Abstract
Passive sampling is proposed as an alternative to traditional grab- and composite-sampling modes. Investigated here is a novel passive sampler configuration, the Chemcatcher containing an Atlantic HLB disk covered by a 0.2 μm poly(ether sulfone) membrane, for monitoring polar organic micropollutants (personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and illicit drugs) in wastewater effluent. In situ calibration showed linear uptake for the majority of detected micropollutants over 9 days of deployment. Sampling rates (RS) were determined for 59 compounds and were generally in the range of 0.01-0.10 L day(-1). The Chemcatcher was also suitable for collecting chiral micropollutants and maintaining their enantiomeric distribution during deployment. This is essential for their future use in developing more accurate environmental risk assessments at the enantiomeric level. Application of calibration data in a subsequent monitoring study showed that the concentration estimated for 92% of micropollutants was within a factor of 2 of the known concentration. However, their application in a legislative context will require further understanding of the properties and mechanisms controlling micropollutant uptake to improve the accuracy of reported concentrations.
Highlights
The presence of polar organic micropollutants in the aquatic environment is of concern due to their unknown long-term effects on aquatic life and on human health
Their concentrations have been reported in U.K. surface waters ranging from low ng L−1 levels up to ∼10 μg L−1.1 The main route of entry into the environment for these micropollutants is from the discharge of effluent from wastewater treatment works (WwTWs)
Passive samplers are proposed as a lower-cost, easy-to-use alternative.[3−6] Passive sampling relies on the transport of micropollutant from the sampled matrix to a receiving phase within a sampling device
Summary
The presence of polar organic micropollutants (e.g., personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and illicit drugs) in the aquatic environment is of concern due to their unknown long-term effects on aquatic life and on human health. Their concentrations have been reported in U.K. surface waters ranging from low ng L−1 levels up to ∼10 μg L−1.1 The main route of entry into the environment for these micropollutants is from the discharge of effluent from wastewater treatment works (WwTWs). Passive samplers can be used to estimate time-weighted average concentrations for comparatively long time periods (≥7 days) For this to be successful, sampling rates (RS) of each micropollutant must be known for the sampler applied. This has limited the use of passive sampling for quantitative analysis because RS derived in the laboratory (typically using clean water spiked with the micropollutants under investigation) do not represent what is observed in the field.[3]
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