A sand/granular carbon filtration treatment system for removing aqueous pesticide residues from a marine toxicology laboratory effluent

Flow-through toxicity tests using marine organisms can generate large volumes of contaminated seawater effluent which should be treated to remove the contaminants before discharge into the environment. We have developed a sand filtration/carbon treatment system that removes from these effluents a diversity of organophosphate, organochlorine and pyrethroid pesticide residues down to their detection limit. The sand filter removed an average of 72% (range 4–99%) of the chemicals by continuously filtering suspended particulates and chemicals associated with the particulate. Following sand filtration, effluent water slowly percolates through granular carbon. Overall, organic removal efficiencies average 91% (range 24–99%). Initial construction cost was less than $20,000.