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other micropollutants recalcitrant to oxidation processes.