Multiclass target analysis of contaminants of emerging concern including transformation products, soil bioavailability assessment and retrospective screening as tools to evaluate risks associated with reclaimed water reuse

Abstract

The occurrence of 200 multiclass contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) encompassing 168 medicinal products and transformation products (TPs), 5 artificial sweeteners, 12 industrial chemicals, and 15 other compounds was investigated in influent and effluent wastewater samples collected during 7 consecutive days from 5 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in Cyprus. The methodology included a generic solid-phase extraction protocol using mixed-bed cartridges followed by Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Quadrupole-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS) analysis. A total of 63 CECs were detected at least in one sample, with 52 and 55 out of the 200 compounds detected in influents and effluents, respectively. Ten (10) out of the 24 families of parent compounds and associated TPs were found in the wastewater samples (influent or effluent). 1-H-benzotriazole, carbamazepine, citalopram, lamotrigine, sucralose, tramadol, and venlafaxine (>80 % frequency of appearance in effluents) were assessed with respect to their bioavailability in soil as part of different scenarios of irrigation with reclaimed water following a qualitative approach. A high score of 12 (high probability) was predicted for 2 scenarios, a low score of 3 (rare occasions) for 2 scenarios, while the rest 28 scenarios had scores 5-8 (unlikely or limited possibility) and 9-11 (possibly). Retrospective screening was performed with the use of a target database of 2466 compounds and led to the detection of 158 additional compounds (medicinal products (65), medicinal products TPs (15), illicit drugs (7), illicit drugs TPs (3), industrial chemicals (11), plant protection products (25), plant protection products TPs (10), and various other compounds (22). This work aspires to showcase how the presence of CECs in wastewater could be investigated and assessed at WWTP level, including an expert-based methodology for assessing the soil bioavailability of CECs, with the aim to develop sustainable practices and enhance reclaimed water reuse.

Keywords: Cyprus; High-resolution mass spectrometry; Microcontaminants; Wastewater.