Distribution, Removal, and Risk Assessment of Pharmaceuticals and Their Metabolites in Five Sewage Plants

Ying Li, Xiangming Niu, Chi Yao, Wen Yang and Guanghua Lu
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Ying Li: Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lake of Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Xiangming Niu: Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lake of Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Chi Yao: Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lake of Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Wen Yang: Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lake of Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Guanghua Lu: Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lake of Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-18

Abstract: The extensive use of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) leads to a continuous increase of their presence in urban wastewater. These pollutants are discharged into natural waters and pose a threat to human health and the ecological environment. This study focused on five sewage treatment plants in three cities of China’s Yangtze River Delta as research sites to study the distribution and degradation of drugs and their conversion products in wastewater. The concentration of target compounds in the water ranged from 0 to 510.8 ng/L, and both positive and negative removal rates occurred during the treatment. Acetaminophen (ACE) and ibuprofen (IPF) can be completely removed in the biological treatment stage. The addition of flocculants and sand filtration has a positive effect on the removal of naproxen (NPX) and bezafibrate (BZB). Ultraviolet disinfection is beneficial for the removal of antipyrine (ATP) and diclofenac (DCF). A small amount of PPCPs were found in the sludge and particulate matter, which had little effect on removal. Finally, the risk quotients were used to evaluate the harmfulness of the PPCPs detected in the effluent to the ecological environment, and the results showed that there was little hazard.

Keywords: pharmaceuticals and personal care products; sewage treatment plant; removal efficiency; mass balance; risk assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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