Occurrence Assessment of Pharmaceuticals in Various Sewage Treatment Plants and Effluent-Receiving Streams in Korea
The occurrence of micropollutants, including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, and hormones in various aquatic ecosystems is a matter of grave concern due to their possible repercussions on human and wildlife endocrine systems. The wastewater containing pharmaceuticals from variou...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/22/3897 |
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| author | Dong-Jin Son Chang-Soo Kim Jae-Ho Lee Jeong-Ki Yoon Soo-Hyung Lee Dong-Hwan Jeong |
| author_facet | Dong-Jin Son Chang-Soo Kim Jae-Ho Lee Jeong-Ki Yoon Soo-Hyung Lee Dong-Hwan Jeong |
| author_sort | Dong-Jin Son |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The occurrence of micropollutants, including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, and hormones in various aquatic ecosystems is a matter of grave concern due to their possible repercussions on human and wildlife endocrine systems. The wastewater containing pharmaceuticals from various sites is usually introduced to sewage treatment plants (STPs); therefore, monitoring of pharmaceuticals in STPs is crucial. In this study, we determined the occurrence of 58 pharmaceuticals in the influent and effluent of 13 STPs based on regional and linked wastewater differences and investigated their removal rates. Furthermore, we assessed the contribution rates of some STP effluents on pharmaceutical concentration in the upstream and downstream areas of the discharge source. Different kinds of pharmaceuticals were measured in the STPs. The top five pharmaceuticals with high concentrations in the influent of each STP were similar due to the dominance of domestic sewage in the influent. The average concentration of acetaminophen, caffeine, acetylsalicylic acid, naproxen, and ibuprofen in the influent of the STPs was higher than that of other pharmaceuticals, and their removal was 94–100%. In contrast, iopamidol, cimetidine, diphenhydramine, and carbamazepine showed a high average concentration in the effluent. The monitoring results of nine streams near STPs indicated that the effluent could contribute to the increase in the types of pharmaceuticals in the receiving streams. The detected pharmaceuticals’ types were 9–29 and 17–33 in the upstream and downstream areas, respectively, of STP discharge channels. Based on flowrate data, the contribution rate of the STP effluent on the stream was −69–326%. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:22:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-60c05ba21b2748f59cc9650866a19a96 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:22:38Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-60c05ba21b2748f59cc9650866a19a962023-11-24T15:11:11ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412023-11-011522389710.3390/w15223897Occurrence Assessment of Pharmaceuticals in Various Sewage Treatment Plants and Effluent-Receiving Streams in KoreaDong-Jin Son0Chang-Soo Kim1Jae-Ho Lee2Jeong-Ki Yoon3Soo-Hyung Lee4Dong-Hwan Jeong5Water Supply and Sewerage Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon 22689, Republic of KoreaWater Supply and Sewerage Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon 22689, Republic of KoreaWater Supply and Sewerage Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon 22689, Republic of KoreaWater Supply and Sewerage Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon 22689, Republic of KoreaWater Supply and Sewerage Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon 22689, Republic of KoreaWater Supply and Sewerage Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon 22689, Republic of KoreaThe occurrence of micropollutants, including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, and hormones in various aquatic ecosystems is a matter of grave concern due to their possible repercussions on human and wildlife endocrine systems. The wastewater containing pharmaceuticals from various sites is usually introduced to sewage treatment plants (STPs); therefore, monitoring of pharmaceuticals in STPs is crucial. In this study, we determined the occurrence of 58 pharmaceuticals in the influent and effluent of 13 STPs based on regional and linked wastewater differences and investigated their removal rates. Furthermore, we assessed the contribution rates of some STP effluents on pharmaceutical concentration in the upstream and downstream areas of the discharge source. Different kinds of pharmaceuticals were measured in the STPs. The top five pharmaceuticals with high concentrations in the influent of each STP were similar due to the dominance of domestic sewage in the influent. The average concentration of acetaminophen, caffeine, acetylsalicylic acid, naproxen, and ibuprofen in the influent of the STPs was higher than that of other pharmaceuticals, and their removal was 94–100%. In contrast, iopamidol, cimetidine, diphenhydramine, and carbamazepine showed a high average concentration in the effluent. The monitoring results of nine streams near STPs indicated that the effluent could contribute to the increase in the types of pharmaceuticals in the receiving streams. The detected pharmaceuticals’ types were 9–29 and 17–33 in the upstream and downstream areas, respectively, of STP discharge channels. Based on flowrate data, the contribution rate of the STP effluent on the stream was −69–326%.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/22/3897pharmaceuticalwastewater treatment planteffect assessmentreceiving streams |
| spellingShingle | Dong-Jin Son Chang-Soo Kim Jae-Ho Lee Jeong-Ki Yoon Soo-Hyung Lee Dong-Hwan Jeong Occurrence Assessment of Pharmaceuticals in Various Sewage Treatment Plants and Effluent-Receiving Streams in Korea Water pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plant effect assessment receiving streams |
| title | Occurrence Assessment of Pharmaceuticals in Various Sewage Treatment Plants and Effluent-Receiving Streams in Korea |
| title_full | Occurrence Assessment of Pharmaceuticals in Various Sewage Treatment Plants and Effluent-Receiving Streams in Korea |
| title_fullStr | Occurrence Assessment of Pharmaceuticals in Various Sewage Treatment Plants and Effluent-Receiving Streams in Korea |
| title_full_unstemmed | Occurrence Assessment of Pharmaceuticals in Various Sewage Treatment Plants and Effluent-Receiving Streams in Korea |
| title_short | Occurrence Assessment of Pharmaceuticals in Various Sewage Treatment Plants and Effluent-Receiving Streams in Korea |
| title_sort | occurrence assessment of pharmaceuticals in various sewage treatment plants and effluent receiving streams in korea |
| topic | pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plant effect assessment receiving streams |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/22/3897 |
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