Occurrence, fate, and mass balance of different classes of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in an anaerobic-anoxic-oxic wastewater treatment plant in Xiamen, China
Journal
Water Research
Journal Volume
123
Pages
655-667
Date Issued
2017
Author(s)
Abstract
In this study, the occurrence and fate of 49 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) were investigated in an anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (A2/O) wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) for seven consecutive days using 24-h composite sampling technique. Special emphasis was placed to understand the distribution of PPCPs in dissolved and adsorbed phase, and to evaluate PPCP fate in different treatment units. Among the 49 PPCPs, 40 PPCPs in influent, 36 in effluent, 29 in sludge and 23 in suspended solids were detected at least once during sampling. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and a stimulant were predominant PPCPs in influent whereas antibiotics were predominant in sludge, effluent and suspended solids. Removal efficiencies from the aqueous phase based on the dissolved PPCPs showed variable contribution in removing different PPCPs under screen and grit chamber, anaerobic treatment, anoxic treatment, oxic treatment and sedimentation-UV treatments, with the highest removal percentage by anaerobic process in terms of both individual and overall treatment. Mass load analysis showed that 352 g PPCPs enter the WWTP daily while 14.5 g and 58.1 g were discharged through effluent and excess sludge to the receiving sea water and soil applications, respectively. Mass balance analysis based on both aqueous and suspended PPCPs showed 280 g (79.4%) mass of influent PPCPs was lost along the wastewater treatment processes, mainly due to degradation/transformation. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd
Subjects
A2/O process; Mass balance; Mass load; PPCPs; Removal
SDGs
Other Subjects
Antibiotics; Bioassay; Effluents; Grit chambers; Reclamation; Removal; Sewage pumping plants; Water treatment plants; A2/O process; Mass balance; Mass load; Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Pharmaceuticals and personal care products; PPCPs; Wastewater treatment plants; Wastewater treatment process; Wastewater treatment; acetophenone; aspartame; benzyl paraben; caffeine; carbamazepine; chlortetracycline; ciprofloxacin; cyclophosphamide; diazepam; diclofenac; fenoprofen; glibenclamide; ibuprofen; indometacin; losartan; mefenamic acid; methyl paraben; metoprolol; naproxen; octocrylene; oxybenzone; oxytetracycline; paracetamol; phenazone; pirenzepine; propyphenazone; sea water; sotalol; sulfadiazine; sulfadimidine; cosmetic; drug; waste water; water pollutant; anoxic conditions; antibiotics; chemical mass balance; composite; drug; effluent; oxic conditions; pollutant removal; PPCP; sampling; sludge; wastewater treatment; wastewater treatment plant; adsorption; Article; biodegradation; China; complex formation; degradation; dissolution; effluent; ionization; liquid chromatography; multiple reaction monitoring; priority journal; quadrupole mass spectrometry; retention time; sedimentation; sludge; suspended particulate matter; waste water; waste water treatment plant; water sampling; sewage; waste water; water pollutant; China; Fujian; Xiamen; China; Cosmetics; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Waste Water; Water Pollutants, Chemical
Type
journal article