Occurrence, removal, and risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives in typical wastewater treatment plants

Ke Zhao; Kaixuan Wang; Shifeng Qian; Su Wang; Fengxiang Li

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.118989

Occurrence, removal, and risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives in typical wastewater treatment plants

Environ Res. 2024 Apr 25;252(Pt 3):118989. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118989. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Ke Zhao¹, Kaixuan Wang², Shifeng Qian², Su Wang², Fengxiang Li³

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Songliao Aquatic Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin Jianzhu University, 5088 Xincheng Street, Changchun, 130118, China. Electronic address: zhaoke326@126.com.
² Key Laboratory of Songliao Aquatic Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin Jianzhu University, 5088 Xincheng Street, Changchun, 130118, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria at Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300350, China. Electronic address: lifx@nankai.edu.cn.

PMID: 38677406
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118989

Abstract

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have a certain removal capacity for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives, but some of them are discharged with effluent into the environment, which can affect the environment. Therefore, to understand the presence, sources, and potential risks of PAHs and their derivatives in WWTPs. Sixteen PAHs, three chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ClPAHs), three oxidized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OPAHs), and three methylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MPAHs) were detected in the influent and effluent water of three WWTPs in China. The average concentrations of their influent ∑PAHs, ∑ClPAHs, ∑OPAHs, and ∑MPAHs ranged from 2682.50 to 2774.53 ng/L, 553.26-906.28 ng/L, 415.40-731.56 ng/L, and 534.04-969.83 ng/L, respectively, and the effluent concentrations ranged from 823.28 to 993.37 ng/L, 269.43-489.94 ng/L, 285.93-463.55 ng/L, and 376.25-512.34 ng/L, respectively. The growth of heat transport and industrial energy consumption in the region has a significant impact on the level of PAHs in WWTPs. According to the calculated removal efficiencies of PAHs and their derivatives in the three WWTPs (A, B, and C), the removal rates of PAHs and their derivatives were 69-72%, 62-71%, and 68-73%, respectively, and for the substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (SPAHs), the removal rates were 41-49%, 31-40%, and 33-39%, respectively; moreover, the removal rates of PAHs were greater than those of SPAHs in the WWTPs. The results obtained via the ratio method indicated that the main sources of PAHs in the influent of WWTPs were the combustion of coal and biomass, and petroleum contamination was the secondary source. In risk evaluation, there were 5 compounds for which the risk quotient was considered high ecological risk. During chronic disease evaluation, there were 11 compounds with a risk quotient considered to indicate high risk. PAHs and SPAHs with high relative molecular masses in the effluent of WWTPs pose more serious environmental hazards than their PAHs counterparts.

Keywords: Influent and effluent; PAHs; Risk assessment; Source analysis; Wastewater treatment plants.