Influence of Wastewater Discharge on the Occurrence of PBTC, HEDP, and Aminophosphonates in Sediment, Suspended Matter, and the Aqueous Phase of Rivers

Abstract

Sediment, suspended matter (SM), and water of a large river (Neckar; River1) and a small river (Körsch; River2) were analyzed for the phosphonates 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid (PBTC), 1-hydroxyethylidene (1,1-diphosphonic acid) (HEDP), aminotris (methylphosphonic acid) (ATMP), ethylenediaminetetra (methylene phosphonic acid) (EDTMP), and diethylenetriaminepenta (methylene phosphonic acid) (DTPMP). Ten samplings were performed at intervals of one to two months during one year, each covering the relevant matrices before and behind the discharge point of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). In River1, the total concentration of dissolved phosphonate did not change significantly (2.4–5.8 µg/L before vs. 2.5–6.6 µg/L behind WWTP; p = 0.9360). In River2, it increased significantly from <0.1–1.6 µg/L to 19–39 µg/L (p < 0.0001). Based on the median, the total phosphonate load in River1 sediment increased 1.9-fold (6.7–29.4 mg/kg before vs. 17.8–53.5 mg/kg behind WWTP; p = 0.0033) and in River2 by a factor of eight (1.8–5.0 mg/kg before vs. 18.1–51.4 mg/kg behind WWTP; p < 0.0001). This indicates that phosphonates discharged by WWTPs adsorb onto solid particles and accumulate in the sediment. In the case of River2, the SM load could reach values of 1000–1710 mg/kg behind the WWTP, presumably due to the introduction of insufficiently retained activated sludge particles of >2000 mg/kg phosphonate loads. In general, the nitrogen-free phosphonates PBTC and HEDP were most predominant in both dissolved and adsorbed form, of which HEDP had the highest adsorption affinity.

Fate of Glyphosate and its Metabolite Aminomethylphosponic Acid (Ampa) from Point Source Through Wastewater Sludge and Advanced Treatment

“…While the fate of glyphosate in agricultural soils has been widely investigated (Vymazal and Brezinová, 2015;Suciu et al, 2023), origin and transformation pathways of both glyphosate and AMPA in an urban context is still not well described although it is essential for future effective pesticide management and low phosphonate concentrations discharge, known for contributing to eutrophication due to the abiotic degradation (Rott et al, 2020).…”

Self-Enhanced Selective Oxidation of Phosphonate into Phosphate by Cu(II)/H2O2: Performance, Mechanism, and Validation

“…However, with the implementation of increasingly strict discharge standards for phosphorus, dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) has been found to be a major challenge toward the in-depth removal of phosphorus due to the low efficiency of DOP removal by conventional phosphorus decontamination technologies . Phosphonate, which is commonly used in paper and textile production, household cleaning products, membrane filtration, and cooling water systems, is a dominant type of DOP, featuring high solubility, accounting for 10–40% of the dissolved unreactive phosphorus (mainly DOP) throughout the treatment stages of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) . Phosphonates are noted for high stability and are resistant to biodegradation during the activated sludge treatment .…”

“…2 Phosphonate, which is commonly used in paper and textile production, household cleaning products, membrane filtration, and cooling water systems, 2 is a dominant type of DOP, featuring high solubility, accounting for 10−40% of the dissolved unreactive phosphorus (mainly DOP) throughout the treatment stages of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). 3 Phosphonates are noted for high stability and are resistant to biodegradation during the activated sludge treatment. 4 Furthermore, the complexation of phosphonates with metals results in an excessive dosage of flocculants and impedes the thorough removal of total phosphorous (TP).…”

Batch Studies of Phosphonate and Phosphate Adsorption on Granular Ferric Hydroxide (GFH) with Membrane Concentrate and Its Synthetic Replicas

“…The resulting membrane concentrate is often disposed of into a receiving water body without any further treatment [6][7][8]. A recent study shows the effects of wastewater on the occurrence of various phosphonates in rivers [9]. A significant increase of adsorbed phosphonates in the sediment, which was due to wastewater discharge, was observed.…”