title: A nationwide survey and emission estimates of cyclic and linear siloxanes through sludge from wastewater treatment plants in Korea.
abstract: Siloxanes are widely used in various industrial applications as well as in personal care products. Despite their widespread use and potential toxic effects, few studies have reported on the occurrence of siloxanes in the environment. In this study, we determined the concentrations of 5 cyclic and 15 linear siloxanes in sludge collected from 40 representative wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Korea. Total concentrations of 20 siloxanes (Σsiloxane) in sludge ranged from 0.05 to 142 (mean: 45.7) μg/g dry weight, similar to the concentrations reported in European countries but higher than those reported in China. The concentrations of siloxanes in sludge from domestic WWTPs were significantly (p<0.01) higher than those from industrial WWTPs, indicating higher consumption of siloxanes in various personal care products (e.g. shampoos and conditioners). The major siloxane compounds found in sludge were decamethylcyclopentasilane (D5), docosamethyldecasiloxane (L10) and dodecamethylcyclohexasilane (D6), which collectively accounted for, on average, 62% of the Σsiloxane concentrations. Non-parametric multidimensional scaling ordination of the profiles of siloxanes indicated the existence of different usage patterns of siloxanes between industrial and household activities. Multiple linear regression analysis of siloxane concentrations and WWTP characteristics suggested that D5, D6 and linear siloxane concentrations in sludge were positively correlated with population served by a WWTP. Environmental emission fluxes of cyclic and linear siloxanes through sludge disposal in Korea were 14,800 and 18,500 kg/year, respectively. This is the first report describing occurrence and environmental emission of siloxanes through sludge in Korea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences and Convergent Technology, College of Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan 426-791, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sunggyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences and Convergent Technology, College of Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan 426-791, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: hbmoon@hanyang.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Hyo-Bang
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental and Energy Technology, POSTECH, Pohang 790-784, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Geum-Ju
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Marine Environment and Conservation Research Division, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Ansan 426-744, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kongtae
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ra
authors.affiliation: Marine Environment Research Division, National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI), Busan 619-705, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Won-Chan
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY 12201-0509, USA; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Empire State Plaza, P.O. Box 509, Albany, NY 12201-0509, USA; Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science and Experimental Biochemistry Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, PO Box 80216, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: kkannan@wadsworth.org.
authors.forename: Kurunthachalam
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kannan
mesh_terms: D056910:Republic of Korea; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry*; D012833:Siloxanes / Q000032:analysis*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage; D012833:Siloxanes; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Decamethylcyclopentasilane; Dodecamethylcyclohexasilane; Emission flux; Personal care products; WWTP; Wastewater