Occurrences of typical PPCPs during wastewater treatment and the composting of sewage sludge with micron-sized and nano-sized Fe3O4

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) 2023-11, Vol.336, p.122386-122386, Article 122386
• Main Authors: Jiang, Jishao, Hou, Rui, Cui, Huilin, Liu, Dong, Yan, Guangxuan, Fan, Yujuan, Cheng, Ke, Cao, Zhiguo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Composting; Micron-sized Fe3O4; Nano-sized Fe3O4; PPCPs; Wastewater treatment plant
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122386

New pollutants, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), accumulate in sewage sludge (SS) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), posing risks to the environment and to human health. In the present study, the fates of typical PPCPs, carbamazepine (CBZ), triclosan (TCS), ibuprofen (IBU) and galaxolide (HHCB), were examined during WW treatment. Additionally, SS collected from a WWTP was used for aerobic composting to investigate the influences of micron-sized Fe3O4 (M-Fe) and nano-sized Fe3O4 (N–Fe) on the degradation of these PPCPs and the succession of microbial communities during the composting process. The results showed that the mean concentrations of CBZ, TCS, IBU and HHCB in the influent of the WWTP were 926.5, 174.4, 8869, and 967.3 ng/g, respectively, and in the effluent were 107.6, 47.0, 283.4, and 88.4 ng/g, respectively. The removal rate averaged ∼80%, while the enrichment rates of the PPCPs in SS ranged from 37.2% to 60.5%. M-Fe and N–Fe reduced NH3 emissions by 32.9% and 54.1% and N2O emissions by 26.2% and 50.8%, respectively. Moreover, the addition of M-Fe and N–Fe effectively increased PPCP degradation rates 1.12–1.66-fold. During the whole process, the additions of M-Fe and N–Fe significantly shifted microbial community structure, and the abundances of Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Actinobacteria were increased during the thermophilic stage, marking them as key PPCP-degrading phyla. Taken together, our results indicated that the addition of M-Fe and N–Fe is an effective method for improving the quality of end compost and accelerating the degradation of PPCPs. The removal rate of the four PPCPs averaged ∼80% after the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), while the enrichment rates of the PPCPs in sewage sludge (SS) ranged from 37.2% to 60.5%. The M-Fe and N–Fe reduced NH3 emission by 32.9% and 54.1%, and N2O emission by 26.2% and 50.8%, respectively. Meanwhile, adding M-Fe and N–Fe effectively promoted the PPCPs degradation rates by 1.12–1.66 times. During the whole process, the additions of M-Fe and N–Fe significantly shifted the microbial community structure, and the abundances of Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Actinobacteria were boosted during the thermophilic stage, marking as key PPCPs-degrading phyla. [Display omitted] •The enrichment rates of four PPCPs in sewage sludge ranged from 37.2% to 60.5%.•M-Fe and N–Fe reduced NH3 emission by 32.9% and 54.1%, and N2O by 26.2% and 50.8%.•M-Fe and N–Fe effectively promoted the PP