Occurrence and distribution of phthalate esters and microplastics in wastewater treatment plants in Taiwan and their toxicological risks

Ming-Huang Wang; Chih-Feng Chen; Frank Paolo Jay B Albarico; Chiu-Wen Chen; Cheng-Di Dong

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135857

Occurrence and distribution of phthalate esters and microplastics in wastewater treatment plants in Taiwan and their toxicological risks

Chemosphere. 2022 Nov;307(Pt 2):135857. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135857. Epub 2022 Aug 5.

Authors

Ming-Huang Wang¹, Chih-Feng Chen¹, Frank Paolo Jay B Albarico², Chiu-Wen Chen³, Cheng-Di Dong⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, 81157, Taiwan.
² Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, 81157, Taiwan; Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City, 81157, Taiwan; College of Fisheries and Allied Sciences, Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology, Sagay City, 6122, Philippines.
³ Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, 81157, Taiwan. Electronic address: cwchen@nkust.edu.tw.
⁴ Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, 81157, Taiwan. Electronic address: cddong@nkust.edu.tw.

PMID: 35940417
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135857

Abstract

Phthalate esters (PAEs) are fat soluble synthetic chemicals, usually regarded as plasticizers for being added in numerous plastic products. Thus, environmental and health hazards of PAEs are associated with increasing plastic pollution. In this study, PAEs from sludge samples collected from water, sewage, and industrial treatment plants (N = 17) were analyzed using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry. Microplastics (MPs) were also quantified and correlated with PAEs. Results showed the highest average PAE concentrations in sewage treatment plants. The greatest ΣPAEs concentration were found in sewage treatment plant (STP4) with 32,414 μg/kg dw, while the lowest found in water treatment plant (WTP3) with 2062 μg/kg dw. Among different PAEs, di-(2-ethyl hexyl) phthalate (DEHP) contributes the highest. Similarly, DEHP, di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP) and diisononyl phthalate (DiNP) significantly correlated with the total PAEs indicating their large contribution to sludge contamination. The abundance of microplastics in sludge ranged between 1 and 7 MP/g, highest at ITP6, but not detected in some stations. While microplastics may potentially increase PAEs, there was no significant relationship between ΣPAEs and MP abundance. The estimated human daily intake of DEHP and di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) when contaminated sludge be used showed low toxicological risks to exposed adults. This research presents the sludge characteristics, PAEs, and microplastic concentrations in different wastewater treatment plants in Taiwan. PAE contamination was highly contributed by domestic and industrial wastes shown by their significant amounts in STP and ITP. Results further provide evidence for potential sludge recycling (WTP sludge) and application to soil.

Keywords: Daily human intake (DHI); Microplastics; Phthalate esters (PAE); Plasticizers; Sludge; Wastewater treatment.

MeSH terms

China
Dibutyl Phthalate / analysis
Diethylhexyl Phthalate* / analysis
Esters / analysis
Humans
Industrial Waste / analysis
Microplastics
Phthalic Acids* / analysis
Plasticizers / analysis
Plastics
Sewage / chemistry
Soil / chemistry
Taiwan
Water Purification*

Substances

Dibutyl Phthalate
Diethylhexyl Phthalate
Esters
Industrial Waste
Microplastics
phthalic acid
Phthalic Acids
Plasticizers
Plastics
Sewage
Soil