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

为了维持经济发展，获得淡水也正成为安大略省等水资源丰富地区的一个关键因素。饮用水回用系统已被开发出来，以灭活病原体和去除废水中的顽固污染物，其设计理念是在二级处理（如微过滤、反渗透和紫外线引发的高级氧化）后“串联”添加单元过程。然而，这种方法已经显示出主要的局限性，包括产生高度污染的盐水、足迹大、弹性有限以及对进入水循环的越来越广泛的污染物缺乏效力。在单一处理阶段集成新型饮用水回用过程的多功能反应器具有开创性，并且在水源受地质和人为污染物影响的偏远社区具有很大的分散处理潜力。我们将这项研究计划的战略目标设定为开发安全、健康、具有成本效益的多功能反应堆饮用水再利用工艺。将开展研究，以填补以下互补领域的知识空白：“替代消毒剂、抗生素耐药性和病毒控制”、“纤维在一级和二级工艺中的命运及其对高级废水处理的影响”和“利用计算流体动力学开发和扩大用于饮用水再利用的新型多功能反应器”。在“替代消毒剂、抗生素耐药性和病毒控制”领域，我们将重点研究过氧化物及其副产品在卤素（氟、氯、溴、碘和砹）存在下病原体灭活的机制。此外，我们将评估这些替代消毒剂与过渡金属（铁、钴和钼）联合使用对促进抗生素抗性基因和顽固性微污染物的催化氧化的功效。为了从机理上了解上游工艺与废水深度处理之间的相互作用，将在“纤维在一级和二级工艺中的命运及其对废水深度处理的影响”领域开展研究，重点了解高吸收和缓慢可生物降解的纤维微粒的复杂作用以及植物范围内病原体和微污染物的命运。最后，将评估新开发的综合工艺的可扩展性，重点是“利用计算流体动力学开发和扩大新型多功能可饮用反应器”，其中将结合计算流体动力学模型使用精心设计的实验室研究。这还将涉及将先进还原工艺与生物过滤相结合，以加强对全氟烷基物质（PFAS）和其他难以氧化过程的微污染物的去除。

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.