369
using plants such as Lactuca sativa were indeed good indicators of contaminant
concentrations in wastewater before and after treatment. They were simple, quick,
and reliable, being inexpensive and not requiring major equipment (Sancey et al.
2010, 2011a). Later, we also used another short-term bioassay based on the immobilization of a freshwater crustacean, Daphnia magna, for the ecotoxicological
assessment of industrial discharge waters untreated or treated with ECP materials
(Euvrard et al. 2015, 2017; Morin-Crini et al. 2019b). The two bioindicators,
Lactuca sativa and Daphnia magna, were proved to be pertinent to assess the ecotoxicity of polycontaminated discharge waters.
In the mid-2010s, two European and international projects involving French,
Italian, Romanian, and Canadian colleagues began on the possibility of using cyclodextrin polymers in water treatment on a semi-industrial scale. In a series of pilotscale experiments, we confirmed the possible feasibility of its implementation on an
industrial scale for the treatment of discharge waters from surface treatment industries (Charles et al. 2014, 2016; Euvrard et al. 2015, 2016, 2017). Chemical results
in terms of pollutant abatement have confirmed that the combined use of oxidation
and adsorption on a single bifunctionalized ECP material can achieve high levels of
pollutant removal, well below regulatory values. Biological tests also demonstrated
the efficiency of the adsorption process to radically decrease the effluent toxicity.
From all these studies, we concluded that the removal of trace pollutants by an ECP
polymer was an efficient tool to significantly decrease pollutant concentrations and
water toxicity (Crini et al. 2019b).
Fenyvesi et al. (2020) recently reported a similar conclusion. Their study demonstrates the feasibility of ECP materials for the removal of dissolved micro-pollutants
as a tertiary treatment of wastewater in a pilot-scale experiment using real municipal wastewater effluent in the adsorptive post-step of the investigated technology.
For example, the measured removal efficiencies were >99% for hormones and
bisphenol A and ~85% for ibuprofen and diclofenac in a few minutes of contact
time. Bioassays also confirmed the environmental benefits obtained after ECP polymer treatment. The decrease in pollutant concentrations in wastewaters has resulted
in a significant reduction in their impact on bioindicators. Their pilot-scale results in
removing emerging pollutants such as pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors are
very encouraging. Now it will be necessary to convince industry to use these materials in their wastewater treatment plants.
Currently, we are working on the treatment of certain industrial baths containing
high loads of multiple organic and metallic contaminants through two national and
European projects. These complex baths are difficult to treat. In general, they are
eliminated by dilution in less loaded effluents and then by physicochemical treatment. A promising solution would be to pre-treat the baths with ECP particles of
known size in order to decomplex the contaminants and insolubilize them more
effectively. Another challenging application might be the removal of endocrine disruptors such as alkylphenols, alkylphenol polyethoxylates (Priac et al. 2017), and
pesticides (Crini et al. 2017) from industrial and municipal discharges. These substances, which appear on a European priority list of potentially hazardous pollutants, are the subject of much research and policy debate. Results of adsorption in
8 Water-Insoluble Cyclodextrin-Epichlorohydrin Polymers
using plants such as Lactuca sativa were indeed good indicators of contaminant
concentrations in wastewater before and after treatment. They were simple, quick,
and reliable, being inexpensive and not requiring major equipment (Sancey et al.
2010, 2011a). Later, we also used another short-term bioassay based on the immobilization of a freshwater crustacean, Daphnia magna, for the ecotoxicological
assessment of industrial discharge waters untreated or treated with ECP materials
(Euvrard et al. 2015, 2017; Morin-Crini et al. 2019b). The two bioindicators,
Lactuca sativa and Daphnia magna, were proved to be pertinent to assess the ecotoxicity of polycontaminated discharge waters.
In the mid-2010s, two European and international projects involving French,
Italian, Romanian, and Canadian colleagues began on the possibility of using cyclodextrin polymers in water treatment on a semi-industrial scale. In a series of pilotscale experiments, we confirmed the possible feasibility of its implementation on an
industrial scale for the treatment of discharge waters from surface treatment industries (Charles et al. 2014, 2016; Euvrard et al. 2015, 2016, 2017). Chemical results
in terms of pollutant abatement have confirmed that the combined use of oxidation
and adsorption on a single bifunctionalized ECP material can achieve high levels of
pollutant removal, well below regulatory values. Biological tests also demonstrated
the efficiency of the adsorption process to radically decrease the effluent toxicity.
From all these studies, we concluded that the removal of trace pollutants by an ECP
polymer was an efficient tool to significantly decrease pollutant concentrations and
water toxicity (Crini et al. 2019b).
Fenyvesi et al. (2020) recently reported a similar conclusion. Their study demonstrates the feasibility of ECP materials for the removal of dissolved micro-pollutants
as a tertiary treatment of wastewater in a pilot-scale experiment using real municipal wastewater effluent in the adsorptive post-step of the investigated technology.
For example, the measured removal efficiencies were >99% for hormones and
bisphenol A and ~85% for ibuprofen and diclofenac in a few minutes of contact
time. Bioassays also confirmed the environmental benefits obtained after ECP polymer treatment. The decrease in pollutant concentrations in wastewaters has resulted
in a significant reduction in their impact on bioindicators. Their pilot-scale results in
removing emerging pollutants such as pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors are
very encouraging. Now it will be necessary to convince industry to use these materials in their wastewater treatment plants.
Currently, we are working on the treatment of certain industrial baths containing
high loads of multiple organic and metallic contaminants through two national and
European projects. These complex baths are difficult to treat. In general, they are
eliminated by dilution in less loaded effluents and then by physicochemical treatment. A promising solution would be to pre-treat the baths with ECP particles of
known size in order to decomplex the contaminants and insolubilize them more
effectively. Another challenging application might be the removal of endocrine disruptors such as alkylphenols, alkylphenol polyethoxylates (Priac et al. 2017), and
pesticides (Crini et al. 2017) from industrial and municipal discharges. These substances, which appear on a European priority list of potentially hazardous pollutants, are the subject of much research and policy debate. Results of adsorption in
8 Water-Insoluble Cyclodextrin-Epichlorohydrin Polymers