Evaluation of the fate of perfluoroalkyl compounds in wastewater treatment plants.
Recent studies have shown that the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is a significant source of perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) in natural water. In this study, 10 PFCs were analyzed in influent and effluent wastewater and sludge samples in 15 municipal, 4 livestock and 3 industrial WWTPs in Korea. The observed distribution pattern of PFCs differed between the wastewater and sludge samples. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was dominant in the sludge samples with a concentration ranging from 3.3 to 54.1 ng/g, whereas perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was dominant in wastewater and ranged from 2.3 to 615 ng/L and 3.4 to 591 ng/L in influent and effluent wastewater, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) results provided an explanation for this variation in PFC distribution patterns in the aqueous and sludge samples. The fates of PFCs in the WWTPs were related with the functional groups. The PFOS concentrations tended to decrease after treatment in most WWTPs, whereas PFOA increased. The different fates of PFOA and PFOS in WWTPs were attributed to the higher organic carbon-normalized distribution coefficient of perfluoroalkylsulfonate (PFASs) than that of the carboxylate analog, indicating the preference of PFASs to partition to sludge. Although industrial WWTPs contained high concentration of PFCs, they are not the main source of PFCs in Korean water environment because of their small release amount. WWTPs located in big cities discharged more PFCs, suggesting household sewage is one of the significant sources of PFCs contamination in the environment.
Guo
Rui
R
Environmental Analysis Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea.
Sim
Won-Jin
WJ
Lee
Eung-Sun
ES
Lee
Ji-Hyun
JH
Oh
Jeong-Eun
JE
D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D000478:Alkylation; D002210:Caprylates / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000737:chemistry; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
D017738:Alkanesulfonic Acids; D002210:Caprylates; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C023036:perfluorooctanoic acid; C076994:perfluorooctane sulfonic acid