George Heufelder, M.S.,R.S. Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment Barnstable, Massachusetts gheufelder@barnstablecounty.org This project was funded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection with additional funds from the United States Environmental Protection Agency under a Section 319 competitive grant. The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the departments mentioned nor does the mention of any product trade name constitute an endorsement.
What are Contaminants of Emerging Concern ? In general, they include pharmaceuticals, personal care products, natural hormones, by-products of cleaning, and other compounds in water and wastewater than may exhibit a physiological response (particularly in lower organisms) at very low levels. ng/L = one drop of liquid in ten miles of railroad tankers.
What are Contaminants of Emerging Concern ? Antibiotics Hormones (synthetic and natural) Metabolites (cotinine) Psychoactive drugs Lipid regulators Pain relievers Fragrances Chemotherapy drugs Fire retardants Cleaning products others
YOU ARE HERE Nature conserves valuable work. Many of the metabolic and regulatory pathways that have evolved are conserved between classes of organisms. This means that many of the drugs we invent to regulate our metabolic systems can also effect “lower” organisms and sometimes visa versa. Earliest indication of the presence of estrogen and estrogen receptors
Because it turns out that you actually can fool Mother Nature.
Many hormones are regulated by feedback loops where the concentration of the hormone limits its further production. Some CEC “lock into” receptors and hence may sent the wrong signal to the body, either shutting off or ramping up the production of the hormone.
Bottom line? HOPE There is hope
Attenuation Removal Attenuation Attenuation a Attenuation Attenuation m
Attenuation Removal • Adsorption • Chemical breakdown • Conjugation (with • Biodegradation possibility of deconjugation)
No. 53 from Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry Slide Set. 1976 J.P. Martin, et al., eds. SSSA, Madison WI
SHALLOW DRAINFIELD DRIP DISPERSAL 3 year study 3 year study 2011-2013 2010-2012
Drip Dispersal Systems Diverse Biological Community Plant uptake and phytoremediation Drip Emitters Drip Emitters Adsorption Transformation Complexation Dilution Bacterial Utilization
Shallow Drainfield Systems 12 “ GeoMat TM Orifice shield Core material 1” PVC pipe Fabric material Distribution lateral Cross section
Shallow Drainfield Systems (alternative installation) 12” diameter PVC pipe cut lengthwise 1” PVC pipe Distribution lateral Support 12 “ Cross section
Bacteria (and other microbes) – the real workhorses of the terrestrial ecosystems Bacteria/gram of soil Billions 7-8 million 1- 2 million 400 – 500 thousand ~ 10 thousand one thousand hundreds
Data suggest that nitrifying organisms may use certain CEC as a carbon source.
Selected good news and bad news
DRIP DISPERSAL SHALLOW DRAINFIELD 100000 Sulfamethoxazole (ng/L) 10000 97% 98% reduction reduction 1000 100 10 1 Influent STE Percolate Influent STE Percolate (range) (range) (p=.05) (range) (range) (p=.05)
DRIP DISPERSAL SHALLOW DRAINFIELD 100000 Sulfamethoxazole (ng/L) 10000 98% 97% reduction reduction 1000 100 Removal in conventional activated sludge treatment plant 59% (37 – 80%) 10 1 Influent STE Percolate Influent STE Percolate (range) (range) (p=.05) (range) (range) (p=.05)
DRIP DISPERSAL SHALLOW DRAINFIELD 10000 Trimethoprim (ng/L) 1000 99+% reduction 99% 100 reduction 10 1 Influent STE Percolate Influent STE Percolate (range) (range) (p=.05) (range) (range) (p=.05)
DRIP DISPERSAL SHALLOW DRAINFIELD 10000 Trimethoprim (ng/L) 1000 99+% reduction 99% 100 reduction 10 Removal in conventional activated sludge treatment plant 14% (0 - 40%) 1 Influent STE Percolate Influent STE Percolate (range) (range) (p=.05) (range) (range) (p=.05)
DRIP DISPERSAL SHALLOW DRAINFIELD 1000 100 Diclofenac (ng/L) 89% 99% reduction reduction 10 1 0.1 Influent STE Percolate Influent STE Percolate (range) (range) (p=.05) (range) (range) (p=.05)
