Matching Items (4)
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- All Subjects: Sewage Sludge
- Creators: Halden, Rolf U.
Description
Many manmade chemicals used in consumer products are ultimately washed down the drain and are collected in municipal sewers. Efficient chemical monitoring at wastewater treatment (WWT) plants thus may provide up-to-date information on chemical usage rates for epidemiological assessments. The objective of the present study was to extrapolate this concept, termed 'sewage epidemiology', to include municipal sewage sludge (MSS) in identifying and prioritizing contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). To test this the following specific aims were defined: i) to screen and identify CECs in nationally representative samples of MSS and to provide nationwide inventories of CECs in U.S. MSS; ii) to investigate the fate and persistence in MSS-amended soils, of sludge-borne hydrophobic CECs; and iii) to develop an analytical tool relying on contaminant levels in MSS as an indicator for identifying and prioritizing hydrophobic CECs. Chemicals that are primarily discharged to the sewage systems (alkylphenol surfactants) and widespread persistent organohalogen pollutants (perfluorochemicals and brominated flame retardants) were analyzed in nationally representative MSS samples. A meta-analysis showed that CECs contribute about 0.04-0.15% to the total dry mass of MSS, a mass equivalent of 2,700-7,900 metric tonnes of chemicals annually. An analysis of archived mesocoms from a sludge weathering study showed that 64 CECs persisted in MSS/soil mixtures over the course of the experiment, with half-lives ranging between 224 and >990 days; these results suggest an inherent persistence of CECs that accumulate in MSS. A comparison of the spectrum of chemicals (n=52) analyzed in nationally representative biological specimens from humans and MSS revealed 70% overlap. This observed co-occurrence of contaminants in both matrices suggests that MSS may serve as an indicator for ongoing human exposures and body burdens of pollutants in humans. In conclusion, I posit that this novel approach in sewage epidemiology may serve to pre-screen and prioritize the several thousands of known or suspected CECs to identify those that are most prone to pose a risk to human health and the environment.
ContributorsVenkatesan, Arjunkrishna (Author) / Halden, Rolf U. (Thesis advisor) / Westerhoff, Paul (Committee member) / Fox, Peter (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Analysis and modeling of residual compounds in process streams from U.S. wastewater treatment plants
Description
The presence of compounds such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment is a cause for concern as they exhibit secondary effects on non-target organisms and are also indicative of incomplete removal by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) during water reclamation. Analytical methods and predictive models can help inform on the rates at which these contaminants enter the environment via biosolids use or wastewater effluent release to estimate the risk of adverse effects. The goals of this research project were to integrate the results obtained from the two different methods of risk assessment, (a) in silico modeling and (b) experimental analysis. Using a previously published empirical model, influent and effluent concentration ranges were predicted for 10 sterols and validated with peer-reviewed literature. The in silico risk assessment analysis performed for sterols and hormones in biosolids concluded that hormones possess high leaching potentials and that particularly 17-α-ethinyl estradiol (EE2) can pose significant threat to fathead minnows (P. promelas) via leaching from terrestrial depositions of biosolids. Six mega-composite biosolids samples representative of 94 WWTPs were analyzed for a suite of 120 PPCPs using the extended U.S. EPA Method 1694 protocol. Results indicated the presence of 26 previously unmonitored PPCPs in the samples with estimated annual release rates of 5-15 tons yr-1 via land application of biosolids. A mesocosm sampling analysis that was included in the study concluded that four compounds amitriptyline, paroxetine, propranolol and sertraline warrant further monitoring due to their high release rates from land applied biosolids and their calculated extended half-lives in soils. There is a growing interest in the scientific community towards the development of new analytical protocols for analyzing solid matrices such as biosolids for the presence of PPCPs and other established and emerging contaminants of concern. The two studies presented here are timely and an important addition to the increasing base of scientific articles regarding environmental release of PPCPs and exposure risks associated with biosolids land application. This research study emphasizes the need for coupling experimental results with predictive analytical modeling output in order to more fully assess the risks posed by compounds detected in biosolids.
ContributorsPrakash Chari, Bipin (Author) / Halden, Rolf U. (Thesis advisor) / Westerhoff, Paul (Committee member) / Fox, Peter (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Monitoring human exposure to chemicals posing public health threats is critically important for risk management and for informing regulatory actions. Chemical threats result from both environmental pollutants and elected substance use (e.g., consumption of drugs, alcohol and tobacco). Measuring chemical occurrence and concentrations in environmental matrices can help to pinpoint human exposure routes. For instance, indoor dust, a sink of indoor environmental contaminants, can serve to assess indoor air contamination and associated human exposures. Urban wastewater arriving at treatment plants contains urine and stool from the general population, the analysis of which can provide information on chemical threats in the community and ongoing harmful exposures. Analysis of sewage sludge can serve to reveal the identity and quantity of persistent organic pollutants in cities and inform estimates of toxic body burdens in local populations.
