1
|
Pang L, He K, Zhang Y, Li P, Lin Y, Yue J. Predicting environmental risks of pharmaceutical residues by wastewater surveillance: An analysis based on pharmaceutical sales and their excretion data. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 916:170204. [PMID: 38262535 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Pharmaceutical residues are increasingly becoming a significant source of environmental water pollution and ecological risk. This study, leveraging official national pharmaceutical sales statistics, predicts the environmental concentrations of 33 typical pharmaceuticals in the Tianjin area. The results show that 52 % of the drugs have a PEC/MEC (Predicted Environmental Concentration/Measured Environmental Concentration) ratio within the acceptable range of 0.5-2, including atenolol (1.21), carbamazepine (1.22), and sulfamethoxazole (0.91). Among the selected drugs, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and acetaminophen had the highest predicted concentrations. The EPI (Estimation Programs Interface) biodegradation model, a tool from the US Environmental Protection Agency, is used to predict the removal efficiency of compounds in wastewater treatment plants. The results indicate that the EPI predictions are acceptable for macrolide antibiotics and β-blockers, with removal rates of roxithromycin, spiramycin, acetaminophen, and carbamazepine being 14.1 %, 61.2 %, 75.1 %, and 44.5 %, respectively. However, the model proved to be less effective for fluoroquinolone antibiotics. The ECOSAR (Ecological Structure-Activity Relationships) model was used to supplement the assessment of the potential impacts of drugs on aquatic ecosystems, further refining the analysis of pharmaceutical environmental risks. By combining the concentration and detection frequency of pharmaceutical wastewater, this study identified 9 drugs with significant toxicological risks and marked another 24 drugs as substances of potential concern. Additionally, this study provides data support for addressing pharmaceutical residues of priority concern in subsequent research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lihao Pang
- College of Environmental Science and Safety Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Kai He
- College of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 51000, China.
| | - Yuxuan Zhang
- College of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 51000, China
| | - Penghui Li
- College of Environmental Science and Safety Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Yingchao Lin
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China.
| | - Junjie Yue
- College of Environmental Science and Safety Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Cole DL, Ruiz-Mercado GJ, Zavala VM. A graph-based modeling framework for tracing hydrological pollutant transport in surface waters. Comput Chem Eng 2023; 179:1-12. [PMID: 38264312 PMCID: PMC10805248 DOI: 10.1016/j.compchemeng.2023.108457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Anthropogenic pollution of hydrological systems affects diverse communities and ecosystems around the world. Data analytics and modeling tools play a key role in fighting this challenge, as they can help identify key sources as well as trace transport and quantify impact within complex hydrological systems. Several tools exist for simulating and tracing pollutant transport throughout surface waters using detailed physical models; these tools are powerful, but can be computationally intensive, require significant amounts of data to be developed, and require expert knowledge for their use (ultimately limiting application scope). In this work, we present a graph modeling framework - which we call HydroGraphs - for understanding pollutant transport and fate across waterbodies, rivers, and watersheds. This framework uses a simplified representation of hydrological systems that can be constructed based purely on open-source data (National Hydrography Dataset and Watershed Boundary Dataset). The graph representation provides a flexible intuitive approach for capturing connectivity and for identifying upstream pollutant sources and for tracing downstream impacts within small and large hydrological systems. Moreover, the graph representation can facilitate the use of advanced algorithms and tools of graph theory, topology, optimization, and machine learning to aid data analytics and decision-making. We demonstrate the capabilities of our framework by using case studies in the State of Wisconsin; here, we aim to identify upstream nutrient pollutant sources that arise from agricultural practices and trace downstream impacts to waterbodies, rivers, and streams. Our tool ultimately seeks to help stakeholders design effective pollution prevention/mitigation practices and evaluate how surface waters respond to such practices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David L. Cole
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, United States of America
| | - Gerardo J. Ruiz-Mercado
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268, United States of America
- Chemical Engineering Graduate Program, Universidad del Atlántico, Puerto Colombia 080007, Colombia
| | - Victor M. Zavala
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lee J, Acosta N, Waddell BJ, Du K, Xiang K, Van Doorn J, Low K, Bautista MA, McCalder J, Dai X, Lu X, Chekouo T, Pradhan P, Sedaghat N, Papparis C, Buchner Beaudet A, Chen J, Chan L, Vivas L, Westlund P, Bhatnagar S, Stefani S, Visser G, Cabaj J, Bertazzon S, Sarabi S, Achari G, Clark RG, Hrudey SE, Lee BE, Pang X, Webster B, Ghali WA, Buret AG, Williamson T, Southern DA, Meddings J, Frankowski K, Hubert CRJ, Parkins MD. Campus node-based wastewater surveillance enables COVID-19 case localization and confirms lower SARS-CoV-2 burden relative to the surrounding community. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 244:120469. [PMID: 37634459 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) has been established as a powerful tool that can guide health policy at multiple levels of government. However, this approach has not been well assessed at more granular scales, including large work sites such as University campuses. Between August 2021 and April 2022, we explored the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater using qPCR assays from multiple complimentary sewer catchments and residential buildings spanning the University of Calgary's campus and how this compared to levels from the municipal wastewater treatment plant servicing the campus. Real-time contact tracing data was used to evaluate an association between wastewater SARS-CoV-2 burden and clinically confirmed cases and to assess the potential of WBS as a tool for disease monitoring across worksites. Concentrations of wastewater SARS-CoV-2 N1 and N2 RNA varied significantly across six sampling sites - regardless of several normalization strategies - with certain catchments consistently demonstrating values 1-2 orders higher than the others. Relative to clinical cases identified in specific sewersheds, WBS provided one-week leading indicator. Additionally, our comprehensive monitoring strategy enabled an estimation of the total burden of SARS-CoV-2 for the campus per capita, which was significantly lower than the surrounding community (p≤0.001). Allele-specific qPCR assays confirmed that variants across campus were representative of the community at large, and at no time did emerging variants first debut on campus. This study demonstrates how WBS can be efficiently applied to locate hotspots of disease activity at a very granular scale, and predict disease burden across large, complex worksites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jangwoo Lee
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 2V5, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Nicole Acosta
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 2V5, Canada
| | - Barbara J Waddell
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 2V5, Canada
| | - Kristine Du
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 2V5, Canada
| | - Kevin Xiang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Jennifer Van Doorn
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Kashtin Low
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Maria A Bautista
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Janine McCalder
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 2V5, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Xiaotian Dai
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Xuewen Lu
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Thierry Chekouo
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | - Puja Pradhan
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 2V5, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Navid Sedaghat
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 2V5, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Chloe Papparis
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 2V5, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Alexander Buchner Beaudet
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 2V5, Canada
| | - Jianwei Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Leslie Chan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Laura Vivas
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | | | - Srijak Bhatnagar
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Faculty of Science and Technology, Athabasca University, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada
| | - September Stefani
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 2V5, Canada
| | - Gail Visser
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 2V5, Canada
| | - Jason Cabaj
- Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Canada; Provincial Population & Public Health, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Canada; O'Brien Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | | | - Shahrzad Sarabi
- Department of Geography, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Gopal Achari
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Rhonda G Clark
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Steve E Hrudey
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Analytical and Environmental Toxicology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Bonita E Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Women & Children's Health Research Institute, Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Xiaoli Pang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Alberta Precision Laboratories, Public Health Laboratory, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Brendan Webster
- Occupational Health Staff Wellness, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - William Amin Ghali
- Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Canada; O'Brien Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Centre for Health Informatics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Andre Gerald Buret
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Tyler Williamson
- Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; O'Brien Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Centre for Health Informatics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Danielle A Southern
- Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; O'Brien Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Centre for Health Informatics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Jon Meddings
- Department of Medicine, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Canada
| | - Kevin Frankowski
- Advancing Canadian Water Assets, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Casey R J Hubert
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Michael D Parkins
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 2V5, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Canada; O'Brien Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hanamoto S, Yamamoto-Ikemoto R, Tanaka H. Spatiotemporal distribution of veterinary and human drugs and its predictability in Japanese catchments. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 867:161514. [PMID: 36634780 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about the predictability of mass flows of veterinary drugs in Asian catchments, where effluent from livestock farms is a major source. We therefore conducted this study to understand the applicability and limitations of a population-based emission model, which assumed usage of veterinary and human drugs to be evenly distributed over the national livestock or human population throughout the year, and sources to be effluent discharges at livestock farms, households, and sewage treatment plants in Japanese catchments. We monitored five veterinary drugs (lincomycin, sulfamonomethoxine, tiamulin, tylosin, and tilmicosin), two human and livestock drugs (sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim), two human drugs (carbamazepine and clarithromycin), and a metabolite (sulfapyridine) of a human drug once a month over 2 years in eight Japanese rivers which have active livestock farming in their catchments. Mass flows of carbamazepine and sulfapyridine were stable, while those of veterinary drugs fluctuated widely, especially sulfamonomethoxine and tilmicosin, whose 25 %-100 % ranges averaged 1.5 and 1.2 log units, respectively, attributable mainly to their usage patterns. The model accurately predicted mean mass flows of carbamazepine in the rivers with errors of <±0.3 log unit. Although it slightly to moderately overestimated those of the other four human-related compounds, the incorporation of an empirical correction factor, determined to minimize mean absolute error (MAE) among the rivers, substantially lowered their MAEs to <0.23 log units. However, the MAEs of the five veterinary drugs were as high as 0.42 (sulfamonomethoxine) to 0.60 (tiamulin) log units even with the coefficient, likely due mainly to the spatial distribution of their usage per capita. So as not to overlook spatiotemporal elevation of risks of veterinary drugs, a stochastic method should be applied in their management. This is the first study to assess the use of spatiotemporal homogeneity in usage per capita of veterinary drugs in Asian catchments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seiya Hanamoto
- Environment Preservation Center, Kanazawa University, Kakumamachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan.
| | - Ryoko Yamamoto-Ikemoto
- Environment Preservation Center, Kanazawa University, Kakumamachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Tanaka
- Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Jiang X, Zhang Y, Zhang F, Tian J, Zhang L, Zhao X, Cui F. Fungi-enabled pore channel regulation and defect engineering of a novel micro-reactor for treating complex effluents. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:8564-8573. [PMID: 36883830 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp05608a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Defect engineering has become a significant research area in recent years; however, little has been reported on the biological method for modulating the intrinsic carbon defects of the biochar framework. Herein, a fungi-enabled method for the fabrication of porous carbon/Fe3O4/Ag (PC/Fe3O4/Ag) composites was developed, and the mechanism underlying the hierarchical structure is elucidated for the first time. By regulating the cultivation process of fungi on water hyacinth biomass, a well-developed interconnected structure and carbon defects acting as potential catalytic active sites were formed. This new material with antibacterial, adsorption and photodegradation properties could be an excellent choice for treating the mixed dyestuff effluents with oils and bacteria, also guiding pore channel regulation and defect engineering in materials science. Numerical simulations were carried out to demonstrate the remarkable catalytic activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoying Jiang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China.
| | - Yan Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China.
| | - Feiyang Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China.
| | - Jiashuo Tian
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China.
| | - Liuping Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China.
| | - Xinrui Zhao
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China.
| | - Fengling Cui
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Arvaniti OS, Arvaniti ES, Gyparakis S, Sabathianakis I, Karagiannis E, Pettas E, Gkotsis G, Nika MC, Thomaidis NS, Manios T, Fountoulakis MS, Stasinakis AS. Occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the wastewater of a Greek hospital: Combining consumption data collection and LC-QTOF-MS analysis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 858:160153. [PMID: 36379345 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In this article we applied drug consumption approach and chemical analysis in parallel to investigate the concentrations of a large number of pharmaceuticals in different streams of a General Hospital. Drugs consumption data was collected during two periods (Period 1, 2) and the predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) were estimated for the wastewater of a building housing specific medical services (Point A) and for the entire hospital (Point B). Hospital wastewater samples (HWW) samples were also collected from these points and periods and the measured environmental concentrations (MEC) were determined using UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS. According to consumption data, the highest number of drugs was consumed in the departments of Hematology, Intensive Care Unit, Cardiology, Internal Medicine, and Oncology, while the number of active substances used in the hospital was 413 (Period 1) and 362 (Period 2). For most substances, much higher PEC and MEC values were found at the HWW of Point A indicating that on-site treatment of this stream could be examined in the future. The application of wide-scope target analysis allowed the quantification of 122 compounds, while 21 additional substances were identified using suspect screening. The highest mean concentrations in Period 1 were found for acetaminophen (1100 μg/L) and rifaximin (723 μg/L), while in Period 2 for iopromide (458 μg/L) and acyclovir (408 μg/L). Among the detected compounds, 19 metabolites were determined. Atenolol acid, 1-hydroxy-midazolam and clopidogrel carboxylic acid were quantified at concentrations much higher than parent compounds indicating the importance of metabolites' monitoring in HWW. Calculation of PEC/MEC ratio for 36 pharmaceuticals showed sufficient correlation of these values for 19 % to 33 % of the substances depending on the examined period and sampling point. The parallel collection of drugs consumption data and chemical analysis give a thorough picture of the substances present in HWW and their main sources, facilitating decision-making for their better management.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- O S Arvaniti
- Water and Air Quality Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, University Hill, Mytilene 81100, Greece; Department of Agricultural Development, Agrofood and Management of Natural Resources, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Psachna 34400, Greece.
