Skip to main content
Workshops & seminars

"Value-Addition of Wastewater and Wastewater Sludge: Is it a Win-Win Eco-Friendly Approach?" Dr. Satinder Brar (INRS Centre Eau Terre Environnement)


Date & time
Friday, February 6, 2015
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Speaker(s)

Dr. Satinder Brar

Cost

This event is free

Website

Contact

Dajana Vuckovic

Where

Richard J. Renaud Science Complex
7141 Sherbrooke W.
Room SP-S110

Wheel chair accessible

Yes

Stricter wastewater sludge management regulations have resulted in value-addition of wastewater sludge. There are various value-added products, namely, adsorbents, bioflocculants, bioplastics, biosurfactants, concrete aggregates, fuel and oil and electricity which have been researched for different technological developments and a few have also been marketed Furthermore, at INRS-ETE, production of various biotechnological value-added products from wastewaters and wastewater sludge, namely, biopesticides and biocontrol agents, enzymes, biofertilizers, bioplastics and bioflocculants is being actively pursued The results are very encouraging in terms of production, mode of action relative to the product, however, a serious question is imposed on the viability of these value-added products in terms of their field application or end-use. It is a known fact that pulp and paper industry wastewaters are laden with various contaminants, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-furans (PCDFs). Moreover, in the last decade, there have been reports of endocrine disrupter compounds (EDCs) pharmaceuticals and personal care product (PPCP) residuals categorised as emerging contaminants in municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents. The existing wastewater treatment processes are not designed to handle these toxic compounds especially at the levels (ng/l or pg/l) in which they reach the WWTPs. Thus, even after treatment, the trace levels of the precursor compound remain or may get transformed into other innocuous metabolites. In this context, these toxic organic compounds end up in the wastewater sludge which is further used for value-addition. Along with the economical benefit of producing value-added products at 40-60% lower cost than the existing commercial products, the toxic component mars the overall objective of wastewater sludge management. Thus, this research envisages the tracing of toxic organic compounds (emerging contaminants) during principal stages of production of biotechnological value-added products along with possible in-situ decontamination and proposal of possible pre-treatment methods and if they can still retain the nutrients for value-addition while removing the emerging contaminants.

Dr. Brar is the guest of Prof. Dajana Vuckovic

Back to top

© Concordia University