Behaviour of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting chemicals in simplified sewage treatment systems (original) (raw)
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Water Science and Technology, 2012
This work investigated the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in raw sewage (from Belo Horizonte city, Minas Gerais state, Brazil) and assessed their behavior in demo-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors (UASB reactors) operated at different hydraulic retention times (HRT). The dissolved concentration of the studied micropollutants in the raw and treated sewage was obtained using solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by analysis in a liquid chromatography system coupled to a hybrid high resolution mass spectrometer consisting of an ion-trap and time of flight (LC-MS-IT-TOF). The natural (estradiol) and synthetic (ethinylestradiol) estrogens were hardly detected; when present, however, their concentrations were lower than the method quantification limits. The concentrations of bisphenol A and miconazole in raw sewage were similar to that reported in the literature (around 200 ng L−1 and hardly detected, respectively). The antibiotics sul...
Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology, 2008
As a consequence of insufficient removal during treatment of wastewater released from industry and households, different classes of organic micropollutants are nowadays detected in surface and drinking water. Among these micropollutants, bioactive substances, e.g., endocrine disrupting compounds and pharmaceuticals, have been incriminated in negative effects on living organisms in aquatic biotope. Much research was done in the last years on the fate and removal of those compounds from wastewater. An important point it is to understand the role of applied treatment conditions (sludge retention time (SRT), biomass concentration, temperature, pH value, dominant class of micropollutants, etc.) for the efficiency of conventional treatment plants (CTP) and membrane bioreactors (MBR) concerning the removal of micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals, steroid-and xeno-estrogens. Nevertheless, the removal rates differ even from one compound to the other and are related to the physicochemical characteristics of the xenobiotics.
Journal of Environmental Management, 2021
This study aims to evaluate micropollutant occurrence and removal in a low-middle income country (LMIC) by investigating the occurrence of 28 chemicals from different classes (triclosan, 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 4 estrogens and 8 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners) in three technologically diverse full-scale Brazilian wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). These chemicals were detected at concentrations similar to those reported in other low-middle income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs) (0.1-49 µg/L) indicating their widespread use globally and the need for more studies in LMICs that are typically characterised by relatively inadequate wastewater treatment barriers. Among the three different WWTPs investigated for removal of these chemicals, the least energy intensive system, waste stabilization ponds (WSPs), was the most effective (95-99%) compared to the activated sludge (79-94%), and Up-flow sludge blanket reactor (UASB) with trickling filters system (89-95%). These results highlight the potential 2 of WSPs for micropollutant removal-especially in warm climates. However, the effluent from all three WWTP could pose a risk to aquatic organisms when discharged into the receiving waters as the effluent concentrations of triclosan, some estrogens, PAHs and BDE 209 were above European environmental quality standards (EQS) or predicted no effect concentration (PNEC values), indicating that receiving water bodies could benefit from further treatment. In combination, these results help to further understand prevailing concentrations of micropollutants globally and fate in current wastewater treatment systems.
Chemical Engineering Journal, 2015
Investigated the treatability of EDCs in different wastewater treatment plants. Different removal percentage observed in different plants. Carbamazepine and diltiazem not absorb onto MBR sludge whereas they can absorbed onto CAS sludge. EDCs sorbed onto sludge were not effectively degraded in the anaerobic digester environment. CAS and MBR plants may be associated with the microbial population composition. a b s t r a c t Endocrine disrupting compounds, EDCs, are somewhat recently recognized pollutants which are often classed within 'emerging micropollutants' in the environment jargon. These compounds are known to interfere with the delicate balance of the endocrine system of animals and man, causing variety of undesirable outcomes. Their sources in natural waters are the domestic and industrial effluents. The main cause of concern with EDCs is their tendency to accumulate in fish causing gender shifts and reduced fecundity. Moreover, their possible interference with the water cycle and concurrent effects on the human endocrine system has been implicated. Increased usage of medication and surfactants in the household; pesticides in agriculture have all add up to the inventory of EDCs in the aqueous systems.
