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

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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.