TY - JOUR

T1 - Correlation of six anthropogenic markers in wastewater, surface water, bank filtrate, and soil aquifer treatment

AU - Scheurer, Martin

AU - Storck, Florian Rüdiger

AU - Graf, Carola

AU - Brauch, Heinz-Jürgen

AU - Ruck, Wolfgang

AU - Lev, Ovadia

AU - Lange, Frank Thomas

PY - 2011/4

Y1 - 2011/4

N2 - Six trace contaminants (acesulfame (ACE), sucralose (SUC), carbamazepine (CBZ), diatrizoic acid (DTA), 1H-benzotriazole (BTZ) and its 4-methyl analogue (4-TTri)) were traced from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to receiving waters and further to riverbank filtration (RBF) wells to evaluate their prediction power as potential wastewater markers. Furthermore, the persistence of some compounds was investigated in advanced wastewater treatment by soil aquifer treatment (SAT). During wastewater treatment in four conventional activated sludge WWTPs ACE, SUC, and CBZ showed a pronounced stability expressed by stable concentration ratios in influent (in) and effluent (out) (ACE/CBZ: in45, out40; SUC/CBZ: in1.8, out1.7; and ACE/SUC: in24, out24). In a fifth WWTP, additional treatment with powdered activated carbon led to a strong elimination of CBZ, BTZ, and 4-TTri of about 80% and consequently to a distinctive shift of their ratios with unaffected compounds. Data from a seven month monitoring program at seven sampling locations at the rivers Rhine and Main in Germany revealed the best concentration correlation for ACE and CBZ (r2 = 0.94) and also a good correlation of ACE and CBZ concentrations to BTZ and 4-TTri levels (r2 = 0.66 to 0.82). The comparison of ratios at different sampling sites allowed for the identification of a CBZ point source. Furthermore, in Switzerland a higher consumption of SUC compared to Germany can be assumed, as a steadily increasing ACE/SUC ratio along the river Rhine was observed. In RBF wells a good correlation (r2 = 0.85) was again observed for ACE and CBZ. Both also showed the highest stability at a prolonged residence time in the subsurface of a SAT field. In the most peripheral wells ACE and CBZ were still detected with mean values higher than 36 µg L−1 and 1.3 µg L−1, respectively. Although SUC concentrations in wastewater used for SAT decreased by more than 80% from about 18 µg L−1 to 2.1 µg L−1 and 3.5 µg L−1 in these outlying wells, the compound was still adequate to indicate a wastewater impact in a qualitative way.

AB - Six trace contaminants (acesulfame (ACE), sucralose (SUC), carbamazepine (CBZ), diatrizoic acid (DTA), 1H-benzotriazole (BTZ) and its 4-methyl analogue (4-TTri)) were traced from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to receiving waters and further to riverbank filtration (RBF) wells to evaluate their prediction power as potential wastewater markers. Furthermore, the persistence of some compounds was investigated in advanced wastewater treatment by soil aquifer treatment (SAT). During wastewater treatment in four conventional activated sludge WWTPs ACE, SUC, and CBZ showed a pronounced stability expressed by stable concentration ratios in influent (in) and effluent (out) (ACE/CBZ: in45, out40; SUC/CBZ: in1.8, out1.7; and ACE/SUC: in24, out24). In a fifth WWTP, additional treatment with powdered activated carbon led to a strong elimination of CBZ, BTZ, and 4-TTri of about 80% and consequently to a distinctive shift of their ratios with unaffected compounds. Data from a seven month monitoring program at seven sampling locations at the rivers Rhine and Main in Germany revealed the best concentration correlation for ACE and CBZ (r2 = 0.94) and also a good correlation of ACE and CBZ concentrations to BTZ and 4-TTri levels (r2 = 0.66 to 0.82). The comparison of ratios at different sampling sites allowed for the identification of a CBZ point source. Furthermore, in Switzerland a higher consumption of SUC compared to Germany can be assumed, as a steadily increasing ACE/SUC ratio along the river Rhine was observed. In RBF wells a good correlation (r2 = 0.85) was again observed for ACE and CBZ. Both also showed the highest stability at a prolonged residence time in the subsurface of a SAT field. In the most peripheral wells ACE and CBZ were still detected with mean values higher than 36 µg L−1 and 1.3 µg L−1, respectively. Although SUC concentrations in wastewater used for SAT decreased by more than 80% from about 18 µg L−1 to 2.1 µg L−1 and 3.5 µg L−1 in these outlying wells, the compound was still adequate to indicate a wastewater impact in a qualitative way.

KW - Chemistry

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79953746529&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1039/C0EM00701C

DO - 10.1039/C0EM00701C

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 13

SP - 966

EP - 973

JO - Environmental Sciences: Processes & Impacts

JF - Environmental Sciences: Processes & Impacts

SN - 2050-7887

IS - 4

ER -