Abstract
In this study, the fate of four common anti-inflammatory drugs (ketoprofen, naproxen, diclofenac and ibuprofen) within a wastewater treatment plant was investigated. A previously developed direct hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction method was applied to water as well as sludge samples collected from the primary, secondary and tertiary treatment respectively and the final analysis was performed by liquid chromatography quadropole time of flight tandem mass spectrometry. Enrichment factors ranged from 1400 to 3900 times depending on analyte and matrix. Method detection limits ranged from 0.3 to 14 ng/L for the different analytes and matrices. The overall sludge removal was 9%, 3%, 13% and 1% for ketoprofen, naproxen, diclofenac and ibuprofen respectively, thus indicating that of the studied compounds, ketoprofen and diclofenac to the largest extent partition into the sludge. For both substances, the largest fraction was found in secondary sludge (60% and 80% respectively of the total amount detected in the sludge). For naproxen and ibuprofen, the largest fraction were on the other hand detected in primary and tertiary sludge respectively, indicating that the affinity to the different sludge types might vary among the four drugs. The overall low sludge removal confirms existing theories that partitioning into sludge is only a minor removal mechanism for the investigated compounds. Nevertheless, naproxen and ibuprofen are still efficiently removed from the water during treatment (100% and 97 % total removal respectively) suggesting that these compounds are highly susceptible to biodegradation while ketoprofen and diclofenac (66% and 67% total removal respectively) appear more persistent.
Highlights
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is a group of pharmaceuticals characterized by extensive use and high detection frequencies in aquatic environments throughout the world [1,2,3]
A previously developed direct hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction method was applied to water as well as sludge samples collected from the primary, secondary and tertiary treatment respectively and the final analysis was performed by liquid chromatography quadropole time of flight tandem mass spectrometry
Consensus exists within the scientific community that the main pathway via which these substances reach the environment is through municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents since pharmaceuticals consumed and later excreted by humans will end up in the wastewater stream and reach WWTPs [8,9,10]
Summary
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is a group of pharmaceuticals characterized by extensive use and high detection frequencies in aquatic environments throughout the world [1,2,3]. Consensus exists within the scientific community that the main pathway via which these substances reach the environment is through municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents since pharmaceuticals consumed and later excreted by humans will end up in the wastewater stream and reach WWTPs [8,9,10]. The fate of these compounds during the wastewater treatment process thereby becomes a key factor governing to what extent and via which pathways they are released into the environment. If the removal from the water is incomplete during treatment, pharmaceuticals will be released into the aquatic recipent [8] and if significant partitioning into the sewage sludge occurs, they might end up in the terrestrial environment via the application of sludge as a fertilizer onto farmland [8,11]
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