| | - E S Arvaniti
- Water and Air Quality Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, University Hill, Mytilene 81100, Greece
| | - S Gyparakis
- Department of Agriculture, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Estavromenos, Heraklion 71410, Crete, Greece
| | - I Sabathianakis
- Department of Agriculture, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Estavromenos, Heraklion 71410, Crete, Greece
| | - E Karagiannis
- Medical Waste SA, Heraklion Industrial Area, Heraklion 71601, Greece
| | - E Pettas
- Medical Waste SA, Heraklion Industrial Area, Heraklion 71601, Greece
| | - G Gkotsis
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 15771, Greece
| | - M C Nika
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 15771, Greece
| | - N S Thomaidis
- Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 15771, Greece
| | - T Manios
- Department of Agriculture, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Estavromenos, Heraklion 71410, Crete, Greece
| | - M S Fountoulakis
- Water and Air Quality Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, University Hill, Mytilene 81100, Greece
| | - A S Stasinakis
- Water and Air Quality Laboratory, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, University Hill, Mytilene 81100, Greece.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Ginebreda A, Jurado A, Pujades E, Barceló D. An advection-reaction model of emerging contaminants in ground and surface waterbodies with known topology: a data-based approach. MethodsX 2022; 10:101948. [PMID: 36504498 PMCID: PMC9727636 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2022.101948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A simple data-based advection-reaction (reactive transport) model applicable to both rivers and aquifers monitoring networks is proposed. It is built on (a) available monitoring data, and (b) graph-theoretical concepts, specifically making use of the Laplacian matrix to capture the network topology and the advection process. The method yields useful information regarding the dynamic spatial behavior of the variables monitored, expressed in terms of quantitative parameters like characteristic length, entropy, first-order decay constants, synchronization between sites, and the external inputs/outputs to the system. The model was tested in an unconfined shallow aquifer located in the lower Besòs River (Spain), in which 37 pharmaceutical compounds were monitored at 7 sites, alongside two campaigns (February and May 2021). Characteristic lengths were, on average, of the same order (24.5 m) as the mean distance between consecutive monitoring sites (33.6 m), thus reflecting an adequate monitoring network design. From an estimated mean advection velocity (0.24 m·h-1), first-order decay constants were calculated for each compound and campaign, with mean values of 0.025 h-1 (February) and 0.005 h-1 (May). Whereas entropy was generally slightly larger values in February than in May (mean values of 1.02 and 0.9 entropy units respectively), synchronization showed the opposite trend (mean values of 62.4% and 68.8% respectively). The input/output profiles were generally site-dependent, regardless of the compound, and campaign considered. • A new advection-reaction modeling approach directly based on experimental data obtained from monitoring campaigns together with the network topology is proposed. • The method yields new quantitative information regarding the dynamic behavior of the variables monitored, useful for both research and management purposes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antoni Ginebreda
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Severo Ochoa Excellence Center of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Jordi Girona 18–26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain,Corresponding author.
| | - Anna Jurado
- Department of Geosciences, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Severo Ochoa Excellence Center of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Jordi Girona 18–26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Estanislao Pujades
- Department of Geosciences, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Severo Ochoa Excellence Center of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Jordi Girona 18–26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Damià Barceló
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Severo Ochoa Excellence Center of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Jordi Girona 18–26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain,ICRA-CERCA, Catalan Institute for Water Research, Scientific and Technologic Park of the UdG, Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Pistocchi A, Alygizakis NA, Brack W, Boxall A, Cousins IT, Drewes JE, Finckh S, Gallé T, Launay MA, McLachlan MS, Petrovic M, Schulze T, Slobodnik J, Ternes T, Van Wezel A, Verlicchi P, Whalley C. European scale assessment of the potential of ozonation and activated carbon treatment to reduce micropollutant emissions with wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 848:157124. [PMID: 35792263 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Micropollutants (MPs) in wastewater pose a growing concern for their potential adverse effects on the receiving aquatic environment, and some countries have started requiring that wastewater treatment plants remove them to a certain extent. Broad spectrum advanced treatment processes, such as ozonation, activated carbon or their combination, are expected to yield a significant reduction in the toxicity of effluents. Here we quantify the reduction of effluent toxicity potentially achieved by implementing these advanced treatment solutions in a selection of European wastewater treatment plants. To this end, we refer to a list of "total pollution proxy substances" (TPPS) composed of 1337 chemicals commonly found in wastewater effluents according to a compilation of datasets of measured concentrations. We consider these substances as an approximation of the "chemical universe" impinging on the European wastewater system. We evaluate the fate of the TPPS in conventional and advanced treatment plants using a compilation of experimental physicochemical properties that describe their sorption, volatilization and biodegradation during activated sludge treatment, as well as known removal efficiency in ozonation and activated carbon treatment, while filling the gaps through in silico prediction models. We estimate that the discharge of micropollutants with wastewater effluents in the European Union has a cumulative MP toxicity to the environment equal to the discharge of untreated wastewater of ca. 160 million population equivalents (PE), i.e. about 30 % of the generated wastewater in the EU. If all plants above a capacity of 100,000 PE were equipped with advanced treatment, we show that this load would be reduced to about 95 million PE. In addition, implementing advanced treatment in wastewater plants above 10,000 PE discharging to water bodies with an average dilution ratio smaller than 10 would yield a widespread improvement in terms of exposure of freshwater ecosystems to micropollutants, almost halving the part of the stream network exposed to the highest toxic risks. Our analysis provides background for a cost-effectiveness appraisal of advanced treatment "at the end of the pipe", which could lead to optimized interventions. This should not be regarded as a stand-alone solution, but as a complement to policies for the control of emissions at the source for the most problematic MPs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Werner Brack
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Evolutionary Ecology and Environmental Toxicology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Alistair Boxall
- Environment and Geography Department, University of York, Heslington York YO10 5NG, UK
| | - Ian T Cousins
- Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jörg E Drewes
- Urban Water Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Saskia Finckh
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tom Gallé
- LIST, Environmental Research and Innovation Dept., 41 rue du Brill, L-4422 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Marie A Launay
- Micropollutants Competence Centre Baden-Württemberg, Institute of Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management, University of Stuttgart, Bandtaele 2, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Michael S McLachlan
- Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mira Petrovic
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Girona, and Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tobias Schulze
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | | | | | - Annemarie Van Wezel
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Paola Verlicchi
- Department of Engineering, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Hsu SY, Bayati M, Li C, Hsieh HY, Belenchia A, Klutts J, Zemmer SA, Reynolds M, Semkiw E, Johnson HY, Foley T, Wieberg CG, Wenzel J, Johnson MC, Lin CH. Biomarkers selection for population normalization in SARS-CoV-2 wastewater-based epidemiology. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 223:118985. [PMID: 36030667 PMCID: PMC9376872 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been one of the most cost-effective approaches to track the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) levels in the communities since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in 2020. Normalizing SARS-CoV-2 concentrations by the population biomarkers in wastewater is critical for interpreting the viral loads, comparing the epidemiological trends among the sewersheds, and identifying the vulnerable communities. In this study, five population biomarkers, pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), creatinine (CRE), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), caffeine (CAF) and its metabolite paraxanthine (PARA) were investigated and validated for their utility in normalizing the SARS-CoV-2 loads through two normalizing approaches using the data from 64 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Missouri. Their utility in assessing the real-time population contributing to the wastewater was also evaluated. The best performing candidate was further tested for its capacity for improving correlation between normalized SARS-CoV-2 loads and the clinical cases reported in the City of Columbia, Missouri, a university town with a constantly fluctuating population. Our results showed that, except CRE, the direct and indirect normalization approaches using biomarkers allow accounting for the changes in wastewater dilution and differences in relative human waste input over time regardless flow volume and population of the given WWTP. Among selected biomarkers, PARA is the most reliable population biomarker in determining the SARS-CoV-2 load per capita due to its high accuracy, low variability, and high temporal consistency to reflect the change in population dynamics and dilution in wastewater. It also demonstrated its excellent utility for real-time assessment of the population contributing to the wastewater. In addition, the viral loads normalized by the PARA-estimated population significantly improved the correlation (rho=0.5878, p < 0.05) between SARS-CoV-2 load per capita and case numbers per capita. This chemical biomarker complements the current normalization scheme recommended by CDC and helps us understand the size, distribution, and dynamics of local populations for forecasting the prevalence of SARS-CoV2 within each sewershed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Yu Hsu
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA; Center for Agroforestry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Mohamed Bayati
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Chenhui Li
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Hsin-Yeh Hsieh
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Anthony Belenchia
- Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Community and Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Jessica Klutts
- Water Protection Program, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Sally A Zemmer
- Water Protection Program, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Melissa Reynolds
- Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Community and Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Elizabeth Semkiw
- Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Community and Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Hwei-Yiing Johnson
- Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Community and Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Trevor Foley
- Missouri Department of Corrections, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Chris G Wieberg
- Water Protection Program, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Jeff Wenzel
- Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Community and Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Marc C Johnson
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, School of Medicine and the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Chung-Ho Lin
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA; Center for Agroforestry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Hsu SY, Bayati MB, Li C, Hsieh HY, Belenchia A, Klutts J, Zemmer SA, Reynolds M, Semkiw E, Johnson HY, Foley T, Wieberg CG, Wenzel J, Johnson MC, Lin CH. Biomarkers Selection for Population Normalization in SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater-based Epidemiology. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2022:2022.03.14.22272359. [PMID: 35313587 PMCID: PMC8936110 DOI: 10.1101/2022.03.14.22272359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been one of the most cost-effective approaches to track the SARS-CoV-2 levels in the communities since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. Normalizing SARS-CoV-2 concentrations by the population biomarkers in wastewater can be critical for interpreting the viral loads, comparing the epidemiological trends among the sewersheds, and identifying the vulnerable communities. In this study, five population biomarkers, pepper mild mottle virus (pMMoV), creatinine (CRE), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), caffeine (CAF) and its metabolite paraxanthine (PARA) were investigated for their utility in normalizing the SARS-CoV-2 loads through developed direct and indirect approaches. Their utility in assessing the real-time population contributing to the wastewater was also evaluated. The best performed candidate was further tested for its capacity for improving correlation between normalized SARS-CoV-2 loads and the clinical cases reported in the City of Columbia, Missouri, a university town with a constantly fluctuated population. Our results showed that, except CRE, the direct and indirect normalization approaches using biomarkers allow accounting for the changes in wastewater dilution and differences in relative human waste input over time regardless flow volume and population at any given WWTP. Among selected biomarkers, PARA is the most reliable population biomarker in determining the SARS-CoV-2 load per capita due to its high accuracy, low variability, and high temporal consistency to reflect the change in population dynamics and dilution in wastewater. It also demonstrated its excellent utility for real-time assessment of the population contributing to the wastewater. In addition, the viral loads normalized by the PARA-estimated population significantly improved the correlation ( rho =0.5878, p <0.05) between SARS-CoV-2 load per capita and case numbers per capita. This chemical biomarker offers an excellent alternative to the currently CDC-recommended pMMoV genetic biomarker to help us understand the size, distribution, and dynamics of local populations for forecasting the prevalence of SARS-CoV2 within each sewershed. HIGHLIGHT bullet points The paraxanthine (PARA), the metabolite of the caffeine, is a more reliable population biomarker in SARS-CoV-2 wastewater-based epidemiology studies than the currently recommended pMMoV genetic marker.SARS-CoV-2 load per capita could be directly normalized using the regression functions derived from correlation between paraxanthine and population without flowrate and population data.Normalizing SARS-CoV-2 levels with the chemical marker PARA significantly improved the correlation between viral loads per capita and case numbers per capita.The chemical marker PARA demonstrated its excellent utility for real-time assessment of the population contributing to the wastewater.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Yu Hsu
