Assessing the diurnal variability of pharmaceutical and personal care products in a full-scale activated sludge plant

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) 2011-10, Vol.159 (10), p.2359-2367
• Main Authors: Salgado, R., Marques, R., Noronha, J.P., Mexia, J.T., Carvalho, G., Oehmen, A., Reis, M.A.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activated sludge; Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Biological treatment of waters; Biotechnology; diurnal variation; Diurnal variations; Environment and pollution; Environmental Monitoring; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Household Products - analysis; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; municipal wastewater; Musks; Other wastewaters; personal care products; Pharmaceutical active compounds (PhAC); Pharmaceutical Preparations - analysis; Pollution; Seasons; Sewage - chemistry; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Wastewater treatment; Wastewaters; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollution, Chemical - statistics & numerical data; Water treatment and pollution; Xenobiotics
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2011.07.004

An intensive sampling campaign has been carried out in a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to assess the dynamics of the influent pharmaceutical active compounds (PhAC) and musks. The mass loadings of these compounds in wastewater influents displayed contrasting diurnal variations depending on the compound. The musks and some groups of PhACs tended to follow a similar diurnal trend as compared to macropollutants, while the majority of PhACs followed either the opposite trend or no repeatable trend. The total musk loading to the WWTP was 0.74±0.25gd−1, whereas the total PhAC mass loading was 84.7±63.8gd−1. Unlike the PhACs, the musks displayed a high repeatability from one sampling day to the next. The range of PhAC loadings in the influent to WWTPs can vary several orders of magnitude from one day or week to the next, representing a challenge in obtaining data for steady-state modelling purposes. ► Investigated the variations in influent wastewater pharmaceutical and musk loadings. ► A high number of different pharmaceutical and musk compounds was analysed. ► Many pharmaceutical groups displayed different characteristic patterns. ► A representative steady-state pattern was observable for musks, not pharmaceuticals. ► The results are relevant to the design of sampling campaigns for modelling purposes. The diurnal variations of pharmaceuticals and musks were studied in an activated sludge plant, where the loadings of the musks were more repeatable than the pharmaceuticals.