Putting waste to work. Emerging Organic Contaminants an overview

Transcription

1 Putting waste to work Emerging Organic Contaminants an overview

2 10 s of 1000 s of chemicals are used inour daily lives

3 Definition of Emerging Contaminants Emerging contaminants" can be broadly defined as any synthetic or naturally occurring chemical or any microorganism that is not commonly monitored in the environment but has the potential to enter the environment and cause known or suspected adverse ecological and(or) human health effects.

4 Definition of Emerging Contaminants Emerging is a misnomer wrt chemical pollution because in most instances it s employed to refer to: Issues existing for some time which have eluded attention Issues that have yet to occur analytical advances allow measurement & data collection Emerging represents a move in focus from conventional priority POPs to bioactive anthropogenic chemicals

5 Emerging OrganicContaminants Generally includes: Emerging halogenated POPS Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) Steroid hormones and other EDCs EMERGING CONTAMINANTS IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT EFFLUENTS: new generation pesticides (neonicotinoids) Result from: Fate and assessment of risk to aquatic receiving environments in New Zealand worldwide, universal and frequent use cumulative usage of relatively small quantities by a multitude of individuals

6 Pharmaceutical and PersonalCare Products (PPCPs) drugs (prescription and over counter) diagnostic agents (X-ray media) antimicrobials and disinfectants fragrances (synthetic musks) sunscreen agents/uv filters insect repellents (DEET) formulation ingredients (surfactants and siloxanes) steroid hormones illegal drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine P)

7 Industrial Chemicals Plasticisers (phthalates, adipates, Bisphenol-A) surfactants (4-n-nonylphenol, 4-tert-octylphenol) siloxanes UV stabilisers Alkylphosphate flame retardants The list is literally endless.

8 Emerging Organic Chemicals HPVs (= or > ½ M kg/annum by USEPA) commonly in personal care products & domestic goods identified as priority organic chemicals by WERF

9 EOCs and HPV chemicals antimicrobial and antispetic chemicals preservatives fragrances insect repellants alkylphosphate flame retardants

10 Emerging Organic Chemicals diverse group of chemicals internally or externally used excreted and/or used by humans, animals, even plants approx 70% of injested pharmaceuticals are excreted unchanged Wide spectrum of chemical classes and physicochemical properties, often similar persistence to harmful xenobiotics Production quantities are comparable to many intensively used agrichemicals.

11 Sources of EOCs Land application of animal waste WWTP effluents & on-site septic systems Landfills & leachates Industrial/manufacturing wastes Land application of biosolids

12 EOCs in New Zealand WWTPs Determine the concentrations of selected emerging organic micro-pollutants in treated wastewater from WWTPs in New Zealand

13 Conclusions Concentrations of residual EOCs in NZ WWTP effluent are comparable to overseas data Solids separation and recovery is the main removal process- rather than biodegradation Impacts and effects will be similar to those observed overseas

14 EOCs in New Zealand WWTPBiosolids Determine the concentrations of selected emerging organic micro-pollutants in New Zealand biosolids

15 PolybrominatedDiphenylEther FRs Congener NZ Denmark Sweden BDE BDE BDE BDE BDE BDE <5 - (ng/kg (ppt) DW) EU developing legislative controls for selected PBDEs

16 Alkyl Phenols (µg/kg, ppb) WWTP NPE metabolites n-nonylphenol total tech nonylphenol n-octylphenol t-octyl phenol t-amyl phenol WWTP NPE metabolites n-nonylphenol total tech nonylphenol n-octylphenol t-octyl phenol t-amyl phenol % exceeded the EU limit of 50ppm

17 Phthalates (µg/kg, ppb) WWTP Phthalate dimethyl phthlate d-diethyl phthlate diethyl phthlate chlorophenylphenyl ether bromophenylphenyl ether d-di-n-butyl phthlate di-n-butyl phthlate butyl benzyl phthlate d-bis(2-thylhexyl)phthlate bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthlate di-n-octyl phthlate % exceeded the EU limit of 100ppm WWTP Phthalate dimethyl phthlate d-diethyl phthlate diethyl phthlate chlorophenylphenyl ether bromophenylphenyl ether d-di-n-butyl phthlate di-n-butyl phthlate butyl benzyl phthlate d-bis(2-thylhexyl)phthlate bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthlate di-n-octyl phthlate

18 Conclusions Concentrations of EOCs in NZ biosolids are comparable to those overseas Some EOCs are present at higher concentrations than biosolids produced overseas Advanced treatment of biosolids by anaerobic digestion will further reduce EOCs Other types and sources of EOCs in NZ will have similar concentrations to those observed overseas

19 EOCs in Landfills provide conditions for long-term persistence of EOCs transport and migration into groundwater leachate contains numerous types of EOCs concentrations of EOCs in fresh leachate are a risk to the environment

20 EOCs in Compost & Recyclables Primarily derive from compost produced with biosolids Composting further reduces EOCs but information is scarce Paucity of information on EOCs in recycled materials

21 Environmental concentrations Data is currently limited due to recent recognition as pollutants, cost of analysis, regulatory lag Environmental concentrations range from parts per trillion to million More often parts per trillion to parts per billion Many EOCs are biologically active at very low concentrations, sub ppt Much concern regarding the effects of mixtures of biologically active EOCs

22 Priority EOCs Selected on the basis of persistence during wastewater treatment persistence in receiving environments Toxicity to organisms ability to bioaccumulate

23 Priority EOCs No common consensus at this time Common priority classes of EOCs include: Flame retardants (polybrominated and alkylphosphate) Phthalate esters and plasticisers Surfactants Polycyclic- and nitro-musk fragrances Triclosan and parabens Estrogenic steroid hormones Selected antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflamatory drugs

24 Proposed Revisions to NZ Biosolid Guidelines Remove current guideline values for persistent organic pollutants and replace them with EOCs Implement guideline limits for selected EOCs including: steroid hormones and nonylphenols Linear alkylbenzene sulphonate (surfactant) Selected PBDE flame retardants Triclosan (antimicrobial) Ciprofloxacin (antibiotic) Selected pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine and diclofenac) Persistent herbicides (clopyralid)