Removal of emerging contaminants in a full-scale bioreactor coupled with membrane filtration for reclaimed water production in São Paulo State, Brazil.

Rafaela Gonçalves Machado, Josilei da Silva Ferreira, Guilherme Martins Grosseli, Roberta Cerasi Urban, Pedro Sergio Fadini

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Article in Environmental science and pollution research international, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Rafaela Gonçalves MachadoEnvironmental Biogeochemistry Laboratory and Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Interventions, Department of Chemistry, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil. rafaela_machado08@hotmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-3139-8143

Josilei da Silva FerreiraEnvironmental Biogeochemistry Laboratory and Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Interventions, Department of Chemistry, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil.

Guilherme Martins GrosseliEnvironmental Biogeochemistry Laboratory and Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Interventions, Department of Chemistry, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil.

Roberta Cerasi UrbanEnvironmental Biogeochemistry Laboratory and Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Interventions, Department of Chemistry, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil.

Pedro Sergio FadiniEnvironmental Biogeochemistry Laboratory and Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Interventions, Department of Chemistry, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Water scarcity and water quality degradation have increased the interest in reclaimed water production from wastewater treatment plants. Among quality concerns, emerging contaminants (ECs) have gained attention due to their persistence and potential environmental and health risks. This study investigated the occurrence, spatial distribution, and removal of ECs in a full-scale Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) operating an anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic process followed by membrane bioreactor (MBR) filtration in São Paulo State, Brazil. Wastewater samples were collected at different treatment stages, and surface waters from regional rivers were analyzed for comparison. Target compounds were determined by UPLC-MS/MS and GC-MS. All analytes were detected in raw sewage, with caffeine presenting the highest concentrations. High removal efficiencies were observed for paracetamol, caffeine, ibuprofen, naproxen, and atenolol (> 97%), while diclofenac and propranolol showed moderate removal (60-70%). Estrogenic compounds exhibited variable removal, and carbamazepine and its metabolites showed persistent behavior, with negative removal suggesting back-formation processes. The results confirm carbamazepine as a reliable chemical marker of treatment efficiency and indicate that, although reclaimed water showed high overall quality, complementary treatment may be required to meet stricter standards for emerging contaminants.

Indexed as

BioreactorsWaste Disposal, FluidWater Pollutants, ChemicalWater PurificationAcetaminophenAtenololBrazilCaffeineCarbamazepineDiclofenacFiltrationIbuprofenMembranes, ArtificialNaproxenPropranololWastewaterAcetaminophenAtenololCaffeineCarbamazepineDiclofenacIbuprofenMembranes, ArtificialNaproxenPropranololWastewaterWater Pollutants, ChemicalEmerging contaminantsEndocrine disruptorsMembrane bioreactorPharmaceutical residuesReclaimed waterWastewater treatmentWater quality

Identifiers

PMID42053885

DOI10.1007/s11356-026-37765-1

PMCPMC13156141

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