Toxicity decrease in urban wastewaters treated by a new biofiltration process.
We carried out a project aimed to evaluate the possible role played by the freshwater zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) in the possible decrease of some environmental pollutants recalcitrant to tradition wastewater treatments. By the help of a pilot-plant built in the largest wastewater treatment plant of Milan (Italy), we tested several waste mixtures in order to measure the chemicals' abatement made by mussels' biofiltration. This study represents the last step of the wider project and it aimed to evaluate if the decrease in the concentration of some urban pollutants measured in wastewaters was followed by a corresponding toxicity reduction. Thus, we performed 7-day exposures under laboratory conditions to test the toxicity of the raw wastewaters and those preliminary filtered by zebra mussels, through the measurement of different end-points of acute and chronic toxicity. Results showed a clear positive effect of mussels' biofiltration mainly to decrease the acute toxicity made by the two tested wastewater mixtures, while the biomarkers' suite used to evaluate the chronic toxicity showed contradictory results.
['Binelli|A|A|', 'Magni|S|S|', 'Della Torre|C|C|', 'Parolini|M|M|']
D000818:Animals D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental D002947:Cities D049875:Dreissena D007558:Italy D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid D062065:Waste Water D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
Urban wastewaters Zebra mussel Biomarkers Drugs of abuse Pharmaceuticals