Abstract
The widely use of phthalate esters (PAEs) in both industry and commercial products leads to their ubiquitous existence in the environment. In this study, sewage samples were collected from Several wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Shanghai, China to investigate the levels and profiles of PAEs. Of the 16 PAEs, DMP, DEP, DnBP, DiBP, DCHP, DEHP, DnNP and DnOP were present in all sludge samples. DEHP and DnBP are found to be the dominant PAEs in sludge, and the average concentration of DEHP in this study is at a medium magnitude in the world. Following sludge application in farmland, the annual mass loading of PAEs is up to 32,000 kg. However, further studies are needed to explore the metabolites of PAEs in sludge since they are easily biodegraded in WWTP process.
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