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
- Center for Agroforestry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Mohamed B Bayati
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Chenhui Li
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Hsin-Yeh Hsieh
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Anthony Belenchia
- Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Community and Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Jessica Klutts
- Water Protection Program, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Sally A Zemmer
- Water Protection Program, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Melissa Reynolds
- Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Community and Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Elizabeth Semkiw
- Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Community and Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Hwei-Yiing Johnson
- Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Community and Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Trevor Foley
- Missouri Department of Corrections, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Chris G Wieberg
- Water Protection Program, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Jeff Wenzel
- Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, Division of Community and Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Jefferson City, MO, USA
| | - Marc C Johnson
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, School of Medicine and the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Chung-Ho Lin
- School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
- Center for Agroforestry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Zou Y, Griveau S, Ringuedé A, Bedioui F, Richard C, Slim C. Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube–Based Aptasensors for Diclofenac Detection. Front Chem 2022; 9:812909. [PMID: 35141204 PMCID: PMC8818859 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.812909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Driven by the increasing concern about the risk of diclofenac (DCF) residues as water pollutants in the aqueous environment and the growing need for its trace determination, a simple but sensitive electrochemical aptasensor for the trace detection of DCF was developed. To construct the aptasensor, the amine-terminated DCF aptamer was covalently immobilized on the surface of the carboxylic acid–functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube (f-MWCNT)–modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) through EDC/NHS chemistry. The f-MWCNTs provide a reliable matrix for aptamer immobilization with high grafting density, while the aptamer serves as a biorecognition probe for DCF. The obtained aptasensor was incubated with DCF solutions at different concentrations and was then investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It displays two linear ranges of concentration for DCF detection, from 250 fM to 1pM and from 1 pM to 500 nM with an extremely low detection limit of 162 fM. Also, the developed biosensor shows great reproducibility, acceptable stability, and reliable selectivity. Therefore, it offers a simple but effective aptasensor construction strategy for trace detection of DCF and is anticipated to show great potential for environmental applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zou
- Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences (i-CLeHS), Chimie ParisTech, PSL Research University, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Griveau
- Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences (i-CLeHS), Chimie ParisTech, PSL Research University, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Armelle Ringuedé
- Institut de Recherche de Chimie de Paris (IRCP), PSL Research University, CNRS, Chimie ParisTech, Paris, France
| | - Fethi Bedioui
- Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences (i-CLeHS), Chimie ParisTech, PSL Research University, CNRS, Paris, France
| | | | - Cyrine Slim
- Institute of Chemistry for Life and Health Sciences (i-CLeHS), Chimie ParisTech, PSL Research University, CNRS, Paris, France
- *Correspondence: Cyrine Slim,
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Di Cicco M, Di Lorenzo T, Fiasca B, Ruggieri F, Cimini A, Panella G, Benedetti E, Galassi DMP. Effects of diclofenac on the swimming behavior and antioxidant enzyme activities of the freshwater interstitial crustacean Bryocamptus pygmaeus (Crustacea, Harpacticoida). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 799:149461. [PMID: 34426329 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Diclofenac (DCF) is one of the most widespread pharmaceutical compounds found in freshwaters as a pseudo-persistent pollutant due to its continuous release from point and diffuse sources, being its removal in Wastewater Treatment Plants incomplete. Moreover, DCF is particularly persistent in interstitial habitats and potentially toxic for the species that spend their whole life cycle among the same sediment grains. This study is aimed at offering a first contribution to the assessment of DCF effects on freshwater invertebrate species living in the interstitial habitats of springs, rivers, lakes and groundwaters. The Crustacea Copepoda are one of the main components of the freshwater interstitial communities, with the primacy taken by the worm-like and small-sized harpacticoids. A sub-lethal concentration of 50 μg L-1 DCF significantly affected six out of the eight behavior parameters of the burrower/interstitial crustacean harpacticoid Bryocamptus pygmaeus recorded by video tracking analysis. DCF exposure reduced swimming speed, swimming activity, exploration ability and thigmotaxis, and increased swimming path tortuosity. The biochemical approach revealed a reduced level of the mitochondrial superoxide dismutase 2 in individuals exposed to DCF. It could be explained by a decline in mitochondrial performance or by a reduced number of functional mitochondria. Since mitochondrial dysfunction may determine ATP reduction, it comes that less energy is produced for maintaining the cell functions of the DCF-exposed individuals. In addition, the increasing energy demand for the detoxification process further contributes to decrease the total energetic budget allocated for other physiological activities. These observations can explain the changes we have observed in the swimming behavior of the copepod B. pygmaeus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Di Cicco
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Tiziana Di Lorenzo
- Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems of the National Research Council, Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy; "Emil Racovita" Institute of Speleology, Romanian Academy, Clinicilor 5, Cluj Napoca 400006, Romania
| | - Barbara Fiasca
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Ruggieri
- Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Annamaria Cimini
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Gloria Panella
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Benedetti
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Diana M P Galassi
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Martemyanov VI, Berezina NA, Mavrin AS, Sharov AN. Shifted mineral ions transport in the mollusk Unio pictorum exposed to environmental concentrations of diclofenac. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2021; 248:109107. [PMID: 34126253 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2021.109107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies showed that diclofenac (DCF), when released in the environment, can be toxic to aquatic animals (fish and mollusks), affecting gills, which are the main organ of ionic regulation. This study focuses on detecting the effects of relevant environmental concentrations of DCF (0.1-1 μg L-1) on the transport of main mineral cations, i.e. sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg), by widely distributed freshwater bivalve mollusks Unio pictorum. After 96-h exposure to river aerated water at 25 °C with DCF concentrations of 0 (control), 0.1 (treatment I), and 1 μg L-1 (treatment II), the mollusks were transferred to deionized water, and daily (for 7 days) concentrations of these cations in the medium have been measured. Animals exposed to 1 μg L-1 DCF maintained the ionic balance between the organism and the diluted medium at a significantly higher level of Na, K, and Mg ions in water compared to the control and animals exposed to 0.1 μg L-1 DCF. At 0.1 μg L-1 DCF, the greater loss concerning the control (p < 0.05) was found only for Na ion. There were no differences in the dynamics of Ca ions between control and both treatments. This study showed that detectable environmental concentrations of DCF in natural waters can influence the transport of main cations required by freshwater animals to maintain their ionic balance, and the observed effect (elevated ion loss) is ion-specific and also dose-dependent.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir I Martemyanov
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), 152742 Borok, Yaroslavl Province, Russia
| | - Nadezhda A Berezina
- Zoological Institute, RAS, 199034 St. Petersburg, Universitetskaya embankment 1, Russia.
| | - Alexander S Mavrin
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), 152742 Borok, Yaroslavl Province, Russia
| | - Andrey N Sharov
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), 152742 Borok, Yaroslavl Province, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Lämmchen V, Niebaum G, Berlekamp J, Klasmeier J. Geo-referenced simulation of pharmaceuticals in whole watersheds: application of GREAT-ER 4.1 in Germany. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:21926-21935. [PMID: 33411301 PMCID: PMC8106600 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-12189-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The geo-referenced regional exposure assessment tool for European rivers (GREAT-ER) is designed to support river basin management or the implementation process within the EU Water Framework Directive by predicting spatially resolved exposure concentrations in whole watersheds. The usefulness of the complimentary application of targeted monitoring and GREAT-ER simulations is demonstrated with case studies for three pharmaceuticals in selected German watersheds. Comparison with monitoring data corroborates the capability of the probabilistic model approach to predict the expected range of spatial surface water concentrations. Explicit consideration of local pharmaceutical emissions from hospitals or private doctor's offices (e.g., for X-ray contrast agents) can improve predictions on the local scale without compromising regional exposure assessment. Pharmaceuticals exhibiting low concentrations hardly detectable with established analytical methods (e.g., EE2) can be evaluated with model simulations. Management scenarios allow for a priori assessment of risk reduction measures. In combination with targeted monitoring approaches, the GREAT-ER model can serve as valuable support tool for exposure and risk assessment of pharmaceuticals in whole watersheds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Volker Lämmchen
- Institute of Environmental Systems Research, Barbarastr. 12, 49076, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Gunnar Niebaum
- Institute of Environmental Systems Research, Barbarastr. 12, 49076, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Jürgen Berlekamp
- Institute of Environmental Systems Research, Barbarastr. 12, 49076, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Jörg Klasmeier
- Institute of Environmental Systems Research, Barbarastr. 12, 49076, Osnabrück, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Corominas L, Gimeno P, Constantino C, Daldorph P, Comas J. Can source control of pharmaceuticals decrease the investment needs in urban wastewater infrastructure? JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2021; 407:124375. [PMID: 33213978 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The source control of pharmaceuticals involves influencing the everyday consumption volume and compound choice. This paper evaluates how source control contributes to protecting the environmental health and decreasing the investment needs in urban wastewater infrastructure. Different levels of reduction in diclofenac consumption (as recommended by the European Medicines Agency) compensated by equivalent increases in naproxen consumption (a less environmentally harmful compound) are evaluated. The different loads of compounds are fed into a microcontaminant fate and transport model of the Llobregat river basin (Spain) to assess the investment needs in tertiary treatment to reach diclofenac and naproxen concentrations below environmental quality standards. The results show that, despite the implementation of source control measures, tertiary treatment upgrades are still required in every scenario evaluated. Even though source control of pharmaceuticals decreases the investment needs in urban wastewater infrastructure, apparent concentrations reductions (i.e. statistically significant differences relative to the reference situation) are only observed in drastic substitutions of diclofenac by naproxen (a reduction in the total diclofenac consumption by 73% and a corresponding increase in naproxen consumption). The results also show that Spain is on good track with regards to the substitution of diclofenac by naproxen (among the top 5 in Europe), and this paper shows how positive this substitution can be for the environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lluís Corominas
- ICRA, Catalan Institute for Water Research, Carrer Emili Grahit 101, E-17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain.
| | - Pau Gimeno
- ICRA, Catalan Institute for Water Research, Carrer Emili Grahit 101, E-17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Carlos Constantino
- Atkins, (The Hub) 500 Park Avenue, Aztec West, Almondsbury, Bristol BS32 4RZ, UK
| | - Peter Daldorph
- Atkins, (The Hub) 500 Park Avenue, Aztec West, Almondsbury, Bristol BS32 4RZ, UK
| | - Joaquim Comas
- ICRA, Catalan Institute for Water Research, Carrer Emili Grahit 101, E-17003 Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain; Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (LEQUIA), Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, E-17003 Girona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Brückner I, Classen S, Hammers-Wirtz M, Klaer K, Reichert J, Pinnekamp J. Tool for selecting indicator substances to evaluate the impact of wastewater treatment plants on receiving water bodies. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 745:140746. [PMID: 32758737 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The elimination of organic micropollutants (OMPs) from wastewater could in future become mandatory for operators of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Indicator substances are a great help and a cost-efficient way in monitoring the pollution of water bodies with OMPs caused by the discharge of WWTPs. However, with the still increasing number of OMPs in our environment, the selection of suitable indicator substances presents a challenge. A concept was developed to help identify representative indicator substances. The derived indicator substances are not only used to assess water pollution, but can also be used to calculate elimination efficiencies of WWTPs. In the present investigations, the indicator substances were used to evaluate the reduction of OMPs in the water body on the basis of the expansion of a WWTP with an ozonation plant. The transferability of the tool was verified with a second WWTP. Furthermore, the impact of the number of measurements was analysed via statistical combinatorics. With the tool, 36 substances were classified, leading to the identification of 9 suggested indicator substances. Among them ibuprofen and diclofenac attracted attention due to their ecotoxicological relevance. Detailed data analyses were carried out using principal component analysis (PCA) and loads.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ira Brückner
- Eifel-Rur Waterboard, Eisenbahnstr. 5, 52353 Düren, Germany.
