Effect of DOC on contaminant fate and transport during the minicipal sewage treatment process

对于许多历史和新出现的令人关注的有机污染物来说，STP是环境负荷的一个重要来源。这些负荷可能是以污泥的形式在农田上作为生物固体使用，或者作为最终污水排放到接收水体中，通过各种暴露途径直接影响人类和环境的有毒化学剂量。与这些污染物相关的健康问题包括(但不限于)食物链中可能的生物积累，非致癌和致癌的健康影响，以及可能的内分泌干扰。正如在其他水环境中一样，有机物(固体和溶解的)在污水处理过程中控制有机污染物的命运和由此产生的环境负荷方面发挥着重要作用。在污水处理过程中，溶解有机碳(DOC)在污染物去向中的作用还知之甚少。这个项目的目的是描述城市污水中存在的溶解有机碳的特征，并量化它在改变处理过程中污染物去向方面所起的作用。更好地理解污染物在STP过程中的去向和传输，将通过更好地对污水处理过程进行过程控制，从而显著影响人类和环境对有毒有机污染物的暴露，从而减少环境负荷。对污染物分配到各种形式的有机物的更好的知识也应该导致新的战略、过程选项的发展，并找出处理所有有机污染物的数据差距，包括“现代的”更极端的有机污染物。这些结果还有望帮助科学界更好地了解DOC在各种其他环境基质中的污染物动力学中的作用，如天然水、土壤和沉积物。

STPs are a significant source of environmental loading for many organic contaminants of historical and emerging concern.  These loadings, which may be in the form of sludge applied as biosolids on agricultural land or as final effluent discharged into receiving water bodies, directly affect toxic chemical dose of humans and the environment through various routes of exposure. The health concerns associated with these contaminants include (but not limited to) possible bioaccumulation in the food chain, non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health effects, and potential for endocrine disruption.  As in other aquatic environments, organic matter (solid and dissolved) plays an important role in controlling the fate of organic contaminants during the sewage treatment process, and the resulting environment loadings.  However, the role of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in contaminant fate during the process is poorly understood.  This project is aimed at characterizing the  DOC present in municipal sewage and quantifying the role it plays in altering contaminant fate during the treatment process.  Better understanding of the fate and transport of contaminants during the STP process, as envisaged in this proposal, will significantly impact human and environmental exposure to toxic organic contaminants through better process control of the sewage treatment process, resulting in reduced environmental loadings.  Improved knowledge of contaminant partitioning to various forms of organic matter should also lead to the development of new strategies, process options, and identify data gaps for dealing with all organic contaminants, including the "modern" more polar ones. The results are also expected to help the scientific community in better understanding the role of DOC in contaminant dynamics in various other environmental matrices, such as natural waters, soils and sediments.