Olga Samir EL KIK KADY
defended her PhD thesis
last 5 december 2025
Synergy between biological treatment and electro-oxidation for an integrated approach to treating trace concentrations of organic micropollutants in urban wastewater
In front of the jury:
– Claire Albasi, Directrice de Recherche CNRS, Laboratoire de Génie Chimique de Toulouse – Rapporteur
– Christelle Guigi, Professeure, TBI, INSA Toulouse – Rapporteur
– Marc Cretin, Professeur, IEM, Université de Montpellier – Examinateur
– François Zaviska, Maître de conférences, IEM, Université de Montpellier – Examinateur
– Morgane Masson, Docteure et Ingénieure, Ingénieur conception de procédés, Suez – Examinateur
– Geoffroy Lesage, Maître de conférences, IEM, Université de Montpellier – Co-Encadrant / Invité
– Andres Sauvêtre, Maître de conférences, IMT Mines Alès, HSM – Co-Encadrant / Invité
– Marc Heran, Professeur, IEM, Université de Montpellier – Co-Directeur de thèse
– François Lestremau, Maître de conférences, IMT Mines Alès, HSM – Directeur de thèse
Abstract:
The recent revisions of the European Water Framework Directive highlight the urgent need for wastewater treatment technologies capable of effectively removing both organic matter and micropollutants while ensuring energy viability. In this context, advanced strategies must achieve high removal efficiencies without compromising sustainability. The present study investigates the integration of granular anaerobic membrane bioreactors (GAnMBR) with electrochemical treatment. A comparative assessment was first conducted between a GAnMBR and its electro-assisted configuration (eGAnMBR), focusing on organic matter removal, membrane fouling, biogas production, and energy balances. In a second phase, the permeates from both systems were treated by electro-oxidation on boron-doped diamond electrodes to evaluate the removal of selected micropollutants from different chemical families: carbamazepine, diuron, and PFOS. A design of experiments and ANOVA modeling were applied to identify the operating conditions that optimize contaminant removal and energy efficiency. In parallel, analytical protocols based on solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry were developed and validated for the trace-level quantification of micropollutants and their degradation products in complex aqueous matrices. This work provides new insights into the performance and limitations of coupling anaerobic membrane processes with electrochemical treatment and contributes to the development of sustainable and energy-efficient wastewater management strategies for the treatment of emerging contaminants.
Keywords: Domestic wastewater treatment, Electro-assisted anaerobic membrane bioreactor, Granular sludge, Energy recovery, Trace organic micropollutants, Electro-oxidation.