| | - Silke Classen
- gaiac Research Institute for Ecosystem Analysis and Assessment, RWTH Aachen University, Kackertstr. 10, 52072 Aachen, Germany
| | - Monika Hammers-Wirtz
- gaiac Research Institute for Ecosystem Analysis and Assessment, RWTH Aachen University, Kackertstr. 10, 52072 Aachen, Germany
| | | | | | - Johannes Pinnekamp
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Mies-van-der-Rohe-Str. 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Acuña V, Bregoli F, Font C, Barceló D, Corominas L, Ginebreda A, Petrovic M, Rodríguez-Roda I, Sabater S, Marcé R. Management actions to mitigate the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in river networks in a global change context. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 143:105993. [PMID: 32738769 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Human consumption of pharmaceuticals leads to high concentrations of pharmaceuticals in wastewater, which is usually not or insufficiently collected and treated before release into freshwater ecosystems. There, pharmaceuticals may pose a threat to aquatic biota. Unfortunately, occurrence data of pharmaceuticals in freshwaters at the global scale is scarce and unevenly distributed, thus preventing the identification of hotspots, the prediction of the impact of Global Change (particularly streamflow and population changes) on their occurrence, and the design of appropriate mitigation actions. Here, we use diclofenac (DCL) as a typical pharmaceutical contaminant, and a global model of DCL chemical fate based on wastewater sanitation, population density and hydrology to estimate current concentrations in the river network, the impact of future changes in runoff and population, and potential mitigation actions in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. Our model is calibrated against measurements available in the literature. We estimate that 2.74 ± 0.63% of global river network length has DCL concentrations exceeding the proposed EU Watch list limit (100 ng L-1). Furthermore, many rivers downstream from highly populated areas show values beyond 1000 ng L-1, particularly those associated to megacities in Asia lacking sufficient wastewater treatment. This situation will worsen with Global Change, as streamflow changes and human population growth will increase the proportion of the river network above 100 ng L-1 up to 3.10 ± 0.72%. Given this background, we assessed feasible source and end-of-pipe mitigation actions, including per capita consumption reduction through eco-directed sustainable prescribing (EDSP), the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 of halving the proportion of population without access to safely managed sanitation services, and improvement of wastewater treatment plants up to the Swiss standards. Among the considered end-of-pipe mitigation actions, implementation of SDG 6 was the most effective, reducing the proportion of the river network above 100 ng L-1 down to 2.95 ± 0.68%. However, EDSP brought this proportion down to 2.80 ± 0.64%. Overall, our findings indicate that the sole implementation of technological improvements will be insufficient to prevent the expected increase in pharmaceuticals concentration, and that technological solution need to be combined with source mitigation actions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- V Acuña
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domenec 3, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - F Bregoli
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Westvest 7, 2601 DA Delft, the Netherlands
| | - C Font
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domenec 3, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - D Barceló
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domenec 3, 17003 Girona, Spain; Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Carrer Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ll Corominas
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domenec 3, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - A Ginebreda
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Carrer Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Petrovic
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; ICREA, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - I Rodríguez-Roda
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domenec 3, 17003 Girona, Spain; Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (LEQUiA), University of Girona, 17071 Girona, Spain
| | - S Sabater
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, 17071 Girona, Spain
| | - R Marcé
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domenec 3, 17003 Girona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Mutzner L, Bohren C, Mangold S, Bloem S, Ort C. Spatial Differences among Micropollutants in Sewer Overflows: A Multisite Analysis Using Passive Samplers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:6584-6593. [PMID: 32223223 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b05148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Untreated sewer overflows can contaminate receiving waters with micropollutants. Although concentrations of discharged micropollutants can be ecotoxicologically relevant, only limited data is available to assess occurrence and spatial differences among sewer overflow catchments. Therefore, we present an innovative type of data obtained with passive samplers at 20 combined sewer overflow sites (2-7 events per site; 95 events in total). The data sheds light on concentration ranges for 13 representative polar organic micropollutants and shows that micropollutants in both municipal wastewater and stormwater can be relevant sources of contaminants. We identify indicator micropollutants for further studies: benzotriazole (80% interquantile of time-weighted average concentration: 250-4800 ng/L), carbamazepine (33-910 ng/L), diclofenac (78-1000 ng/L), carbendazim (21-900 ng/L), diazinon (2.1-53 ng/L), diuron (22-1100 ng/L), mecoprop (98-5300 ng/L), metolachlor (6-230 ng/L), and terbutryn (29-810 ng/L). These concentration estimates are assumed to be on the safe side for comparison with environmental quality standards (EQS). A majority of sewer overflow sites (13 of 20) show discharge concentrations above acute EQS for at least one micropollutant and thus would have to rely on dilution by receiving waters to not exceed any EQS. The intersite variability among sewer overflows exceed the within-site variability. Hence, future monitoring studies should cover more sewer overflow sites. No correlation could be found with event durations, specific storage volume or land use data, thus showing the complexity of micropollutant occurrence and indicating that other factors led to the observed high spatial variability. In conclusion, our results clearly show the potential relevance of micropollutants in sewer overflows and the need to assess site-specific measures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lena Mutzner
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Bohren
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Simon Mangold
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Simon Bloem
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Ort
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
He K, Borthwick AG, Lin Y, Li Y, Fu J, Wong Y, Liu W. Sale-based estimation of pharmaceutical concentrations and associated environmental risk in the Japanese wastewater system. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 139:105690. [PMID: 32278198 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2019] [Revised: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Information on sales and emission of selected pharmaceuticals were used to predict their concentrations in Japanese wastewater influent through a >300 of pharmaceuticals data sink. A combined wastewater-based epidemiology and environmental risk analysis follow was established. By comparing predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) of pharmaceuticals in wastewater influent against measured environmental concentrations (MECs) reported in previous studies, it was found that the model gave accurate results for 17 pharmaceuticals (0.5 < PEC/MEC < 2), and acceptable results for 32 out of 40 pharmaceuticals (0.1 < PEC/MEC < 10). Although the majority of pharmaceuticals considered in the model were antibiotics and analgesics, pranlukast, a receptor antagonist, was predicted to have the highest concentration in wastewater influent. With regard to the composition of wastewater effluent, the Estimation Program Interface (EPI) suite was used to predict pharmaceutical removal through activated sludge treatment. Although the performance of the EPI suite was variable in terms of accurate prediction of the removal of different pharmaceuticals, it could be an efficient tool in practice for predicting removal under extreme scenarios. By using the EPI suite with input data on PEC in the wastewater influent, the PEC values of pharmaceuticals in wastewater effluent were predicted. The concentrations of 26 pharmaceuticals were relatively high (>1 μg/L), and the PECs of 6 pharmaceuticals were extremely high (>10 μg/L) in wastewater effluent, which could be attributed to their high usage rates by consumers and poor removal rates in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Furthermore, environmental risk assessment (ERA) was carried out by calculating the ratio of predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) to PEC of different pharmaceuticals, and it was found that 9 pharmaceuticals were likely to have high toxicity, and 54 pharmaceuticals were likely to have potential toxicity. It is recommended that this is further investigated in detail. The priority screening and environmental risk assessment results on pharmaceuticals can provide reliable basis for policy-making and environmental management.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kai He
- Research Centre for Environmental Quality Management, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
| | - Alistair G Borthwick
- Institute for Infrastructure and Environment, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, EH9 3JL Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Yingchao Lin
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China.
| | - Yuening Li
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, PR China
| | - Jie Fu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, PR China
| | - Yongjie Wong
- Research Centre for Environmental Quality Management, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
| | - Wen Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education; Department of Environmental Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China; The Beijing Innovation Center for Engineering Science and Advanced Technology (BIC-ESAT), Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Nunes B, Daniel D, Canelas GG, Barros J, Correia AT. Toxic effects of environmentally realistic concentrations of diclofenac in organisms from two distinct trophic levels, Hediste diversicolor and Solea senegalensis. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2020; 231:108722. [PMID: 32032725 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2020.108722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Nunes
- Departamento de Biologia da Universidade de Aveiro/Departament of Biology of the University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar/Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Campus de Santiago, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - David Daniel
- Departamento de Biologia da Universidade de Aveiro/Departament of Biology of the University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Gisela Gonçalves Canelas
- Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade Fernando Pessoa/Faculty of Health Sciences of Fernando Pessoa University, (FCS/UFP), Rua Carlos da Maia 296, 4200-150 Porto, Portugal
| | - Joseane Barros
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar da Universidade do Porto/Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar of the University of Porto, (ICBAS), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Alberto Teodorico Correia
- Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade Fernando Pessoa/Faculty of Health Sciences of Fernando Pessoa University, (FCS/UFP), Rua Carlos da Maia 296, 4200-150 Porto, Portugal; Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental/Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos S/N, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Fu Q, Fedrizzi D, Kosfeld V, Schlechtriem C, Ganz V, Derrer S, Rentsch D, Hollender J. Biotransformation Changes Bioaccumulation and Toxicity of Diclofenac in Aquatic Organisms. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:4400-4408. [PMID: 32036646 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b07127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Biotransformation plays a crucial role in regulating the bioaccumulation potential and toxicity of organic compounds in organisms but is, in general, poorly understood for emerging contaminants. Here, we have used diclofenac as a model compound to study the impact of biotransformation on the bioaccumulation potential and toxicity in two keystone aquatic invertebrates: Gammarus pulex and Hyalella azteca. In both species, diclofenac was transformed into several oxidation products and conjugates, including two novel products, that is, diclofenac taurine conjugate (DCF-M403) and unexpected diclofenac methyl ester (DCF-M310.03). The ratios of biotransformation products to parent compound were 12-17 for DCF-M403 and 0.01-0.7 for DCF-M310.03 after 24 h exposure. Bioconcentration factors (BCFs) of diclofenac were 0.5 and 3.2 L kgww-1 in H. azteca and G. pulex, respectively, whereas BCFs of DCF-M310.03 was 164.5 and 104.7 L kgww-1, respectively, representing a 25- to 110-fold increase. Acute toxicity of DCF-M310.03 was also higher than the parent compound in both species, which correlated well with the increased bioconcentration potential. The LC50 of diclofenac in H. azteca was 216 mg L-1, while that of metabolite DCF-M310.03 was reduced to only 0.53 mg L-1, representing a 430-fold increase in acute toxicity compared to diclofenac. DCF-M403 is less toxic than its parent compound toward H. azteca, which may be linked to its slightly lower hydrophobicity. Furthermore, the transformation of diclofenac to its methyl ester derivative was explored in crude invertebrate extracts spiked with an S-adenosylmethionine cofactor, revealing possible catalysis by an S-adenosylmethionine-dependent carboxylic acid methyltransferase. Methylation of diclofenac was further detected in fish hepatocytes and human urine, indicating a broader relevance. Therefore, potentially methylated metabolites of polar contaminants should be considered for a comprehensive risk assessment in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiuguo Fu
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Davide Fedrizzi
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Verena Kosfeld
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, 57392 Schmallenberg, Germany
- Institute for Environmental Research (Biology V) 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Christian Schlechtriem
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, 57392 Schmallenberg, Germany
- Institute for Environmental Research (Biology V) 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Vera Ganz
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Samuel Derrer
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Rentsch
- EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Juliane Hollender
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Arlos MJ, Schürz F, Fu Q, Lauper BB, Stamm C, Hollender J. Coupling River Concentration Simulations with a Toxicokinetic Model Effectively Predicts the Internal Concentrations of Wastewater-Derived Micropollutants in Field Gammarids. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:1710-1719. [PMID: 31927995 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b05736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Although the exposure assessment of wastewater-derived micropollutants via chemical, bioanalytical, and modeling methods in environmental compartments is becoming more frequent, the whole-body burden (i.e., internal concentrations) in nontarget organisms is rarely assessed. An understanding of the internal concentration fluctuation is especially important when exploring the mechanistic linkage between exposure and effects. In this study, we coupled a simple river model with a first-order toxicokinetic (TK) model to predict the concentrations of wastewater-derived micropollutants in freshwater invertebrates (Gammarus spp.). We applied Monte Carlo simulations and conducted laboratory experiments to account for the uncertain input data and the lack of uptake/depuration rate constants required for the TK model. The internal concentrations in field gammarids were predicted well, and the estimates varied only by a factor of 0.1-1.9. Fast equilibrium may also be assumed such that bioconcentration factors (BCFs) are used together with the daily river dilution patterns to predict internal concentrations. While this assumption is suitable for compounds observed in our experiment to reach the steady state within 48 h in gammarids, the model overpredicted the concentrations of substances that reach this condition after longer periods. Nevertheless, this approach provides conservative estimates and simplifies the coupling of models as BCFs are slightly more accessible than the rate constants. However, if one is interested in a more detailed exposure information (e.g., peak concentration and the whole-body burden recovery after a spill), then the nonsteady-state formulation should be employed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maricor J Arlos
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology , Überlandstrasse 133 , 8600 Dübendorf , Switzerland
- Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics , ETH Zürich , Universitätstrasse 16 , 8092 Zürich , Switzerland
| | - Florian Schürz
- Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics , ETH Zürich , Universitätstrasse 16 , 8092 Zürich , Switzerland
| | - Qiuguo Fu
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology , Überlandstrasse 133 , 8600 Dübendorf , Switzerland
| | - Benedikt B Lauper
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology , Überlandstrasse 133 , 8600 Dübendorf , Switzerland
- Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics , ETH Zürich , Universitätstrasse 16 , 8092 Zürich , Switzerland
| | - Christian Stamm
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology , Überlandstrasse 133 , 8600 Dübendorf , Switzerland
| | - Juliane Hollender
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology , Überlandstrasse 133 , 8600 Dübendorf , Switzerland
- Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics , ETH Zürich , Universitätstrasse 16 , 8092 Zürich , Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Sathishkumar P, Meena RAA, Palanisami T, Ashokkumar V, Palvannan T, Gu FL. Occurrence, interactive effects and ecological risk of diclofenac in environmental compartments and biota - a review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 698:134057. [PMID: 31783460 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 08/17/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug has turned into a contaminant of emerging concern; hence, it was included in the previous Watch List of the EU Water Framework Directive. This review paper aims to highlight the metabolism of diclofenac at different trophic levels, its occurrence, ecological risks, and interactive effects in the water cycle and biota over the past two decades. Increased exposure to diclofenac not only raises health concerns for vultures, aquatic organisms, and higher plants but also causes serious threats to mammals. The ubiquitous nature of diclofenac in surface water (river, lake canal, estuary, and sea) is compared with drinking water, groundwater, and wastewater effluent in the environment. This comprehensive survey from previous studies suggests the fate of diclofenac in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and may predict its persistence in the environment. This review offers evidence of fragmentary available data for the water environment, soil, sediment, and biota worldwide and supports the need for further data to address the risks associated with the presence of diclofenac in the environment. Finally, we suggest that the presence of diclofenac and its metabolites in the environment may represent a high risk because of their synergistic interactions with existing contaminants, leading to the development of drug-resistant strains and the formation of newly emerging pollutants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Palanivel Sathishkumar
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, Ministry of Education; School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | | | - Thavamani Palanisami
- Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER), University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - Veeramuthu Ashokkumar
- Center of Excellence in Catalysis for Bioenergy and Renewable Chemicals (CBRC), Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Thayumanavan Palvannan
- Laboratory of Bioprocess and Engineering, Department of Biochemistry, Periyar University, Salem 636 011, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Feng Long Gu
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, Ministry of Education; School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Gallardo-Altamirano MJ, Maza-Márquez P, Montemurro N, Rodelas B, Osorio F, Pozo C. Linking microbial diversity and population dynamics to the removal efficiency of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in an anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic (A 2O) system. CHEMOSPHERE 2019; 233:828-842. [PMID: 31200141 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The removal efficiencies (REs) of nineteen pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) (six antibiotics-clarithromycin, ofloxacin, sulfadiazine, sulfamethazine, sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim -, four β-blockers -atenolol, metoprolol, propranolol and sotalol-, two antihypertensives/diuretics -furosemide and hydrochlorothiazide-, three lipid regulators -bezafibrate, fenofibrate and gemfibrozil-, and four psychiatric medications -carbamazepine, diazepam, lorazepam and paroxetine) were ascertained in a pilot-scale anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic (A2O) system treating urban wastewater, long term operated during two experimental phases using different sets of environmental conditions and operating parameters. Illumina MiSeq sequencing was used to investigate the structure, diversity and population dynamics of bacteria, archaea and fungi communities in the activated sludge. The results showed that mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and food-to-microorganisms ratio (F/M) were operational parameters significantly influencing the REs of five of the analyzed PhACs in the A2O system. Biota-environment (BIO-ENV) analysis revealed strong correlations between population shifts of the activated sludge community and the REs of PhACs of the different pharmaceutical families. Increased REs of clarithromycin, furosemide, bezafibrate and gemfibrozil were concomitant to higher relative abundances of bacterial phylotypes classified within the Rhodobacteraceae and Sphingomonadaceae (Alphaproteobacteria), while those of Betaproteobacteria, Chloroflexi and Methanomethylovorans (Euryarchaea) correlated positively with the REs of up to seven PhACs belonging to different therapeutic groups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M J Gallardo-Altamirano
- Environmental Microbiology Group, Institute of Water Research, University of Granada, C/ Ramón y Cajal, nº4, 18071, Granada, Spain; Department of Civil Engineering, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - P Maza-Márquez
- Environmental Microbiology Group, Institute of Water Research, University of Granada, C/ Ramón y Cajal, nº4, 18071, Granada, Spain; Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain.
