scholarly journals Spatiotemporal distributions and ecological risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in groundwater in North China

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 911-924
Author(s):  
Jin Wu ◽  
Jingchao Liu ◽  
Zenghui Pan ◽  
Boxin Wang ◽  
Dasheng Zhang

Abstract The contamination of surface water by pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) has attracted widespread attention, but data regarding their impacts on groundwater (GW) are sparse. In river–GW interaction areas, rivers are likely an important source of PPCPs in aquifers, especially rivers impacted by sewage treatment plant effluent. Understanding the characterization, transport, and risk is valuable for the effective protection of vital aquatic ecosystem services, environmental health, and drinking water supplies. To attain this objective, statistics with spatial analysis and ecological risk were used to assess the effects of artificial recharge (AR) engineering on 16 PPCPs in aquifers in North China. The results indicated that 15 PPCPs were detected in unconfined and confined aquifers, with a few PPCPs being detected up to 1,000 ng/L. The most frequently detected PPCPs were sulfisoxazole, sulfachloropyridazine, sulfamerazine, sulfamethazine, sulfamethoxazole, and ibuprofen. In addition, the spatial and seasonal variations in most PPCPs were significant. Furthermore, the maximum concentrations were compared to the predicted no-effect concentrations to evaluate the ecological risk, and four PPCPs were found to be of medium or high ecological risk. This study highlights that AR engineering has a significant ecological effect on GW.

Author(s):  
A. Gontaszewska ◽  
A. Kraiński

The influence of sludge on the groundwater’s quality has been shown on the bases of the agricultural exploitation of the sludge from a sewage-treatment plant. Little thickness of unsaturated zone (8.8 m) is not effective protection against the infiltration of the pollution from the surface. Unsaturated zone consist of sand of permeability coefficient k=0,68 m/h. The time of the vertical infiltration into the aquifer has been estimated at t=14,4 days. The investigations carried out during fertilization with the sludge have revealed an undoubted increase in the concentration of some ions as well as the increase in pH of the groundwater. The increase in the amount of some ions (e.g. N-NO3, SO4, Zn) as well as detergents indicates the possibility (as function of time) of reaching higher values than the ones permissible for drinking water. The phenomenon of the increase in the concentration of the particular ions will be accelerated after depletion of sorption of the soil in the unsaturated zone. The time can be estimated for not more than several years, taking into account a small area of the fertilized fields and high contents of “pollution” in the sludge (the total of the heavy metals reaches up to 1,5 g/kg)


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Laura Kuskopf ◽  
Madoc Sheehan ◽  
Anna Whelan

There are potentially many thousands of municipally derived contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) present in discharged wastewaters that may cause adverse effects in receiving aquatic environments. Wastewater authorities, therefore, may face the momentous task of investigating these compounds with little or no prior CEC data for their sewage treatment plants (STPs). Such is the case for the Cleveland Bay Sewage Treatment Plant (CBSTP). To evaluate the potential environmental risk posed by municipal CECs, it is first necessary to understand which CECs are present in discharging wastewater, how they will be sampled and quantified, and which CECs are the most concerning regarding ecological risk. A Sampling Analysis and Quality Plan (SAQP) is a valuable tool that can be used to critically review and detail the strategy that will be adopted to achieve these outcomes. As such, this paper describes the development of a SAQP for screening wastewaters released from the CBSTP into Cleveland Bay as part of a preliminary CEC assessment. This paper describes the qualitative decision-making process employed to shortlist CECs into those perceived to pose the greatest ecological risk. In addition, the rationale and methods adopted to determine sampling locations and frequency are described.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (21) ◽  
pp. 6711
Author(s):  
Mu You ◽  
Yunhu Hu ◽  
Yule Yan ◽  
Jie Yao

In order to fully understand the morphological characteristics and pollution status of heavy metals in the dewatered sludge of Huainan Municipal sewage treatment plant, the physical and chemical properties were analyzed, and the content and occurrence forms of heavy metals (As, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, and Ni) in the sludge were studied using the geological accumulation method (Igeo), risk assessment coding method (RAC), and potential ecological risk index method to evaluate the ecological risk. The results showed that the municipal sludge in Huainan was rich in nutrients, with good prospects for agricultural utilization. There were differences in the morphological distributions of different heavy metals. The Igeo values for Ni, As, Cr, and Pb were below 0. The results of RAC indicated that the risk level of Cr in sludge was a low risk, and those of other heavy metals were moderate risks. The potential ecological risk of Cd had the highest potential ecological risk, and the other six metals were of low ecological risk. This conclusion can provide basic data and a theoretical reference for the comprehensive utilization of sludge in sewage treatment plants.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-151
Author(s):  
Peter Lukac ◽  
Lubos Jurik

Abstract:Phosphorus is a major substance that is needed especially for agricultural production or for the industry. At the same time it is an important component of wastewater. At present, the waste management priority is recycling and this requirement is also transferred to wastewater treatment plants. Substances in wastewater can be recovered and utilized. In Europe (in Germany and Austria already legally binding), access to phosphorus-containing sewage treatment is changing. This paper dealt with the issue of phosphorus on the sewage treatment plant in Nitra. There are several industrial areas in Nitra where record major producers in phosphorus production in sewage. The new wastewater treatment plant is built as a mechanicalbiological wastewater treatment plant with simultaneous nitrification and denitrification, sludge regeneration, an anaerobic zone for biological phosphorus removal at the beginning of the process and chemical phosphorus precipitation. The sludge management is anaerobic sludge stabilization with heating and mechanical dewatering of stabilized sludge and gas management. The aim of the work was to document the phosphorus balance in all parts of the wastewater treatment plant - from the inflow of raw water to the outflow of purified water and the production of excess sludge. Balancing quantities in the wastewater treatment plant treatment processes provide information where efficient phosphorus recovery could be possible. The mean daily value of P tot is approximately 122.3 kg/day of these two sources. The mean daily value of P tot is approximately 122.3 kg/day of these two sources. There are also two outflows - drainage of cleaned water to the recipient - the river Nitra - 9.9 kg Ptot/day and Ptot content in sewage sludge - about 120.3 kg Ptot/day - total 130.2 kg Ptot/day.


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