w a t e r r e s e a r c h 7 2 ( 2 0 1 5 ) 1 e2
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/watres
Editorial
Occurrence, fate, removal and assessment of emerging contaminants in water in the water cycle (from wastewater to drinking water) Emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors, perfluorinated compounds, flame retardants or biocides have been detected in wastewater, aqueous environmental compartments and even in drinking water. Adequate measures and removal processes are needed to prevent their discharge into the aquatic environment and to prevent impacts on ecosystems and human health. This special issue focuses on removal options to protect rivers, groundwater and drinking water by understanding the processes (e.g. transformation, sorption, mineralization) and the related ecotoxicological and toxicological assessment of the water quality.
Analytics and sampling The identification and quantification of emerging micropollutants in aquatic systems is a key for further studies assessing and elucidating their fate as well as the ecotoxicological and human health related concerns. A review (Petrie et al.) emphasises the current knowledge of the occurrence of emerging contaminants in the aquatic environment and summarises the recommendations for future monitoring. Three studies in this issue address the determination of pharmaceuticals in highly impacted watersheds (Arlos et al.) along Skaneateles Lake in New York State (Suvedi et al.) as well as in Africa (Sorensen et al.). A comprehensive study was reported about perfluorinated substances such as perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in an U.S. metropolitan area (Xiao et al.). Finally, a review covers the formation of transformation products of antibiotics and cytostatic agents (Haddad et al.).
studied combined effect analyses in feral fish from two river systems with mode of action specific in vitro assays und in vivo fish experiments, both in the laboratory and in bypass systems at the rivers. By this combination plausibility chains were established to link the exposure to certain micropollutants with observed effects in wildlife populations. Another study investigated the potential bioaccumulation of seventy pharmaceuticals in two benthic invertebrate species in a wastewater-impacted river system (Grabicova et al.). Although only two of the pharmaceuticals were accumulated by a factor of higher than 2000, the results indicate that uptake and food chain transfer of pharmaceuticals may pose a potential eco(toxico)logical problem especially for higher trophic levels. The variation of pH changes on the toxicity of ionizable € m & Berglund. pharmaceuticals was studied by Bostro The fate and transport of hormones being released from concentrated animal feeding operations was analyzed in another study (Gall et al.) and compared with nutrients which have been studied for many years and thus providing a much more reliable data basis. Eight widely used preservatives from personal care products were in the focus of the publication by Carbajo et al. who assessed their effects in single species tests and in a community-based activated sludge assay as single substances and in a complex cocktail. The human-relevant toxicological aspects were addressed by two other studies. The first by Etchepare & van der Hoek investigated potential health risks from organic micropollutants in grey water for potable reuse and proposes a three-tiered approach to support the prioritization of chemicals. The occurrence of 31 pharmaceuticals in the water supply system of Lisbon was monitored by de Jesus Gaffney et al. as basis for a subsequent assessment of potential human health risks and for the selection of indicator chemicals to control raw water quality and treatment efficiencies.
Ecotoxicity and effect assessment To further elucidate the relevance of micropollutants in various aquatic compartments, their (eco)toxicological potential has to be assessed. While most studies focus on in vitro assays to assess potential effects of micropollutants in wastewater effluents or receiving surface waters, Maier et al.
Mitigation strategies for wastewater Since municipal wastewater has been recognized as a crucial source for the contamination of rivers and streams, mitigation strategies for the minimization of the discharge of these
2
w a t e r r e s e a r c h 7 2 ( 2 0 1 5 ) 1 e2
compounds play an important role in the urban water management. Several studies focused on biological treatment: Wang et al. report on the fate of methylsiloxanes in wastewater treatment plants. The removal of carbamazepine, diclofenac and sulfamethoxazole was tested in aerated biofilters with manganese oxide addition (Zhang et al.). In addition the impacts of tetracycline antibiotics on nitrification kinetics and on the activity of the nitrifying microbial culture was investigated (Katipoglu-Yazan et al.) Finally the removal of emerging pollutants in open stormwater retention basin is discussed (Sebastian et al.). Oxidative processes are amongst the most promising options for advanced removal of emerging contaminants. In this special issue the formation of nitrosamines during ozonation is the topic of two articles (Gerrity et al., Marti et al.). The photochemistry of the biocide triclosan (Bianco et al.), the cathodic degradation of antibiotics (Kong et al.), the electrochemical oxidation and removal of tramadol in osmosis concentrates (Luetke Eversloh et al.) and the removal of 17aethinylestradiol by photocatalysis and electrochemical assisted photocatalysis are highlighting the potential of oxidative processes to remove emerging contaminants (Oliveira et al.). The micropollutant removal capability of powdered activated carbon applied as post-treatment after biological nutrient removal is documented in a pilot scale study by Mailler et al.
Mitigation strategies for drinking water Drinking water processes are influencing the transformation of emerging contaminants. Bisphenol A and bisphenol diglycidyl ethers are hydrolysed in drinking water (Lane et al.),
while precursors of haloacideamide disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are removed by UV/persulfate treatment (Chu et al.) and the mechanisms of sulfate radical treatment in the presence of chloride are elucidated in details (Lutze et al.). Furthermore, the removal of atrazine via non-thermal electrical discharge and adsorption on nanofibre membranes (Vanraes et al.) as well as the reactivity of zero-valent nanoparticle for the transformation of pentachlorophenol (Tso and Shih et al.) are indicating the capability of a variety of oxidation processes. The role of molecular weights and the impact of pre-ozonation on the C-,N-DBP formation from algae organic matter are showing the importance of transformation reactions (Zhou et al.).
