Anaerobic Biomass from AnSBBR reactor treating synthetic sanitary sewage containing ibuprofen, diclofenac, and caffeine. Raw sequence reads

In recent years, the presence of micropollutants in water bodies has raised growing concern due to their environmental impacts and risks to public health. These substances, found in extremely low concentrations, include widely consumed and environmentally persistent compounds such as caffeine, ibuprofen, and diclofenac. They can interfere with essential biological processes, affecting food chains and organisms at various trophic levels, with potential for bioaccumulation and biomagnification.Given this scenario, developing effective methods for removing these compounds from wastewater treatment systems has become crucial. Biological processes, particularly anaerobic treatments, stand out as sustainable alternatives due to their lower energy requirements, lack of oxygen demand, and ability to produce biogas as a renewable energy source. Among these, the Anaerobic Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactor offers enhanced operational flexibility and efficiency in degrading pharmaceutical compounds, thanks to the presence of immobilized biofilms.This study aims to evaluate the performance of the Anaerobic Sequencing Batch Biofilm in removing caffeine, ibuprofen, and diclofenac from synthetic wastewater, under varying operational conditions such as feeding mode (batch and fed batch), cycle length (6 and 8 h), temperature (25 and 30oC), and the addition of co-substrates (sucrose, ethanol, lactose, whey, glucose, and glycerin). Additionally, it aims to assess the ecotoxicological effects of the treated effluent on native Brazilian species.