Concentrations and specific loads of brominated flame retardants in sewage sludge.
Many substances related to human activities end up in wastewater and accumulate in sewage sludge. The present study focuses on two classes of brominated flame retardants: polybrominated diphenyl ethers (BDE28, BDE47, BDE49, BDE66, BDE85, BDE99, BDE100, BDE119, BDE138, BDE153, BDE154, BDE183, BDE209) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) detected in sewage sludge collected from a monitoring network in Switzerland. Mean concentrations (n=16 wastewater treatment plants) were 310, 149, 95 and 17microg per kg dry matter for decaBDE, HBCD, penta- and octaBDE, respectively. These numbers correspond well with other studies from European countries. DecaBDE, HBCD, penta- and octaBDE showed average specific loads (load per connected inhabitant per year) in sludge of 6.1, 3.3, 2.0 and 0.3mgcap(-1)yr(-1), respectively. This is in line with consumption and storage of the compounds in the environment and the anthroposphere. Discrepancies observed for octaBDE and HBCD can be explained by the release from materials where these compounds are incorporated in and/or their degradation during anaerobic sludge treatment. Loads from different types of monitoring sites showed that brominated flame retardants ending up in sewage sludge originate mainly from surface runoff, industrial and domestic wastewater.
Swiss College of Agriculture , 3052 Zollikofen, Switzerland. thomas.kupper@shl.bfh.ch
Thomas
T
Kupper
Luiz Felippe
LF
de Alencastro
Revocat
R
Gatsigazi
Reinhard
R
Furrer
Dominique
D
Grandjean
Joseph
J
Tarradellas
D000693:Anaerobiosis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis*; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated / Q000032:analysis; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D012722:Sewage / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid
D005411:Flame Retardants; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls; D012722:Sewage; C089796:hexabromocyclododecane