Analysis of organic pollutants during sewage treatment processes
Current STPs are designed to remove nutrients, oil and particles but not micropollutants. Micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and industrial chemicals are released into the environment in a concentration range of ng·l -1 to μg·l -1 (Sturm et al., 1998). Varying fractions of the different compounds are eliminated by sorption to the sewage sludge. This study concerns about four organic pollutants, namely Sulfomethoxazole and its metabolite N-Acetylsulfamethoazole, Ranitidin and Mefenamic acid. The STP Neugut in Dübendorf was chosen as a sampling site. Five different sampling points were chosen representing three stages of treatment in the STP and two stages of interactions with the ecosystems. The primary effluent (PE) after preliminary sedimentation of solids, the secondary effluent (SE) after biological treatment, the final effluent (FE) after sand filtration, water of the river Glatt upstream (GU) and downstream (GD) the STP discharge. The passive samplers consisting SDB disc covered with a PES membrane gives about 60-70% lower values than using the time-proportional (or flow-proportional) samplers. It was shown that the LC-MS/MS is a good and sensitive tool to measure micropollutants with best recover- ies in the FE following by the GU and then the PE samples. The present elimination rates of the target micropollutants were determined while Mefemic Acid removal is below anticipated value and Sulfamethoxazole above.
Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society
This work focuses on the validation and application of solid phase extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (SPE-HPLC) analysis of important endocrine disruptors compounds (EDC) from different classes in highly complex wastewater matrix. The endocrine disruptors investigated included three different categories: pharmaceuticals (sulfamethoxazole (SMZ), trimethoprim (TMP) and diclofenac (DCF)), hormones (estrone (E1), 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) and 17β-estradiol (E2)) and plastic materials (bisphenol A (BPA)). The method involves pre-concentration by SPE using Strata-X extraction cartridges followed by HPLC coupled with diode array detector (DAD). As the assumption of homoscedasticity was met for analytical data, ordinary linear regression procedure was applied to the data. The method was considered validated for 7 EDC after consistent evaluation of the key analytical parameters. Recoveries were ranged from 52.3 to 179.6%. Limits of quantification were in the range 6.0-0.4 µg L −1. The described method was applied to evaluate the occurrence and removal efficiency of EDC in two biological sewage treatment plants (STPs). The influent mean concentrations of E1, E2 and EE2 hormones
Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society, 2013
A new method for the determination of three endocrine disrupters (estradiol, ethinyl estradiol, and bisphenol A) and five pharmaceuticals (sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, diclofenac, bezafibrate and miconazole) in raw sewage samples using tandem solid phase extraction (SPE) sorbents and high-performance liquid chromatography-negative and positive electrospray high-resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-HRMS) was developed and validated. The SPE procedure used both a strong ion exchange sorbent (SAX) and a modified divinylbenzene-pyrrolidone SPE sorbent to reduce the levels of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) and to concentrate the analytes of interest from the sewage samples. The influence of matrix composition on the ionisation efficiency, the SPE recoveries, and the sensitivity of the method was identified and quantified. The method was successfully applied to the determination of analytes in raw sewage samples collected from the entrance of the Arrudas Sewage Treatment Plant,
Science of The Total Environment, 2018
Micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals, hormones and phenolic utility chemicals in sewage water are considered to be an emerging problem because of increased use and observed adverse effects in the environment. The study provides knowledge on the removal efficiency of micropollutants with a range of physical and chemical properties in three commercially available onsite wastewater treatment facilities (OWTFs), tested on influent wastewater collected from 2500 person equivalents in Bildchen, Germany. A longer hydraulic retention time would in theory be expected to have a positive effect, and this study presents results for three different OWTFs in full-scale comparable tests under natural conditions. A range of 24 different pharmaceuticals, five phenols and three hormones were analyzed. Flow-proportional consecutive sampling was performed in order to determine the removal efficiency. Twenty-eight substances were detected in the effluent wastewater out of 32 substances included. Average effluent concentrations of Simvastatin, Estrone, Estradiol and Ethinylestradiol were above the indicative critical-effect concentration of pharmacological effect on fish in all facilities. Average effluent concentrations of both Diclofenac and Estradiol were higher than the Environmental Quality Standards applied in Sweden (190-240 times and 9-35 times respectively). The removal efficiency of micropollutants was high for substances with high logK ow , which enhance the adsorption and removal with sludge. Low removal was observed for substances with low logK ow and acidic characteristics, and for substances with stabilizing elements of the chemical structure. Facilities that use activated sludge processes removed hormones more efficiently than facilities using trickling filter treatment