| | - N Montemurro
- Water, Environmental and Food Chemistry (ENFOCHEM), Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - B Rodelas
- Environmental Microbiology Group, Institute of Water Research, University of Granada, C/ Ramón y Cajal, nº4, 18071, Granada, Spain; Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - F Osorio
- Environmental Microbiology Group, Institute of Water Research, University of Granada, C/ Ramón y Cajal, nº4, 18071, Granada, Spain; Department of Civil Engineering, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - C Pozo
- Environmental Microbiology Group, Institute of Water Research, University of Granada, C/ Ramón y Cajal, nº4, 18071, Granada, Spain; Department of Microbiology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Gallé T, Pittois D, Bayerle M, Braun C. An immission perspective of emerging micropollutant pressure in Luxembourgish surface waters: A simple evaluation scheme for wastewater impact assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2019; 253:992-999. [PMID: 31352191 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.07.080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
While wastewater treatment plants have been identified as the most prominent source of emerging micropollutants in surface waters, prediction of their ambient concentrations remains a challenge. This is due to the variability of loads entering individual treatment plants and of the elimination capacity by the latter as well as potential attenuation in the river network. Although geospatially detailed models exist, they suffer from the same data input uncertainties. Here, we investigated the concentration profiles of 20 emerging pollutants in different river stretches in Luxembourg with variable sanitary pressures. Using carbamazepine as a recalcitrant wastewater indicator, the correlation of the compounds to the latter revealed source and fate variability as well as specific emitters. Relating carbamazepine to sanitary pressure, expressed as the sum of population equivalents in a catchment divided by its surface [PE ha-1] allowed predicting the impact of emerging pollutants on the entire river network. The limited variability of the pollutant profiles allowed for prioritization of impacted stretches depending on the different sanitary pressures at risk quotient exceedance. The main drivers of impact were triclosan, diclofenac, clarithromycine and diuron.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tom Gallé
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, ERIN Dept., Luxembourg.
| | - Denis Pittois
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, ERIN Dept., Luxembourg
| | - Michael Bayerle
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, ERIN Dept., Luxembourg
| | - Christian Braun
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, ERIN Dept., Luxembourg
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Delli Compagni R, Polesel F, von Borries KJF, Zhang Z, Turolla A, Antonelli M, Vezzaro L. Modelling micropollutant fate in sewer systems - A new systematic approach to support conceptual model construction based on in-sewer hydraulic retention time. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 246:141-149. [PMID: 31176178 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.05.139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Conceptual sewer models are useful tools to assess the fate of micropollutants (MPs) in integrated wastewater systems. However, the definition of their model structure is highly subjective, and obtaining a realistic simulation of the in-sewer hydraulic retention time (HRT) is a major challenge without detailed hydrodynamic information or with limited measurements from the sewer network. This study presents an objective approach for defining the structure of conceptual sewer models in view of modelling MP fate in large urban catchments. The proposed approach relies on GIS-based information and a Gaussian mixture model to identify the model optimal structure, providing a multi-catchment conceptual model that accounts for HRT variability across urban catchment. This approach was tested in a catchment located in a highly urbanized Italian city and it was compared against a traditional single-catchment conceptual model (using a single average HRT) for the fate assessment of reactive MPs. Results showed that the multi-catchment model allows for a successful simulation of dry weather flow patterns and for an improved simulation of MP fate compared to the classical single-catchment model. Specifically, results suggested that a multi-catchment model should be preferred for (i) degradable MPs with half-life lower than the average HRT of the catchment and (ii) MPs undergoing formation from other compounds (e.g. human metabolites); or (iii) assessing MP loads entering the wastewater treatment plant from point sources, depending on their location in the catchment. Overall, the proposed approach is expected to ease the building of conceptual sewer models, allowing to properly account for HRT distribution and consequently improving MP fate estimation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Delli Compagni
- Department of Civil and Environment Engineering (DICA), Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20129, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Polesel
- DTU Environment, Technical University of Denmark, Bygningstorvet, Building 115, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark; DHI A/S, Agern Allé, 2970, Hørsholm, Denmark
| | - Kerstin J F von Borries
- DTU Environment, Technical University of Denmark, Bygningstorvet, Building 115, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Zhen Zhang
- DTU Environment, Technical University of Denmark, Bygningstorvet, Building 115, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Andrea Turolla
- Department of Civil and Environment Engineering (DICA), Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20129, Milan, Italy
| | - Manuela Antonelli
- Department of Civil and Environment Engineering (DICA), Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20129, Milan, Italy.
| | - Luca Vezzaro
- DTU Environment, Technical University of Denmark, Bygningstorvet, Building 115, 2800, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Gallé T, Koehler C, Plattes M, Pittois D, Bayerle M, Carafa R, Christen A, Hansen J. Large-scale determination of micropollutant elimination from municipal wastewater by passive sampling gives new insights in governing parameters and degradation patterns. WATER RESEARCH 2019; 160:380-393. [PMID: 31158619 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
A simple balancing method using passive samplers over a week's period has been developed and tested successfully to determine elimination rates of 22 common micropollutants of household and industrial sources in 18 full-scale wastewater treatment plants of different design and performance. Independent reactor tests to delineate elimination rates with native sludge of the treatment plants correlated very well with the full-scale elimination rate determinations. As opposed to common assumptions, this large dataset indicated that shorter sludge retention times - read: higher active biomass - showed higher micropollutant elimination rates in many cases. Multivariate statistical analysis of the elimination rates over the 18 treatment plants was able to group compounds according to common degradation pathways and showed that sensitivity to SRT drove the grouping. The dataset also allowed to determine population equivalent normalized loads of the investigated micropollutants. The application of WWTP balancing with passive sampling makes it relatively easy to gather elimination rates and inlet loads on a much broader basis than before and gives orientation for more in-depth analysis of degradation pathways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T Gallé
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 5, avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
| | - C Koehler
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 5, avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
| | - M Plattes
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 5, avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - D Pittois
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 5, avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - M Bayerle
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 5, avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, L-4362, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - R Carafa
- Rovira i Virgili University, Tecnatox - Department of Chemical Engineering, Països Catalans, 26, 43007, Tarragona, Spain
| | - A Christen
- University of Luxembourg, Faculty of Science, Technology and Communication, 6, rue Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi, L-1359, Luxembourg
| | - J Hansen
- University of Luxembourg, Faculty of Science, Technology and Communication, 6, rue Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi, L-1359, Luxembourg
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Grill G, Li J, Khan U, Zhong Y, Lehner B, Nicell J, Ariwi J. Estimating the eco-toxicological risk of estrogens in China's rivers using a high-resolution contaminant fate model. WATER RESEARCH 2018; 145:707-720. [PMID: 30216865 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.08.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Revised: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 08/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The contamination of freshwater systems arises in many river basins due to industrialization and population growth, posing risks to ecosystems and human health. Despite these concerns, the fate and potential impact of many emerging pollutants are currently unknown, especially when the compounds are released into surface waters from populations distributed across large spatial scales. In order to address this shortcoming, a spatially-explicit contaminant fate model was developed as an extension of the global, vector-based river routing model HydroROUT. HydroROUT operates at very high spatial resolution (∼500 m), simulates river and stream chemical transport with in-stream removal, and contains links to a set of lakes and reservoirs, which act as a partial sink during the transport. The chemical fate model was applied to China and includes a consumption and release module based on county-level population demographics, considers point-source contributions from 2547 wastewater treatment plants, and accumulates contributions of rural and urban populations not connected to sewage treatment plants. As a case study, the sources and fates of the estrogens estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), as well as the synthetic estrogenic steroid hormone 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) were modelled in Chinese surface water bodies. Preliminary validation of the results showed predictions to be within the ranges of concentrations reported in literature, with exception of EE2. The total estrogenic mass in the entire river and lake system amounted to 370 tonnes of estrogens, with about 1.3 tonnes per year discharged to the ocean, neighboring countries or to inland sinks. Under a selected baseline scenario, eco-toxicological risk-i.e., contaminant concentrations in excess of the predicted no effect concentration (PNEC)-is found in 23.6% of all analyzed rivers of China with an average flow > 0.1 m3/s. Out of these, about 4% of rivers showed a high level of risk of 10 times or more above PNEC. Medium-to-large rivers are disproportionally affected; for example, 23.6%, 37.3%, 29.0% and 21.6% of river length are at risk in rivers of 1-10, 10-100, 100-1,000, and 1,000-10,000 m3/s of discharge, respectively, whereas no risk was predicted in the largest rivers (i.e., >10,000 m3/s) of China. Wastewater treatment plants process 22.5% of the total hormone load and thus play an important role in water quality control by reducing the risk in substantial portions of the river network, which would otherwise show elevated risk. Releases from untreated population dominate by far the overall contribution to risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Günther Grill
- Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street West, H3A 0B9, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Civil Engineering & Applied Mechanics, McGill University, 817 Sherbrooke Street West, H3A 0C3, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Usman Khan
- Department of Civil Engineering & Applied Mechanics, McGill University, 817 Sherbrooke Street West, H3A 0C3, Montreal, Canada
| | - Yan Zhong
- Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Beijing, 100037, China
| | - Bernhard Lehner
- Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street West, H3A 0B9, Montreal, Canada
| | - Jim Nicell
- Department of Civil Engineering & Applied Mechanics, McGill University, 817 Sherbrooke Street West, H3A 0C3, Montreal, Canada
| | - Joseph Ariwi
- Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street West, H3A 0B9, Montreal, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Gimeno P, Severyns J, Acuña V, Comas J, Corominas L. Balancing environmental quality standards and infrastructure upgrade costs for the reduction of microcontaminant loads in rivers. WATER RESEARCH 2018; 143:632-641. [PMID: 30031299 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 06/24/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Investments for upgrading wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with tertiary treatment to reduce microcontaminant loads in surface waters at a catchment scale can be daunting. These investments are highly sensitive to the selection of environmental quality standards (EQSs) for the target microcontaminants. Our hypothesis is that there is a balance between EQS selection and investment that needs to be considered in decision-making. We used a customized microcontaminant fate and transport model coupled to an optimization algorithm to validate this hypothesis in the Llobregat river basin and for the pharmaceutical compound diclofenac. The algorithm optimizes the number of WWTPs in this catchment requiring an upgrade to minimize the total amount of diclofenac that exceeds the EQS in every river section and the total cost. We simulated and optimized 40 scenarios representing a combination of 4 potential EQSs (10, 30, 50 and 100 ng L-1), 5 levels of uncertainty bounds in the predictions of river concentrations and 2 hydrological scenarios (average flows, flows annually exceeding 30% of the days; and environmental flows, flows annually exceeding 99% of the days). The results showthat there is a nonlinear relationship between the EQS and the required investment. The investment increases by 100% from an EQS of 100 ng L-1 to 10 ng L-1, significantly increasing (by 60%) from 30 to 10 ng L-1. Thus, establishing an EQS of 30 ng L-1 would balance environmental protection and costs. The selection of the hydrological conditions also plays a key role in the upgrade analysis because the costs for environmental flows are 50% higher than for average flows. Finally, we highlight that the investment in research would allow the reduction of uncertainties, hence allowing more qualified decisions to be made and a reduction in the WWTP upgrade costs (up to 4 €·household-1·year-1).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pau Gimeno
- ICRA, Catalan Institute for Water Research, Carrer Emili Grahit 101, E-17003 Girona, Spain
| | - Jo Severyns
- Aquafin nv, Dijkstraat 8, 2630 Aartselaar, Belgium
| | - Vicenç Acuña
- ICRA, Catalan Institute for Water Research, Carrer Emili Grahit 101, E-17003 Girona, Spain
| | - Joaquim Comas
- ICRA, Catalan Institute for Water Research, Carrer Emili Grahit 101, E-17003 Girona, Spain; LEQUiA, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, Girona, 17071, Spain
| | - Lluís Corominas
- ICRA, Catalan Institute for Water Research, Carrer Emili Grahit 101, E-17003 Girona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Shao S, Hu Y, Cheng J, Chen Y. Research progress on distribution, migration, transformation of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aquatic environment. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2018; 38:1195-1208. [PMID: 29807455 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2018.1471038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial and antibiotics resistance caused by misuse or overuse of antibiotics exposure is a growing and significant threat to global public health. The spread and horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) by the selective pressure of antibiotics in an aquatic environment is a major public health issue. To develop a better understanding of potential ecological risks die to antibiotics and ARGs, this study mainly summarizes research progress about: (i) the occurrence, concentration, fate, and potential ecological effects of antibiotics and ARGs in various aquatic environments, (ii) the threat, spread, and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of ARGs, and (iii) the relationship between antibiotics, ARGs, and ARB. Finally, this review also proposes future research direction on antibiotics and ARGs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sicheng Shao
- a School of Environment and Energy , South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre , Guangzhou , PR China.,b The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education , South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre , Guangzhou , PR China
| | - Yongyou Hu
- a School of Environment and Energy , South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre , Guangzhou , PR China.,b The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education , South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre , Guangzhou , PR China
| | - Jianhua Cheng
- a School of Environment and Energy , South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre , Guangzhou , PR China.,b The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education , South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre , Guangzhou , PR China
| | - Yuancai Chen
- a School of Environment and Energy , South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre , Guangzhou , PR China.,b The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education , South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre , Guangzhou , PR China
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
