Page 21 - CBT 2018
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Improving waste treatment
Environmental estrogens, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products, so-called contaminants of emerging concern (CEC), are discharged from wastewater treatment plants and can cause physiological, developmental, and behavioral changes in fish and other aquatic organisms.
The presence of CEC in treated water can also limit opportunities for water reuse. CEGE faculty and students study the microbial and chemical reactions that these compounds undergo during treatment, and determine which microorganisms are responsible for
the degradation and detoxification of these compounds. With this knowledge, we develop new ways to stimulate the treatment of these compounds and new recommendations regarding how to best remove them using processes that have the collateral benefits of lower energy use, decreased physical footprint, or nutrient removal. [19–21]
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