Jump to main content
US EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Search
Search
Main menu
Environmental Topics
Laws & Regulations
About EPA
Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)
Contact Us
Print
Feedback
Export to File
Search:
This record has one attached file:
Add More Files
Attach File(s):
Display Name for File*:
Save
Citation
Tags
HERO ID
1987643
Reference Type
Journal Article
Title
Occurrence and fate of phthalate esters in full-scale domestic wastewater treatment plants and their impact on receiving waters along the Songhua River in China
Author(s)
Gao, D; Li, Z; Wen, Z; Ren, N
Year
2014
Is Peer Reviewed?
Yes
Journal
Chemosphere
ISSN:
0045-6535
EISSN:
1879-1298
Volume
95
Page Numbers
24-32
Language
English
PMID
24001662
DOI
10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.08.009
Web of Science Id
WOS:000328868400005
URL
https://search.proquest.com/docview/1836655702?accountid=171501
Exit
Abstract
The occurrence and fate of six phthalates: dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and di-n-octyl phthalate (DOP) were investigated as phthalates passed through three full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with different treatment processes, and ultimately into the recipient Songhua River water in Harbin (China). The six phthalates were detected in the majority of aqueous and solid samples, with DEHP being the most abundant compound. The overall removal efficiency of ΣPAEs in the Cyclic Activated Sludge Technology (CAST) process was over 72%, while both the A/O and A/A/O processes achieved approximately 30% removal. The better performance of the CAST process relative to the Anoxic/Oxic (A/O) and Anaerobic/Anoxic/Oxic (A/A/O) processes was attributed to the indoor-conditions of the CAST plants, which effectively maintained the temperature of the treatment system. The fate of PAEs within two different types of WWTPs (CAST and A/A/O) were assessed qualitatively using mass balances. The results suggested that PAEs removal resulted from both biotransformation and adsorption, of which the former was particularly significant in the CAST process, while the latter was more significant in the A/A/O process. Substantial levels of several PAEs were detected in the Songhua River, especially downstream of the WWTPs, which means that the discharge from WWTPs has a strong impact on the water quality of the Songhua River during cold winter conditions.
Keywords
Phthalate esters; Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP); Full-scale; Cyclic activated sludge technology (CAST); Anoxic/Oxic (A/O) process; Anaerobic/Anoxic/Oxic (A/A/O) process
Tags
IRIS
•
BBP (Butyl benzyl phthalate)
Literature Search
LitSearch Aug 2013-Apr 2014
PubMed
Web of Science
Litsearch April 2014 - February 2015
WOS
Toxnet
Excluded: No Primary Data on Health Effects
Fate and transport
•
Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)
Database Searches
Pubmed
LitSearch June 2013 – Jan 2014
PubMed
Excluded: No Primary Data on Health Effects
Fate and transport
•
Diethyl phthalate (DEP)
Database searches
Aug 2013 update
Pubmed
Jul 2014 update
Pubmed
Jan 2020 update
PubMed
Web of Science
New for this project
Excluded: No Primary Data on Health Effects
Fate and transport
Home
Learn about HERO
Using HERO
Search HERO
Projects in HERO
Risk Assessment
Transparency & Integrity