To What Extent Can Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent Influence the Occurrence of Silver-Based Nanoparticles in Surface Waters?

Abstract

Silver-based nanoparticles (Ag-b-NPs) emitted by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered to be widely present in the natural environment. However, there is much that is unknown about the effect of WWTP effluent on the occurrence of Ag-b-NPs in surface waters. On the basis of field analysis of representative WWTPs in Germany, we demonstrate that more than 96.4% of Ag-b-NPs from wastewater influent are removed through WWTPs, even though influent contains Ag-b-NP concentrations of tens to hundreds ng L(-1), resulting in effluent Ag-b-NP concentrations of 0.7-11.1 ng L(-1) over the seasons. The estimated flux of Ag-b-NPs associated with WWTPs effluent discharge is ∼33 kg y(-1) in Germany. WWTPs effluent increases Ag-b-NP levels of the River Isar to 2.0-8.6 ng L(-1), while remarkable decreases are observed at sites ∼1.5 km downstream of each discharge point, and Ag-b-NP levels then keep stable (0.9-2.3 ng L(-1)) until the next discharge point, showing subtle differences in Ag-b-NP levels between the river and reference lakes without industrial sources and WWTPs effluent discharge. Our results demonstrate that WWTPs effluent can exert a clear influence on the occurrence of Ag-b-NPs in surface waters.

Manufacturing of Surface Nanostructured Fibers Featuring an Antibacterial Effect by Magnetic Field Transportation of Magnetite@Silver Core-Shell Nanoparticles

“…This study also verifies that these amounts are not harmful for microorganisms in sewage treatment plants or in aquatic ecosystems. The same result expresses an actual study about the detection of silver NPs in surface waters [21]. Nevertheless, it should be pursued to minimize the release of silver in the environment not only from an economical point of view.…”

Ecotoxicological Effects of Transformed Silver and Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in the Effluent from a Lab-Scale Wastewater Treatment System

“…The effluent samples as prepared for STEM were transferred to Eppendorf tubes, vortexed for 30 s, sonicated for 30 min, and then diluted with MilliQ water prior to single particle ICP-MS (sp-ICP-MS) analysis for particle concentration and size. The sp-ICP-MS analytical protocol and data analysis (using the single particle RIKILT calculation tool 29 , Wageningen, The Netherlands) are similar to those described elsewhere 9,29 (detailed description of the sp-ICP-MS method in SI). Daphnia magna acute toxicity assay.…”

“…Their presence in the influent of WWTPs has been reported in several studies [3][4][5][6][7] . Ag and TiO 2 NPs tend to be associated with particulate matter and appear to be relatively efficiently removed from the wastewater during primary and secondary treatment 3,4,6,8,9 , the extent of removal however depends on the design and efficiency of the operating conditions 6 . Ag-based and TiO 2 NPs have been detected in wastewater effluents 6,9 making their release in surface waters through effluent discharge possible, which can potentially be an important exposure route for aquatic organisms in receiving waters.…”

The Influence of Supporting Ions on the Electrochemical Detection of Individual Silver Nanoparticles: Understanding the Shape and Frequency of Current Transients in Nano‐impacts

“…[10][11][12][13][14][15] As ac onsequence, tons of nanoparticlesa re released every year either deliberately or accidentally into the environment. [16][17][18][19] Amperometry at microelectrodes is capable of sensing individual particles in aqueous solutiond uring nano-particlei mpacts. [16][17][18][19] Amperometry at microelectrodes is capable of sensing individual particles in aqueous solutiond uring nano-particlei mpacts.…”