von Gunten U. Oxidation Processes in Water Treatment: Are We on Track? ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:5062-5075. [PMID: 29672032 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b00586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 305] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Chemical oxidants have been applied in water treatment for more than a century, first as disinfectants and later to abate inorganic and organic contaminants. The challenge of oxidative abatement of organic micropollutants is the formation of transformation products with unknown (eco)toxicological consequences. Four aspects need to be considered for oxidative micropollutant abatement: (i) Reaction kinetics, controlling the efficiency of the process, (ii) mechanisms of transformation product formation, (iii) extent of formation of disinfection byproducts from the matrix, (iv) oxidation induced biological effects, resulting from transformation products and/or disinfection byproducts. It is impossible to test all the thousands of organic micropollutants in the urban water cycle experimentally to assess potential adverse outcomes of an oxidation. Rather, we need multidisciplinary and automated knowledge-based systems, which couple predictions of kinetics, transformation and disinfection byproducts and their toxicological consequences to assess the overall benefits of oxidation processes. A wide range of oxidation processes has been developed in the last decades with a recent focus on novel electricity-driven oxidation processes. To evaluate these processes, they have to be compared to established benchmark ozone- and UV-based oxidation processes by considering the energy demands, economics, the feasibilty, and the integration into future water treatment systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Urs von Gunten
- Eawag , Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology , Ueberlandstrasse 133 , 8600 Duebendorf , Switzerland
- School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC) , École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , 1015 , Lausanne , Switzerland
- Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics , ETH Zurich , 8092 Zurich , Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Archundia D, Boithias L, Duwig C, Morel MC, Flores Aviles G, Martins JMF. Environmental fate and ecotoxicological risk of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole across the Katari catchment (Bolivian Altiplano): Application of the GREAT-ER model. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 622-623:1046-1055. [PMID: 29890574 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Revised: 12/02/2017] [Accepted: 12/03/2017] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- D Archundia
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP*, IGE, F-38000 Grenoble, France; ERNO-CONACYT, Av. Luis Donaldo Colosio SN, Los Arcos, 83250 Hermosillo, Son, México
| | - L Boithias
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, Université de Toulouse, CNES, CNRS, IRD, UPS, France
| | - C Duwig
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP*, IGE, F-38000 Grenoble, France.
| | - M-C Morel
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP*, IGE, F-38000 Grenoble, France; CNAM, Laboratoire d'analyses chimiques et bioanalyses, Paris Cedex 3, France
| | - G Flores Aviles
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP*, IGE, F-38000 Grenoble, France; Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Agua, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - J M F Martins
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP*, IGE, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Bieber S, Snyder SA, Dagnino S, Rauch-Williams T, Drewes JE. Management strategies for trace organic chemicals in water - A review of international approaches. CHEMOSPHERE 2018; 195:410-426. [PMID: 29274580 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.12.100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Revised: 12/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/15/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
To ensure an appropriate management of potential health risks and uncertainties from the release of trace organic chemicals (TOrCs) into the aqueous environment, many countries have evaluated and implemented strategies to manage TOrCs. The aim of this study was to evaluate existing management strategies for TOrCs in different countries to derive and compare underlying core principles and paradigms and to develop suggestions for more holistic management strategies to protect the environment and drinking water supplies from the discharge of undesired TOrCs. The strategies in different industrial countries were summarized and subsequently compared with regards to three particular questions: 1) Do the approaches different countries have implemented manage all or only specific portions of the universe of chemicals; 2) What implementation and compliance strategies are used to manage aquatic and human health risk and what are their pros and cons; and 3) How are site-specific watershed differences being addressed? While management strategies of the different countries target similar TOrCs, the programs differ in several important aspects, including underlying principles, the balance between aquatic or human health protection, implementation methods, and financing mechanisms used to fund regulatory programs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Bieber
- Chair of Urban Water Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - Shane A Snyder
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Sonia Dagnino
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | | | - Jörg E Drewes
- Chair of Urban Water Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Hanamoto S, Nakada N, Yamashita N, Tanaka H. Source estimation of pharmaceuticals based on catchment population and in-stream attenuation in Yodo River watershed, Japan. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 615:964-971. [PMID: 29751447 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Revised: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Fifty-five pharmaceuticals were monitored at four rivers and inlets and/or outlets of three sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Yodo River watershed, Japan over 17 sampling events. Twenty-six quantified pharmaceuticals were classified by source and fate. The load per person (LPP) of nine pharmaceuticals, including six with observed mass balance in studied river stretch of <80%, was appreciably lower in river water (RW) than in the effluent (EF) of STPs (RW/EF <0.5), indicating that they were susceptible to in-stream attenuation in the study area, while the others were relatively conservative. The LPP of 12 pharmaceuticals in RW were within ±50% of that in EF. Because their mass loadings in rivers were correlated with human population in the catchment and most people use the sewer system, the major source of the 12 pharmaceuticals was considered to be STPs. The LPP of the three most labile pharmaceuticals in STPs (caffeine, theophylline, and acetaminophen) was >1.5 in RW/EF and <1.0 in RW/influent (IF) of STPs. Poorly treated sewage discharged from households without using the sewer system was considered to be influential source of the three pharmaceuticals. The LPP (RW/EF) of caffeine, a pharmaceutical contained in food and beverage, was considerably higher than that of the other two, and this is attributable to untreated gray water discharged at households using the night-soil treatment system. The LPP of two veterinary drugs (sulfamonomethoxine and lincomycin) were >1.5 (RW/EF) and >1.0 (RW/IF). Their mass loadings in rivers showed a positive correlation with swine population in the catchment, although sulfamonomethoxine is equally used in both cattle and swine farming. This was attributable to application of cattle excrement as manure, and lability of sulfamonomethoxine during composting processes. The major source of the two veterinary drugs was considered to be on-site treatment facilities of swine urine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seiya Hanamoto
- Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan.
| | - Norihide Nakada
- Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
| | - Naoyuki Yamashita
- Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Tanaka
- Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Milano M, Chèvre N, Reynard E. Assessing watercourse quality: challenges in implementing European and Swiss legal frameworks. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 25:805-823. [PMID: 29063406 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0423-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Hydro-climatic changes and the increasing release of pollutants into rivers by human activities tend to affect the quality of watercourses, to alter aquatic ecosystems and to reduce the amount of useable water. The ecological and chemical states of rivers and their evolution is thus of growing concern. In Europe and Switzerland, water policies are progressively shifting towards a holistic approach of river systems. The European Commission notably established a framework to highlight rivers' ecological deficits and to enhance regional or local water management plans. In Switzerland, a similar framework is currently under development. In this paper, both procedures are compared and implemented in a Swiss catchment dominated by agricultural activities. The aim is to define the challenges that still need to be addressed to assess and sustain river health. The hydromorphological, ecological, and ecotoxicological quality of the river was evaluated. Both frameworks highlighted the fact that no section of the river can currently be classified as being in a good environmental state and that the state deteriorates as tributaries and wastewater discharge flow into the main riverbed. Chemical issues and water quality changes due to hydro-climatic variations and management strategies were also pinpointed. Both frameworks are thus useful tools to survey changes in rivers quality in space and over time. However, challenges remain regarding the appropriate strategies to monitor and analyze chemicals, the definition of target values and conditions, the evaluation and integration of human-induced pressures, and the overall evaluation of the state of a river. The development of integrated indicators or of ecosystem services approaches is considered as a potential solution to explore river health and to define efficient restoration measures by water managers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marianne Milano
- Institute of Geography and Sustainability, University of Lausanne, Building Géopolis, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Nathalie Chèvre
- Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Building Géopolis, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Emmanuel Reynard
- Institute of Geography and Sustainability, University of Lausanne, Building Géopolis, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Gimeno P, Marcé R, Bosch L, Comas J, Corominas L. Incorporating model uncertainty into the evaluation of interventions to reduce microcontaminant loads in rivers. WATER RESEARCH 2017; 124:415-424. [PMID: 28783497 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2017.07.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2016] [Revised: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/15/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Models of microcontaminant fate and transport in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and rivers have been developed and used to assist decision-making in the field of water management. These models come with parameter uncertainties that must be properly incorporated in the decision-making process. The main goal of this study is to evaluate how the magnitudes of key model parameter uncertainties influence the selection of end-of-pipe interventions (at WWTPs) designed to reduce the microcontaminant loads in rivers. We developed a model that describes the fate and removal of pharmaceuticals in WWTPs and the river network based on 3 key parameters: human pharmaceutical consumption and excretion (F) and the pharmaceutical degradation constants in WWTPs (kWWTP) and rivers (kriver). We modelled the fate and transport of diclofenac in the Llobregat River basin (NE Spain). We calibrated the model using a Bayesian approach, which resulted in an accurate prediction of measured diclofenac loads at 9 locations along the Llobregat River and at the influents and effluents of 2 WWTPs (R2 = 0.95). Using different scenarios, we evaluated three levels of uncertainty in the key model parameters. The first level of uncertainty corresponded to the reference distributions obtained from the Bayesian calibration. Then, for each parameter, we generated a narrower PDF (decreased uncertainty with respect to the reference) and a wider PDF (increased uncertainty). For each level of uncertainty, we evaluated increasing removal efficiencies of diclofenac at the WWTPs, from 38% to 98%. We assumed that removal efficiencies of up to 75% can be achieved by upgrading secondary treatment; beyond 75%, tertiary treatment is needed. The scenario analysis showed that achieving diclofenac removal efficiencies corresponding to tertiary treatment results in apparent concentration reductions (statistically significant differences relative to the reference situation), regardless of the level of uncertainty applied to the model parameters. However, upgrades in the secondary treatment resulted in apparent reductions only in the case of reduced uncertainty. We concluded that model uncertainty greatly influences the decisions that river basin authorities must make to reduce the microcontaminant loads released by WWTPs into rivers. In addition, we discussed research priorities to help reduce model uncertainty and thereby make more appropriate decisions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P Gimeno
- Catalan Institute for Water Research, Emili Grahit 101, Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - R Marcé
- Catalan Institute for Water Research, Emili Grahit 101, Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - Ll Bosch
- Catalan Institute for Water Research, Emili Grahit 101, Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - J Comas
- Catalan Institute for Water Research, Emili Grahit 101, Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain; LEQUIA, Institute of the Environment, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, Carrer Maria Aurèlia Capmany, 69, E-17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Ll Corominas
- Catalan Institute for Water Research, Emili Grahit 101, Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Bean TG, Arnold KE, Lane JM, Bergström E, Thomas-Oates J, Rattner BA, Boxall ABA. Predictive framework for estimating exposure of birds to pharmaceuticals. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2017; 36:2335-2344. [PMID: 28198558 DOI: 10.1002/etc.3771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Revised: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We present and evaluate a framework for estimating concentrations of pharmaceuticals over time in wildlife feeding at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The framework is composed of a series of predictive steps involving the estimation of pharmaceutical concentration in wastewater, accumulation into wildlife food items, and uptake by wildlife with subsequent distribution into, and elimination from, tissues. Because many pharmacokinetic parameters for wildlife are unavailable for the majority of drugs in use, a read-across approach was employed using either rodent or human data on absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. Comparison of the different steps in the framework against experimental data for the scenario where birds are feeding on a WWTP contaminated with fluoxetine showed that estimated concentrations in wastewater treatment works were lower than measured concentrations; concentrations in food could be reasonably estimated if experimental bioaccumulation data are available; and read-across from rodent data worked better than human to bird read-across. The framework provides adequate predictions of plasma concentrations and of elimination behavior in birds but yields poor predictions of distribution in tissues. The approach holds promise, but it is important that we improve our understanding of the physiological similarities and differences between wild birds and domesticated laboratory mammals used in pharmaceutical efficacy/safety trials, so that the wealth of data available can be applied more effectively in ecological risk assessments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2335-2344. © 2017 SETAC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G Bean
- Environment Department, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Kathryn E Arnold
- Environment Department, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Julie M Lane
- Animal and Plant Health Agency, York, United Kingdom
| | - Ed Bergström
- Centre of Excellence in Mass Spectrometry and Department of Chemistry, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Jane Thomas-Oates
- Centre of Excellence in Mass Spectrometry and Department of Chemistry, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Barnett A Rattner
- United States Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
38
|
Nakada N, Hanamoto S, Jürgens MD, Johnson AC, Bowes MJ, Tanaka H. Assessing the population equivalent and performance of wastewater treatment through the ratios of pharmaceuticals and personal care products present in a river basin: Application to the River Thames basin, UK. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 575:1100-1108. [PMID: 27712869 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2016] [Revised: 09/22/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The quality of surface waters in lowland rivers is largely dependent on the efficiency of wastewater treatment. Even in the developed countries, there have been difficulties in evaluating the effectiveness of wastewater management and the proportion of wastewater content (WWC) in the river, as well as in estimating the contributing human population. This study aimed to develop a wastewater quality and quantity assessment based on the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the receiving waters. A survey of 53 pharmaceuticals in 324 samples (river water and influent and effluent of sewage (wastewater) treatment plants) was carried out in southern England in the River Thames catchment over four years. Carbamazepine was selected as stable marker and from its concentration WWC in the rivers and cumulative human populations along the catchment were estimated. The estimated population had a strong relationship (R2=0.94) with that reported by the local water company. The concentration ratio of the labile marker caffeine to carbamazepine indicated the efficiency of wastewater treatment in the different treatment systems (i.e. trickling filter or activated sludge) and in the receiving waters. The ratio in some river samples revealed unexpected discharges of untreated or poorly treated wastewater, with a total concentration of the analytes (up to 20μg/L) five times higher than that in treated wastewater. Such information could be valuable to estimate the discharge or occurrence of not only non-targeted chemicals, but also pathogens within the basin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Norihide Nakada
- Research Centre for Environmental Quality Management, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan.
