Coupling advanced treatments with reactive barrier infiltration for pharmaceutical micropollutants removal in the context of water reuse
Abstract
Recharging aquifers with treated wastewater provide multiple benefits for sustainable water management, but micropollutants in effluents can threaten groundwater quality, aquatic ecosystems, and human health. Infiltration-based recharge can improve water quality and remove micropollutants, a performance that can be enhanced by reactive barriers. Advanced treatments such as nanofiltration or ozonation can also achieve high micropollutant abatement. This study evaluated micropollutant removal through reactive barrier infiltration alone and coupled with nanofiltration or ozonation, using three identical lab-scale columns containing a reactive barrier of 70% sand, 25% sawdust, and 5% compost over 37 days. Influent waters were wastewater effluent, ozonated effluent, or nanofiltration permeate. Redox zonation was suggested all columns, with substantial removal of nitrogen species and sulphates, while dissolved organic carbon slightly increased in outlets. Positively charged micropollutants metoprolol and venlafaxine were highly removed (>90%), whereas neutral and negatively charged compounds showed variable behaviours. Biodegradation may have contributed to the removal of sulfamethoxazole (~60%), irbesartan (~30%), and oxazepam (<20%), while fluconazole, carbamazepine, and diclofenac were largely refractory. Microbiological indicators confirmed effective pathogen removal in all scenarios. Coupling reactive barrier infiltration with nanofiltration or ozonation improved overall micropollutants removal: at least 5 of 8 micropollutants were removed over 80%, and 7 were removed over 50%. Only fluconazole and carbamazepine remained refractory to ozonation-reactive barrier and nanofiltration-reactive barrier coupling, respectively. These results demonstrate that combining low-cost infiltration with advanced treatments can substantially enhance micropollutant removal, supporting safe water reuse for managed aquifer recharge.
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BibTeX
@article{ferreux2026coupling,
title = {{Coupling advanced treatments with reactive barrier infiltration for pharmaceutical micropollutants removal in the context of water reuse}},
author = {Téo Ferreux and Geoffroy Duporté and Sandra Van-Exter and Debomitra Sil and Elena Gomez and Julie Mendret and Stephan Brosillon and Linda Luquot},
journal = {Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.hazadv.2026.101632},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05789217v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Coupling advanced treatments with reactive barrier infiltration for pharmaceutical micropollutants removal in the context of water reuse
AU - Téo Ferreux
AU - Geoffroy Duporté
AU - Sandra Van-Exter
AU - Debomitra Sil
AU - Elena Gomez
AU - Julie Mendret
AU - Stephan Brosillon
AU - Linda Luquot
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
JO - Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances
DO - 10.1016/j.hazadv.2026.101632
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05789217v1
AB - Recharging aquifers with treated wastewater provide multiple benefits for sustainable water management, but micropollutants in effluents can threaten groundwater quality, aquatic ecosystems, and human health. Infiltration-based recharge can improve water quality and remove micropollutants, a performance that can be enhanced by reactive barriers. Advanced treatments such as nanofiltration or ozonation can also achieve high micropollutant abatement. This study evaluated micropollutant removal through reactive barrier infiltration alone and coupled with nanofiltration or ozonation, using three identical lab-scale columns containing a reactive barrier of 70% sand, 25% sawdust, and 5% compost over 37 days. Influent waters were wastewater effluent, ozonated effluent, or nanofiltration permeate. Redox zonation was suggested all columns, with substantial removal of nitrogen species and sulphates, while dissolved organic carbon slightly increased in outlets. Positively charged micropollutants metoprolol and venlafaxine were highly removed (>90%), whereas neutral and negatively charged compounds showed variable behaviours. Biodegradation may have contributed to the removal of sulfamethoxazole (~60%), irbesartan (~30%), and oxazepam (<20%), while fluconazole, carbamazepine, and diclofenac were largely refractory. Microbiological indicators confirmed effective pathogen removal in all scenarios. Coupling reactive barrier infiltration with nanofiltration or ozonation improved overall micropollutants removal: at least 5 of 8 micropollutants were removed over 80%, and 7 were removed over 50%. Only fluconazole and carbamazepine remained refractory to ozonation-reactive barrier and nanofiltration-reactive barrier coupling, respectively. These results demonstrate that combining low-cost infiltration with advanced treatments can substantially enhance micropollutant removal, supporting safe water reuse for managed aquifer recharge.
SN - 2772-4166
ER -