DRIP DISPERSAL SHALLOW DRAINFIELD 1000 100 Diclofenac (ng/L) 89% 99% reduction reduction 10 1 Removal in conventional activated sludge treatment plant 31% (13 - 60%) 0.1 Influent STE Percolate Influent STE Percolate (range) (range) (p=.05) (range) (range) (p=.05)
DRIP DISPERSAL SHALLOW DRAINFIELD 1000 Atorvastatin (ng/L) 100 91% 92% reduction reduction 10 1 Influent STE Percolate Influent STE Percolate (range) (range) (p=.05) (range) (range) (p=.05)
Conventional Shallow activated sludge Compound Drip Drainfield treatment Acetominophen 99.99% 99.82% > 90% - 99.9% (b) Atenolol 93.62% 99.03% 5.5% ( 2-20%)(a) Atorvastatin 92.60% 91.18% 85-95% (d) Caffeine 99.97% 99.93% 94.9% (c ) Ciprofloxacin 97.96% 98.17% 72% (59-85%)(a) DEET 98.45% 98.24% 69% (48-90%) (e ) Diclofenac 89.16% 99.37% 31% (13-60%)(a) Furosemide 97.60% 98.40% 59.8% (c ) Ibuprofen 99.94% 99.93% 74%(44-100%)(a) Miconazole 0.00% 0.00% Naproxen 99.50% 96.80% 75% (59-92%)(a) Propranolol 71.20% 96.89% 96% (a) Sulfamethoxazole 97.90% 96.50% 59% (37-80%)(a) TCEP 0.00% 0.00% Trimethoprim 99.20% 99.80% 14% (0 - 40%)(a)
Neither shallow soils systems or conventional treatment systems appear to be effective for the removal of: • Fire retardants (TCEP) • Anti-fungal medications
The Effect of Three Soil Types the Removal of Selected Micro-Constituents and Contaminants of Emerging Concern This project was funded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection with additional funds from the United States Environmental Protection Agency under a Section 319 competitive grant. The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the departments mentioned nor does the mention of any product trade name constitute an endorsement.
42” 5’
Schemata of 42- in diameter, 48” TOP VIEW height soil columns Distribution lateral Discharge orifice and shield Washed Peastone Distribution lateral SIDE VIEW Sand SIDE VIEW Cut-away Sand 5% fines Or Sand 10% fines Drain/sample location
Sample Collection Locations Loading calibration orifice Septic Tank Effluent
Three soil types and four replicates of each soil type
SOIL COLUMNS 100000 Sulfamethoxazole (ng/L) 10000 1000 100 10 1 Influent STE Sand Sand w/ 5% fines Sand w/ 10% (range) (range) (p=.05) (p=.05) fines (p=.05)
The general pattern of higher attenuation in soils containing 5%-10% fine material was found for acetaminophen, atenolol, atorvastatin, caffeine, DEET, diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen, sulfamethoxazole, and trimethoprim.
No significant difference with soil type was observed with the compounds • Furosemide • Propranolol • Miconazole • TCEP
Is there any hope for eliminating TCEP and similar compounds? Chance ance favor ors s the e prepar epared ed mind nd Louis is Pasteur ur Chance ance favor ors s the e pr prepared epared bac acter eria ia Susan an Dracut cut Monâs nâs
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology » "Environmental Biotechnology - New Approaches and Prospective Applications" , book edited by Marian Petre, ISBN 978-953-51-0972-3, Published: February 7, 2013 under CC BY 3.0 license Chapter 5 Microbial Degradation of Persistent Organophosphorus Flame Retardants By Shouji Takahashi, Katsumasa Abe and Yoshio Kera DOI: 10.5772/53749
• Nature of the compound • Oxygen availability • Bacteria and other fauna diversity in the receiving environment • Retention time during treatment
Take home messages Many pharmaceutical and personal care products, • contain compounds that can disrupt the normal functioning of hormones in humans and wildlife. Although a major route for CEC entrance into the • environment is wastewater disposal, the onsite septic system presents opportunity for significant treatment. Shallow-placed soil absorption systems remove > 90% • of many CECs found in household wastewater. A more complete understanding of the principles of • CEC removal in soils may offer opportunities to design optimization.
Recommend
More recommend