| | - Seiya Hanamoto
- Research Centre for Environmental Quality Management, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
| | - Monika D Jürgens
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew C Johnson
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J Bowes
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB, United Kingdom
| | - Hiroaki Tanaka
- Research Centre for Environmental Quality Management, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Polesel F, Andersen HR, Trapp S, Plósz BG. Removal of Antibiotics in Biological Wastewater Treatment Systems-A Critical Assessment Using the Activated Sludge Modeling Framework for Xenobiotics (ASM-X). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2016; 50:10316-10334. [PMID: 27479075 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b01899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Many scientific studies present removal efficiencies for pharmaceuticals in laboratory-, pilot-, and full-scale wastewater treatment plants, based on observations that may be impacted by theoretical and methodological approaches used. In this Critical Review, we evaluated factors influencing observed removal efficiencies of three antibiotics (sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline) in pilot- and full-scale biological treatment systems. Factors assessed include (i) retransformation to parent pharmaceuticals from e.g., conjugated metabolites and analogues, (ii) solid retention time (SRT), (iii) fractions sorbed onto solids, and (iv) dynamics in influent and effluent loading. A recently developed methodology was used, relying on the comparison of removal efficiency predictions (obtained with the Activated Sludge Model for Xenobiotics (ASM-X)) with representative measured data from literature. By applying this methodology, we demonstrated that (a) the elimination of sulfamethoxazole may be significantly underestimated when not considering retransformation from conjugated metabolites, depending on the type (urban or hospital) and size of upstream catchments; (b) operation at extended SRT may enhance antibiotic removal, as shown for sulfamethoxazole; (c) not accounting for fractions sorbed in influent and effluent solids may cause slight underestimation of ciprofloxacin removal efficiency. Using tetracycline as example substance, we ultimately evaluated implications of effluent dynamics and retransformation on environmental exposure and risk prediction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Polesel
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark (DTU) , Bygningstorvet 115, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Henrik R Andersen
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark (DTU) , Bygningstorvet 115, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Stefan Trapp
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark (DTU) , Bygningstorvet 115, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Benedek Gy Plósz
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark (DTU) , Bygningstorvet 115, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Soltermann F, Abegglen C, Götz C, von Gunten U. Bromide Sources and Loads in Swiss Surface Waters and Their Relevance for Bromate Formation during Wastewater Ozonation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2016; 50:9825-9834. [PMID: 27525579 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b01142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Bromide measurements and mass balances in the catchments of major Swiss rivers revealed that chemical industry and municipal waste incinerators are the most important bromide sources and account for ∼50% and ∼20%, respectively, of the ∼2000 tons of bromide discharged in the Rhine river in 2014 in Switzerland. About 100 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) will upgrade their treatment for micropollutant abatement in the future to comply with Swiss regulations. An upgrade with ozonation may lead to unintended bromate formation in bromide-containing wastewaters. Measured bromide concentrations were <0.05 mg L(-1) in ∼75% of 69 WWTPs, while they ranged from 0.4 to ∼50 mg L(-1) in WWTPs with specific bromide sources (e.g., municipal waste incinerators, landfill leachate, and chemical industry). Wastewater ozonation formed little bromate at specific ozone doses of ≤0.4 mg O3/mg DOC, while the bromate yields were almost linearly correlated to the specific ozone dose for higher ozone doses. Molar bromate yields for typical specific ozone doses in wastewater treatment (0.4-0.6 mg O3/mg DOC) are ≤3%. In a modeled extreme scenario (in which all upgraded WWTPs release 10 μg L(-1) of bromate), bromate concentrations increased by <0.4 μg L(-1) in major Swiss rivers and by several micrograms per liter in receiving water bodies with a high fraction of municipal wastewater.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Soltermann
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology , CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Urs von Gunten
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology , CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich , CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland
- School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Verlicchi P, Zambello E. Predicted and measured concentrations of pharmaceuticals in hospital effluents. Examination of the strengths and weaknesses of the two approaches through the analysis of a case study. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 565:82-94. [PMID: 27161130 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.04.165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Revised: 04/23/2016] [Accepted: 04/23/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
This study deals with the chemical characterization of hospital effluents in terms of the predicted and measured concentrations of 38 pharmaceuticals belonging to 11 different therapeutic classes. The paper outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the two approaches through an analysis of a case study referring to a large hospital. It highlights the observed (and expected) ranges of variability for the parameters of the adopted model, presents the results of an uncertainty analysis of direct measurements (due to sampling mode and frequency and chemical analysis) and a sensitivity analysis of predicted concentrations (based on the annual consumption of pharmaceuticals, their excretion rate and annual wastewater volume generated by the hospital). Measured concentrations refer to two sampling campaigns carried out in summer and winter in order to investigate seasonal variability of the selected compounds. Predicted concentrations are compared to measured ones in the three scenarios: summer, winter and the whole year. It was found that predicted and measured concentrations are in agreement for a limited number of compounds (namely atenolol, atorvastatin and hydrochlorothiazide), and for most compounds the adoption of the model leads to a large overestimation in all three periods. Uncertainties in predictions are mainly due to the wastewater volume and excretion factor, whereas for measured concentrations, uncertainties are mainly due to sampling mode.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paola Verlicchi
- Department of Engineering, University of Ferrara, Via Saragat 1, I-44122 Ferrara, Italy; Terra&Acqua Technopole, University of Ferrara, Via Borsari, 46, I-44121 Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Elena Zambello
- Department of Engineering, University of Ferrara, Via Saragat 1, I-44122 Ferrara, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Baranauskaitė-Fedorova I, Dvarionienė J, Nikiforov VA. Management of pharmaceutical substances in the environment: Lithuanian case study. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2016; 74:1255-1265. [PMID: 27685956 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2016.289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Investigation on the sources, discharges and related risks for the environment of the pharmaceutical substance (PhS) diclofenac (DCF) was performed in Lithuania, a country of the Baltic Sea region, for the first time. The investigation only refers to DCF as a PhS for human use; emissions from animal husbandry were not considered. In the first stage of the research, the main sources and pathways of DCF via substance flow analysis were identified within the country. During the second stage, DCF flows along the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in two different cities were measured in order to assess the current levels of pharmaceutical residues in the environment. Furthermore, environmental risk assessment was carried out by taking into account the parameters of consumption data and elimination rate in WWTPs. Then, the assessment of different technical and managerial removal approaches was accomplished in an environmental management model of wastewater containing PhS, based on the framework of environmental systems theory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Inga Baranauskaitė-Fedorova
- Kaunas University of Technology, Institute of Environmental Engineering, K. Donelaičio str. 20, LT-44239, Kaunas, Lithuania E-mail:
| | - Jolanta Dvarionienė
- Kaunas University of Technology, Institute of Environmental Engineering, K. Donelaičio str. 20, LT-44239, Kaunas, Lithuania E-mail:
| | - Vladimir A Nikiforov
- Institution of Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg Scientific Research Centre for Ecological Safety RAS (SRCES RAS), Korpusnaya str. 18, 197110, St Petersburg, Russia and NILU - Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Framsenteret, Hjalmar Johansens gate 14, Tromsø, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Kuroda K, Itten R, Kovalova L, Ort C, Weissbrodt DG, McArdell CS. Hospital-Use Pharmaceuticals in Swiss Waters Modeled at High Spatial Resolution. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2016; 50:4742-51. [PMID: 27009776 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b00653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
A model to predict the mass flows and concentrations of pharmaceuticals predominantly used in hospitals across a large number of sewage treatment plant (STP) effluents and river waters was developed at high spatial resolution. It comprised 427 geo-referenced hospitals and 742 STPs serving 98% of the general population in Switzerland. In the modeled base scenario, domestic, pharmaceutical use was geographically distributed according to the population size served by the respective STPs. Distinct hospital scenarios were set up to evaluate how the predicted results were modified when pharmaceutical use in hospitals was allocated differently; for example, in proportion to number of beds or number of treatments in hospitals. The hospital scenarios predicted the mass flows and concentrations up to 3.9 times greater than in the domestic scenario for iodinated X-ray contrast media (ICM) used in computed tomography (CT), and up to 6.7 times greater for gadolinium, a contrast medium used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Field measurements showed that ICM and gadolinium were predicted best by the scenarios using number of beds or treatments in hospitals with the specific facilities (i.e., CT and/or MRI). Pharmaceuticals used both in hospitals and by the general population (e.g., cyclophosphamide, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, diclofenac) were predicted best by the scenario using the number of beds in all hospitals, but the deviation from the domestic scenario values was only small. Our study demonstrated that the bed number-based hospital scenarios were effective in predicting the geographical distribution of a diverse range of pharmaceuticals in STP effluents and rivers, while the domestic scenario was similarly effective on the scale of large river-catchments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Kuroda
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology , Überlandstrasse 133, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
- Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo , 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
- NIES, National Institute for Environmental Studies , 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - René Itten
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology , Überlandstrasse 133, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - Lubomira Kovalova
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology , Überlandstrasse 133, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Ort
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology , Überlandstrasse 133, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - David G Weissbrodt
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology , Überlandstrasse 133, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| | - Christa S McArdell
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology , Überlandstrasse 133, Dübendorf 8600, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Saunders LJ, Mazumder A, Lowe CJ. Pharmaceutical concentrations in screened municipal wastewaters in Victoria, British Columbia: A comparison with prescription rates and predicted concentrations. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2016; 35:919-929. [PMID: 26363402 DOI: 10.1002/etc.3241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2015] [Revised: 05/28/2015] [Accepted: 09/10/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are emerging chemicals of concern detected in surface waters globally. Recent reviews advocate that PPCP occurrence, fate, and exposure need to be better predicted and characterized. The use of pharmaceutical prescription rates to estimate PPCP concentrations in the environment has been suggested. Concentrations of 7 pharmaceuticals (acetylsalicylic acid, diclofenac, fenoprofen, gemfibrozil, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and naproxen) were measured in municipal wastewater using gas chromatography/ion trap-tandem mass spectroscopy (GC/IT-MS/MS). Subregional pharmaceutical prescription data were investigated to determine whether they could predict measured effluent concentrations (MECs) in wastewaters. Predicted effluent concentrations (PECs) for 5 of the 7 pharmaceuticals were within 2-fold agreement of the MECs when the fraction of parent pharmaceutical excreted was not considered. When the fraction of parent pharmaceutical excreted was considered, the respective PECs decreased, and most were within an order of magnitude of the MECs. Regression relationships of monthly PECs versus MECs were statistically significant (p < 0.05) but weak (R(2) = 0.18-0.56) for all pharmaceuticals except ketoprofen. This suggests high variability in the data and may be the result of factors influencing MECs such as the analytical methods used, wastewater sampling frequency, and methodology. The PECs were based solely on prescription rates and did not account for inputs of pharmaceuticals that had a significant over-the-counter component or were from other sources (e.g., hospitals).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leslie J Saunders
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Asit Mazumder
- Water and Aquatic Sciences Research Program, Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Christopher J Lowe
- Water and Aquatic Sciences Research Program, Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Capital Regional District, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Grill G, Khan U, Lehner B, Nicell J, Ariwi J. Risk assessment of down-the-drain chemicals at large spatial scales: Model development and application to contaminants originating from urban areas in the Saint Lawrence River Basin. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 541:825-838. [PMID: 26437353 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.09.100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2015] [Revised: 09/18/2015] [Accepted: 09/18/2015] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Chemicals released into freshwater systems threaten ecological functioning and may put aquatic life and the health of humans at risk. We developed a new contaminant fate model (CFM) that follows simple, well-established methodologies and is unique in its cross-border, seamless hydrological and geospatial framework, including lake routing, a critical component in northern environments. We validated the model using the pharmaceutical Carbamazepine and predicted eco-toxicological risk for 15 pharmaceuticals in the Saint-Lawrence River Basin, Canada. The results indicated negligible to low environmental risk for the majority of tested chemicals, while two pharmaceuticals showed elevated risk in up to 13% of rivers affected by municipal effluents. As an integrated model, our CFM is designed for application at very large scales with the primary goal of detecting high risk zones. In regulatory frameworks, it can help screen existing or new chemicals entering the market regarding their potential impact on human and environmental health. Due to its high geospatial resolution, our CFM can also facilitate the prioritization of actions, such as identifying regions where reducing contamination sources or upgrading treatment plants is most pertinent to achieve targeted pollutant removal or to protect drinking water resources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Günther Grill
- Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B9, Canada.
