Investigation of the role of organic matter in partitioning of chemicals in the municipal wastewater treatment process

科学界、工业界、政府和公众日益关注具有环境关切的历史性和新出现的化学品的广泛使用和应用，以应对接受环境中生物体急性和慢性接触具有环境关切的化学品的潜在健康风险。CEC通过各种来源进入水生环境，包括废水流、农业和雨水径流。其中，城市污水处理厂（MWTP）的污水是一个持续的问题，加拿大人使城市污水管理的改善一个可持续的生态未来的湖泊和河流的一个关键因素。分配的CEC的有机物（OM），是重要的，在MWTP过程中，他们的命运和运输，但一直没有得到很好的调查MWTP。分配到OM历来通过化学疏水性描述，其已通过辛醇-水分配系数包含在MWTP模型中。然而，CEC包括具有广泛变化的物理化学性质的污染物，其可能不遵循基于疏水性的分配。CEC分配行为的知识是必不可少的生物利用度和降解的确定，和潜在的MWTP负荷的环境评估新的和现有的化学品对人类和环境健康的影响。拟议的研究计划的目标是进行全面的基础和应用研究的CEC的归宿和运输，包括多溴联苯醚（PBDEs），药物和个人护理产品（PPCP），以及MWTP工艺中的纳米材料（NM）。该方案包括三个项目，其目标是：（1）评估MWTP模型，以确定必要的物理化学参数和需要进一步了解的分配机制，为模型的改进和发展提供信息;（2）确定多溴二苯醚在各种MWPT OM粒度级中的分配行为，以阐明分配机制并与各种物理化学参数相关联;以及（3）将所获得的关于多溴二苯醚的知识扩展到PPCPs和NM的研究，包括被动有机化学综合采样器的验证。从这项研究计划中获得的知识将是我们评估和描述CEC修复，制造和处置的潜在影响的能力的重要组成部分，同时有助于打开MWTP过程的新方法，以帮助减轻CEC负载到接收环境。结果的潜在用户包括水和废水处理公用事业，环境保护机构，工业和政府决策者。模型的改进也可适用于加拿大和世界各地的MWTP，以帮助为更新处理过程以保障环境健康的相关决定提供信息。

The widespread uses and applications of historic and newly emerging chemicals of environmental concern (CECs) is of increasing interest to the scientific community, industry, government and the general public in response to the potential health risks of acute and chronic exposures of CECs to organisms in receiving environments. CECs are introduced into aquatic environments through various sources including wastewater streams, agricultural and storm-water runoffs. Of these, municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWTP) effluents are a continuing issue for Canadians making the improvement of municipal wastewater management a critical element for a sustainable ecological future for lakes and rivers.Partitioning of CECs to organic matter (OM), is important in their fate and transport during the MWTP process, but has been poorly investigated in MWTPs. Partitioning to OM has historically been described via chemical hydrophobicity which has been included in MWTP models via the octanol-water partitioning coefficient. However, CECs include contaminants having widely varying physicochemical properties which may not follow partitioning based on hydrophobicity. Knowledge of CEC partitioning behaviour is essential for determination of bioavailability and degradation, and potential MWTP loadings to the environment for the assessment of new and existing chemical impacts on human and environmental health.The goal of the proposed research program is to conduct comprehensive fundamental and applied research on the fate and transport of CECs including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), and nanomaterials (NMs) in MWTP processes. The program includes three projects with objectives of: (1) Assessment of MWTP models to determine necessary physicochemical parameters and partitioning mechanisms needed to be further understood to inform model improvement and development; (2) Determine the partitioning behaviour of PBDEs to various MWPT OM size fractions to elucidate partitioning mechanisms and correlate to various physicochemical parameters; and (3) Extend knowledge gained for PBDEs to research PPCPs and NMs including validation of passive organic chemical integrative samplers. Knowledge gained from this research program will be a critical component in our ability to assess and delineate the potential implications of CEC remediation, manufacture and disposal, while helping to open new approaches to MWTP processes to help mitigate CEC loading to receiving environments. The potential users of the results included water and wastewater treatment utilities, environmental protection agencies, industry, and governmental decision makers. The model improvements may also be adapted for use in MWTPs, in Canada and worldwide, to help inform relevant decisions on updating of treatment processes to safeguard environmental health.