Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QACs) in Wastewater Influent and Effluent Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QACs) in Wastewater Influent and Effluent Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic
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COVID-19 大流行期间废水进水和出水中的季铵化合物 (QAC)
DOI：
10.1021/acs.est.3c04413
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发表时间：
2023
影响因子：
11.4
通讯作者：
Arnold, William A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Mahony, Anna K.;McNamara, Patrick J.;Arnold, William A.
季铵化合物（QAC）用于消费品和工业产品，包括消毒剂。由于COVID-19疫情，消毒剂的使用有所增加，据称增加了污水处理厂和环境的负荷。为了了解使用量的增加如何影响处理厂的QAC负荷，并确定工厂如何有效地从排放到地表水和地下水的液体流出物中去除QAC，从2020年5月开始的21个月内，从四个处理厂（处理能力100 MGD）收集了流入和流出的废水样本< 5 MGD to >。进水QAC浓度为数百μg/L，出水QAC浓度< 1 μg/L，相当于所有四个工厂的平均去除率为98%。流入物中最普遍的QAC是消毒剂中最常用的QAC，特别是苄基烷基二甲基铵化合物（BAC）和短链二烷基二甲基铵化合物（DADMAC），这些化合物的流入物水平与QAC销售量相关。在本研究之前，尚未研究乙基苄基烷基二甲基铵化合物（EtBAC），它们占流入物中QAC的13 ± 6%。虽然所有工厂的去除率都很高，但仍有低微克/升浓度的废水持续排放到环境中。对于具有相等烷基链长度的QAC，具有芳族取代基的QAC（BAC和EtBAC）似乎比仅具有烷基链的QAC（DADMAC）更有效地去除。
Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are used in consumer and industrial products, including disinfectants. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, disinfectant use has increased, purportedly increasing loads to wastewater treatment plants and the environment. To understand how the increased usage has affected QAC loadings to treatment plants and to determine how effectively plants remove QACs from liquid effluent that is discharged to surface and groundwaters, influent and effluent wastewater samples were collected from four treatment plants (treatment capacities < 5 MGD to > 100 MGD) for 21 months beginning in May 2020. Influent QAC concentrations were hundreds of μg/L and effluent QAC concentrations were < 1 μg/L, corresponding to an average removal of 98% from all four plants. The most prevalent QACs in influent were those used most commonly in disinfectants, specifically benzylalkyldimethylammonium compounds (BACs) and short-chain dialkyldimethylammonium compounds (DADMACs), and influent levels of these compounds were correlated with QAC sales. Prior to this study, ethylbenzylalkyldimethylammonium compounds (EtBACs) had not been studied, and they comprised 13 ± 6% of QACs in influent. While removal was high at all plants, low μg/L concentrations were still continuously discharged into the environment. For QACs with equivalent alkyl chain lengths, those with aromatic substituents (BACs and EtBACs) appear to be removed more effectively than those with only alkyl chains (DADMACs).