| | - Usman Khan
- Department of Civil Engineering & Applied Mechanics, McGill University, 817 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0C3, Canada
| | - Bernhard Lehner
- Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B9, Canada
| | - Jim Nicell
- Department of Civil Engineering & Applied Mechanics, McGill University, 817 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0C3, Canada
| | - Joseph Ariwi
- Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B9, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Fairbairn DJ, Arnold WA, Barber BL, Kaufenberg EF, Koskinen WC, Novak PJ, Rice PJ, Swackhamer DL. Contaminants of Emerging Concern: Mass Balance and Comparison of Wastewater Effluent and Upstream Sources in a Mixed-Use Watershed. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2016; 50:36-45. [PMID: 26605430 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b03109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the sources, transport, and spatiotemporal variability of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) is important for understanding risks and developing monitoring and mitigation strategies. This study used mass balances to compare wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and upstream sources of 16 CECs to a mixed-use watershed in Minnesota, under different seasonal and hydrological conditions. Three distinct CEC groups emerged with respect to their source proportionality and instream behavior. Agricultural herbicides and daidzein inputs were primarily via upstream routes with the greatest loadings and concentrations during high flows. Trimethoprim, mecoprop, nonprescription pharmaceuticals, and personal care products entered the system via balanced/mixed pathways with peak loadings and concentrations in high flows. Carbaryl, 4-nonylphenol, and the remaining prescription pharmaceuticals entered the system via WWTP effluent with relatively stable loadings across sampling events. Mass balance analysis based on multiple sampling events and sites facilitated CEC source comparisons and may therefore prove to be a powerful tool for apportioning sources and exploring mitigation strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David J Fairbairn
- University of Minnesota , Water Resources Center, 1985 Buford Ave., St Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
| | - William A Arnold
- University of Minnesota , Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, 500 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Brian L Barber
- University of Minnesota , Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, 1902 Dudley Ave, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
| | - Elizabeth F Kaufenberg
- University of Minnesota , Water Resources Center, 1985 Buford Ave., St Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
| | - William C Koskinen
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, University of Minnesota , Saint Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
| | - Paige J Novak
- University of Minnesota , Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, 500 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Pamela J Rice
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, University of Minnesota , Saint Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
| | - Deborah L Swackhamer
- University of Minnesota , Water Resources Center, 1985 Buford Ave., St Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Kirschhöfer F, Sahin O, Becker GC, Meffert F, Nusser M, Anderer G, Kusche S, Klaeusli T, Kruse A, Brenner-Weiss G. Wastewater treatment--adsorption of organic micropollutants on activated HTC-carbon derived from sewage sludge. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2016; 73:607-616. [PMID: 26877044 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2015.511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Organic micropollutants (MPs), in particular xenobiotics and their transformation products, have been detected in the aquatic environment and the main sources of these MPs are wastewater treatment plants. Therefore, an additional cleaning step is necessary. The use of activated carbon (AC) is one approach to providing this additional cleaning. Industrial AC derived from different carbonaceous materials is predominantly produced in low-income countries by polluting processes. In contrast, AC derived from sewage sludge by hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a regional and sustainable alternative, based on waste material. Our experiments demonstrate that the HTC-AC from sewage sludge was able to remove most of the applied MPs. In fact more than 50% of sulfamethoxazole, diclofenac and bezafibrate were removed from artificial water samples. With the same approach carbamazepine was eliminated to nearly 70% and atrazine more than 80%. In addition a pre-treated (phosphorus-reduced) HTC-AC was able to eliminate 80% of carbamazepine and diclofenac. Atrazine, sulfamethoxazole and bezafibrate were removed to more than 90%. Experiments using real wastewater samples with high organic content (11.1 g m(-3)) succeeded in proving the adsorption capability of phosphorus-reduced HTC-AC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frank Kirschhöfer
- * Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), IFG, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, D-76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany E-mail:
| | - Olga Sahin
- * Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), IKFT, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, D-76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Gero C Becker
- * University of Hohenheim, Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Garbenstr. 9, D-70593 Stuttgart, Germany *These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Florian Meffert
- * Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), IKFT, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, D-76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Michael Nusser
- * Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), IFG, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, D-76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany E-mail:
| | - Gilbert Anderer
- AndererConsulting, Rheinstr. 16a, D-76337 Waldbronn, Germany
| | - Stepan Kusche
- AVA-CO2 Forschung GmbH, Im Schlehert 14, D-76187 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Thomas Klaeusli
- AVA-CO2 Schweiz AG, Baarerstrasse, 20, CH-6304 Zug, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Kruse
- * University of Hohenheim, Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Garbenstr. 9, D-70593 Stuttgart, Germany *These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Gerald Brenner-Weiss
- * Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), IFG, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, D-76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Chiogna G, Majone B, Cano Paoli K, Diamantini E, Stella E, Mallucci S, Lencioni V, Zandonai F, Bellin A. A review of hydrological and chemical stressors in the Adige catchment and its ecological status. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 540:429-443. [PMID: 26250863 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.06.149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2015] [Revised: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 06/30/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Quantifying the effects of multiple stressors on Alpine freshwater ecosystems is challenging, due to the lack of tailored field campaigns for the contemporaneous measurement of hydrological, chemical and ecological parameters. Conducting exhaustive field campaigns is costly and hence most of the activities so far have been performed addressing specific environmental issues. An accurate analysis of existing information is therefore useful and necessary, to identify stressors that may act in synergy and to design new field campaigns. We present an extended review of available studies and datasets concerning the hydrological, chemical and ecological status of the Adige, which is the second longest river and the third largest river basin in Italy. The most relevant stressors are discussed in the light of the information extracted from a large number of studies. The detailed analysis of these studies identified that hydrological alterations caused by hydropower production are the main source of stress for the freshwater ecosystems in the Adige catchment. However, concurrent effects with other stressors, such as the release of pollutants from waste water treatment plants or from agricultural and industrial activities, have not been explored at depth, so far. A wealth of available studies address a single stressor separately without exploring their concurrent effect. It is concluded that a combination of extended experimental field campaigns, focusing on the coupled effects of multiple stressors, and modeling activities is highly needed in order to quantify the impact of the multifaceted human pressures on freshwater ecosystems in the Adige river.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Chiogna
- Faculty of Civil, Geo and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Arcistrasse 21, Munich 80333, Germany.
| | - Bruno Majone
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, I-38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Karina Cano Paoli
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, I-38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Elena Diamantini
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, I-38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Elisa Stella
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, I-38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Stefano Mallucci
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, I-38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Valeria Lencioni
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, MUSE - Museo delle Scienze, Corso del Lavoro e della Scienza 3, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Fabiana Zandonai
- Fondazione Museo Civico di Rovereto, Borgo Santa Caterina 41, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| | - Alberto Bellin
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, I-38123 Trento, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Acuña V, Ginebreda A, Mor JR, Petrovic M, Sabater S, Sumpter J, Barceló D. Balancing the health benefits and environmental risks of pharmaceuticals: Diclofenac as an example. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2015; 85:327-333. [PMID: 26454833 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2015.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2015] [Revised: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/27/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Pharmaceuticals are designed to improve human and animal health, but even the most beneficial pharmaceuticals might raise some questions concerning the consequences of exposure to non-target organisms. To illustrate this situation and using diclofenac as a case-study, we analyze global consumption and occurrence data to identify hot spots of consumption without occurrence data, review the scientific literature on the harmful environmental effects to determine whether the observed concentrations in freshwater are of environmental concern, summarize the current pharmaceutical and environmental policies to highlight policy gaps, and suggest a series of research and policy recommendations, which can be summarized as follows: we need to improve the current knowledge on occurrence in freshwaters to properly implement environmental policies (i), diclofenac might pose a risk to non-target organisms in freshwater (ii); the harmful effects that some pharmaceuticals may have on the environment are not always addressed by environmental policies (iii).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- V Acuña
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain.
| | - A Ginebreda
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Carrer Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - J R Mor
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - M Petrovic
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; ICREA, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - S Sabater
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, 17071 Girona, Spain
| | - J Sumpter
- Institute for the Environment, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH, United Kingdom
| | - D Barceló
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Carrer Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Liu X, Keller V, Dumont EL, Shi J, Johnson AC. Risk of endocrine disruption to fish in the Yellow River catchment in China assessed using a spatially explicit model. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2015; 34:2870-2877. [PMID: 26118536 DOI: 10.1002/etc.3133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2015] [Revised: 03/20/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The global water availability assessment (GWAVA) model, incorporating regional water abstractions and reservoir information, was used to model the human-sourced steroid estrogens estrone (E1) and estradiol (E2) in the Yellow River catchment (China). The river flows in the main stem were calibrated using gauged flows. Following a review of Chinese data on estrogen discharge from a range of sewage treatment plants, low, median, and high discharge rates were identified and used as best, expected, and worst-case scenarios, respectively. For any given location, the temporal variation of modeled estrogen levels was summarized using the mean and upper 90th percentile, which is where the model predicts 90% of values would be below this concentration. The predicted means and 90th percentiles for E1 were comparable to previous E1 measurements reported in the river. For the whole catchment, only 19% (mean value) of the river system by length was predicted to exceed 1 ng/L E2 equivalents (EEQs) using expected estrogen sewage discharge. Only 3% of the network by length was predicted to exceed the dangerously high 10 ng/L EEQ when considering 90th percentile concentrations. The highest exposures were in the Fen and Wei tributaries. Endocrine disruption risk from estrogens was predicted to be minimal in the main stem. Only in the worst-case discharge scenario and 90th percentile predicted concentrations were the most downstream river reaches of the main stem predicted to be at risk. Reservoirs appeared to be helpful in reducing estrogen concentrations thanks to longer water residence facilitating biodegradation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Liu
- Hefei University of Technology (Xuancheng Campus), Anhui, People's Republic of China
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Virginie Keller
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Egon L Dumont
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Jianghong Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Andrew C Johnson
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|