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Research over several years has shown that municipal engineering is an important source of humic substance formation (HS). Effluents from municipal landfills and digested sludge, due to high concentrations of organic pollutants, including HS and inorganic pollutants, are discharged to a biological treatment plant, where their largely non-biodegradable pollutants constitute a burden on the activated sludge and generate problems related to wastewater treatment. To demonstrate that humic substances, primarily soluble acids, are the carriers of micro-pollutants, their isolation was carried out from samples taken at different municipal management sites. The following analyses were performed: elemental composition, and the content of inorganic micropollutants, including heavy metals. In addition, the sorption affinity of pure HS to selected pharmaceuticals was investigated. The sorbed pharmaceuticals were Diclofenac and Estrone. HS commonly found in municipal engineering have been shown to be carriers of inorganic and organic micropollutants, including pharmaceuticals. Based on the study data, surface water’s primary source of micropollutants is treated municipal wastewater and fulvic acids are the transfer agent. To demonstrate the locations of HS occurrence within municipal engineering and the micropollutants they carry, their isolation was carried out from samples taken at different municipal management sites. Fulvic acids were studied due to their high mobility. Extraction was carried out according to the method recommended by the International Humic Substances Society (IHSS) with the author’s modification. The following analyses were performed: elemental composition (N, C, O, and H); the content of inorganic micropollutants, including heavy metals; and the IR spectrum. In addition, the sorption affinity of pure HS to selected pharmaceuticals was investigated. The sorbed pharmaceuticals were Diclofenac and Estrone. The study confirmed the occurrence of HS in municipal landfill effluents, activated sludge, excess and digested sludge effluents, and treated wastewater. At the same time, HS commonly found in municipal engineering have been shown to be carriers of inorganic and organic micropollutants, including pharmaceuticals.

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Abstract.As is well known without organic matter, there would be no life. Organic compounds perform very important functions in the whole ecosystem as: structural, storage, transport, catalyse reactions, immune and regulatory functions. One of the most important for both living and nonliving organic matter is their role in the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen and others elements. The major form of organic matter are humic substances (HS) which are a mixture of high molecular weight organic compounds with variable composition. Humic substances can be divided into: humic acids (HA), fulvic acids (FA) and humins (Hu). In the presented research FA were studied. They were extracted from the effluent in the process of ion exchange in a hydrophobic ion exchanger and then they were examined by qualitative analysis to determine the elemental composition of acids and the degree of contamination with heavy metals and other substances. The main aim was to balance and assess the amount of FA in the primary and secondary effluent. The studies have shown that concentration of FA in raw wastewater (primary effluent) was bigger than in the treated wastewater (secondary effluent). Based on the research, it can be stated that selected WWTP discharges less FA compared to the input pollution load.

FA discharged from the wastewater treatment plant were extracted from purifi ed effl uents for the quantitative and qualitative analysis. The treated sewage from municipal treatment plants was acidifi ed to pH <2 and extracted with ion exchange resins in a laboratory column. After desorption with NH 4 OH, the fulvic acids were condensed under vacuum and tested for mass performance, UV-VIS light spectra, IR absorption spectra, elementary composition and other elements. Their structure was analysed and compared to FA present in surface waters and in sewage treated in other sewage treatment plants based on the authors' own research and the literature data. The concentration of FA in the treated sewage was 5.2 mg/L. There is a high interdependence between the IR spectrum analysis in the visible light and the elementary composition of FA extracted from different environments, confi rming the conclusions pertaining to the structure and properties of the acids being tested. The longer sewage is subjected to a biological treatment process, the greater the degree of aromatic condensation and humus maturity of the FA contained within it. FA contained in the sewage treated in the three biological sewage treatment plants have the ratio A 2 /A 3 (the ratio of the absorbance of light with the wavelength of 250 and 300 nm) equal to the value 1.7. There is a high interdependence between the IR spectrum analysis in the visible light and the elementary composition of FA extracted from different environments, confi rming the conclusions pertaining to the structure and properties of the acids being tested.