Occurrence, seasonal variations, and fate of household and personal care chemicals in a wastewater treatment plant with Bacillus bioreactor process

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 358; p. 142179
• Main Authors: Zhang, Lin-Hui, Li, Wen-Long, Zhang, Zi-Feng, Min, Xi-Ze, Cai, Ming-Gang, Xiao, Hang, Diao, Qing, Qiu, Zhen, Li, Yi-Fan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2024
• Subjects: Bacillus bioreactor; Household and personal care products; Removal efficiency; Risk assessment; Wastewater treatment plant; Bacillus bioreactor; Wastewater treatment plant; Household and personal care products; Removal efficiency; Risk assessment; Bacillus Bioreactor
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142179

Household and personal care chemicals (HPCCs) constitute a significant component of everyday products, with their global usage on the rise. HPCCs are eventually discharged into municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). However, the behaviors of HPCCs inside the Bacillus Bioreactor (BBR) process, including their prevalence, fate, and elimination mechanisms, remain underexplored. Addressing this gap, our study delves into samples collected from a BBR process at a significant WWTP in the northeast of China. Our results spotlight the dominance of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LASs) in the influent with concentrations ranging between 238 and 789 μg/L, much higher than the other HPCC concentrations, and remained dominant in the subsequent treatment units. After treatment using the BBR process, the concentrations of HPCCs in the effluent were diminished. Examination of different treatment units underscores the grit chamber removed over 60% of higher-concentration HPCCs, while the performance of the (RBC) tank needs to be improved. Except for the ultraviolet radiation (UV)-filters, seasonal variations exert minimal impact on the concentrations and removal efficiencies of other HPCCs in the BBR process. According to the mass balance analysis, the important mechanisms for HPCC removal were biodegradation and sludge adsorption. Also, the octocrylene (OCT) concerns raised by the environmental risk assessment of the HPCCs residuals in the final effluent, indicate a moderate risk to the surrounding aquatic environment (0.1 < RQ < 1), whereas other HPCCs have a lower risk level (RQ < 0.1). Overall, the research offers new perspectives on the fate and elimination mechanisms of HPCCs throughout the BBR process. [Display omitted] •LASs concentrations dominate the influent and all subsequent treatment units.•The implementation of the Bacillus Bioreactor process resulted in a reduction of HPCCs concentrations in the effluent.•Biodegradation and sludge adsorption are the main mechanisms for removing HPCCs.