The objective of this dissertation was to investigate the occurrence and quantity of select, potentially harmful, anthropogenic chemicals in various environmental matrices and to explore the diagnostic value of analytical assays for informing public health decision-making. This dissertation (i) is the first to report spatio-temporal variations and estrogenic burdens of five parabens in sewage sludge from at the U.S. nationwide scale; (ii) represents the first China-wide survey to assess the occurrence and toxic emissions of parabens, triclosan, triclocarban, as well as triclocarban metabolites and transformation products contained in Chinese sewage sludge; (iii) documents the first use of a dispersive solid phase extraction method for indoor dust to measure dust-borne parabens, triclosan and triclocarban and estimating associated human exposures from dust ingestion; and (iv) is the first U.S. study to assess population-level alcohol and nicotine consumption in three U.S. communities using wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). Obtained data on baseline levels of selected emerging contaminants in sewage sludge and indoor dust can serve to inform the future monitoring needs, risk assessment, and policy making. This work showcases the utility of WBE and urban metabolism metrology via dust and sewage sludge analysis to assess human behavior (e.g., drinking and smoking) and exposure risks more rapidly, efficiently and anonymously than traditional approaches can.
The objective of this dissertation was to investigate the occurrence and quantity of select, potentially harmful, anthropogenic chemicals in various environmental matrices and to explore the diagnostic value of analytical assays for informing public health decision-making. This dissertation (i) is the first to report spatio-temporal variations and estrogenic burdens of five parabens in sewage sludge from at the U.S. nationwide scale; (ii) represents the first China-wide survey to assess the occurrence and toxic emissions of parabens, triclosan, triclocarban, as well as triclocarban metabolites and transformation products contained in Chinese sewage sludge; (iii) documents the first use of a dispersive solid phase extraction method for indoor dust to measure dust-borne parabens, triclosan and triclocarban and estimating associated human exposures from dust ingestion; and (iv) is the first U.S. study to assess population-level alcohol and nicotine consumption in three U.S. communities using wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). Obtained data on baseline levels of selected emerging contaminants in sewage sludge and indoor dust can serve to inform the future monitoring needs, risk assessment, and policy making. This work showcases the utility of WBE and urban metabolism metrology via dust and sewage sludge analysis to assess human behavior (e.g., drinking and smoking) and exposure risks more rapidly, efficiently and anonymously than traditional approaches can.
ContributorsChen, Jing (Author) / Halden, Rolf U. (Thesis advisor) / Borges, Chad R (Committee member) / Abbaszadegan, Morteza (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
This thesis examines the composition, flow rate, and recyclability of two abundant materials generated in modern society: municipal sewage sludge (SS) generated during conventional wastewater treatment, and single-use plastic packaging (specifically, plastic bottles) manufactured and dispersed by fast-moving consumer goods companies (FMCG). The study found the presence of 5 precious metals in both American and Chinese sewage sludges. 13 rare elements were found in American sewage sludge while 14 were found in Chinese sewage sludge. Modeling results indicated 251 to 282 million metric tons (MMT) of SS from 2022 to 2050, estimated to contain some 6.8 ± 0.5 MMT of valuable elements in the USA, the reclamation of which is valued at $24B ± $1.6B USD. China is predicted to produce between 819 - 910 MMT of SS between 2022 and 2050 containing an estimated 14.9 ± 1.7 MMT of valuable elements worth a cumulative amount of $94B ± 20B (Chapter 2 and 3). The 4th chapter modeled how much plastic waste Coca-Cola, PespiCo and Nestlé produced and globally dispersed in 21 years: namely an estimated 126 MMT ± 8.7 MMT of plastic. Some 15.6 MMT ± 1.3 MMT (12%) is projected to have become aquatic pollution costing estimated at $286B USD. Some 58 ± 5 MMT or 46% of the total mass were estimated to result in terrestrial plastic pollution, with only minor amounts of 9.9 ± 0.7 MMT, deemed actually recycled. Absent of change, the three companies are predicted to generate an additional 330 ± 15 MMT of plastic by 2050, thereby creating estimated externalities of $8 ± 0.4 trillion USD. The analysis suggests that a small subset of FMCG companies are well positioned to change the current trajectory of global plastic pollution and ocean plastic littering. Chapter 5 examined the barriers to Circular Economy. In an increasingly uncertain post pandemic world, it is becoming progressively important to conserve local resources and extract value from materials that are currently interpreted a “waste” rather than a current or potential future resource.
ContributorsBiyani, Nivedita (Author) / Halden, Rolf U. (Thesis advisor) / Allenby, Braden (Committee member) / Jalbert, Kirk (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022