Thomas Ternes* Federal Institute of Hydrology, Germany Adriano Joss Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) € rg Oehlmann Jo Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, € t, Frankfurt Goethe-Universita *Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (T. Ternes).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2015.02.055 0043-1354/© 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/watres
Editorial
Occurrence, fate, removal and assessment of emerging contaminants in water in the water cycle (from wastewater to drinking water) Emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors, perfluorinated compounds, flame retardants or biocides have been detected in wastewater, aqueous environmental compartments and even in drinking water. Adequate measures and removal processes are needed to prevent their discharge into the aquatic environment and to prevent impacts on ecosystems and human health. This special issue focuses on removal options to protect rivers, groundwater and drinking water by understanding the processes (e.g. transformation, sorption, mineralization) and the related ecotoxicological and toxicological assessment of the water quality.
Analytics and sampling The identification and quantification of emerging micropollutants in aquatic systems is a key for further studies assessing and elucidating their fate as well as the ecotoxicological and human health related concerns. A review (Petrie et al.) emphasises the current knowledge of the occurrence of emerging contaminants in the aquatic environment and summarises the recommendations for future monitoring. Three studies in this issue address the determination of pharmaceuticals in highly impacted watersheds (Arlos et al.) along Skaneateles Lake in New York State (Suvedi et al.) as well as in Africa (Sorensen et al.). A comprehensive study was reported about perfluorinated substances such as perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in an U.S. metropolitan area (Xiao et al.). Finally, a review covers the formation of transformation products of antibiotics and cytostatic agents (Haddad et al.).
studied combined effect analyses in feral fish from two river systems with mode of action specific in vitro assays und in vivo fish experiments, both in the laboratory and in bypass systems at the rivers. By this combination plausibility chains were established to link the exposure to certain micropollutants with observed effects in wildlife populations. Another study investigated the potential bioaccumulation of seventy pharmaceuticals in two benthic invertebrate species in a wastewater-impacted river system (Grabicova et al.). Although only two of the pharmaceuticals were accumulated by a factor of higher than 2000, the results indicate that uptake and food chain transfer of pharmaceuticals may pose a potential eco(toxico)logical problem especially for higher trophic levels. The variation of pH changes on the toxicity of ionizable € m & Berglund. pharmaceuticals was studied by Bostro The fate and transport of hormones being released from concentrated animal feeding operations was analyzed in another study (Gall et al.) and compared with nutrients which have been studied for many years and thus providing a much more reliable data basis. Eight widely used preservatives from personal care products were in the focus of the publication by Carbajo et al. who assessed their effects in single species tests and in a community-based activated sludge assay as single substances and in a complex cocktail. The human-relevant toxicological aspects were addressed by two other studies. The first by Etchepare & van der Hoek investigated potential health risks from organic micropollutants in grey water for potable reuse and proposes a three-tiered approach to support the prioritization of chemicals. The occurrence of 31 pharmaceuticals in the water supply system of Lisbon was monitored by de Jesus Gaffney et al. as basis for a subsequent assessment of potential human health risks and for the selection of indicator chemicals to control raw water quality and treatment efficiencies.
Ecotoxicity and effect assessment To further elucidate the relevance of micropollutants in various aquatic compartments, their (eco)toxicological potential has to be assessed. While most studies focus on in vitro assays to assess potential effects of micropollutants in wastewater effluents or receiving surface waters, Maier et al.
Mitigation strategies for wastewater Since municipal wastewater has been recognized as a crucial source for the contamination of rivers and streams, mitigation strategies for the minimization of the discharge of these
2
w a t e r r e s e a r c h 7 2 ( 2 0 1 5 ) 1 e2
compounds play an important role in the urban water management. Several studies focused on biological treatment: Wang et al. report on the fate of methylsiloxanes in wastewater treatment plants. The removal of carbamazepine, diclofenac and sulfamethoxazole was tested in aerated biofilters with manganese oxide addition (Zhang et al.). In addition the impacts of tetracycline antibiotics on nitrification kinetics and on the activity of the nitrifying microbial culture was investigated (Katipoglu-Yazan et al.) Finally the removal of emerging pollutants in open stormwater retention basin is discussed (Sebastian et al.). Oxidative processes are amongst the most promising options for advanced removal of emerging contaminants. In this special issue the formation of nitrosamines during ozonation is the topic of two articles (Gerrity et al., Marti et al.). The photochemistry of the biocide triclosan (Bianco et al.), the cathodic degradation of antibiotics (Kong et al.), the electrochemical oxidation and removal of tramadol in osmosis concentrates (Luetke Eversloh et al.) and the removal of 17aethinylestradiol by photocatalysis and electrochemical assisted photocatalysis are highlighting the potential of oxidative processes to remove emerging contaminants (Oliveira et al.). The micropollutant removal capability of powdered activated carbon applied as post-treatment after biological nutrient removal is documented in a pilot scale study by Mailler et al.
Mitigation strategies for drinking water Drinking water processes are influencing the transformation of emerging contaminants. Bisphenol A and bisphenol diglycidyl ethers are hydrolysed in drinking water (Lane et al.),
while precursors of haloacideamide disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are removed by UV/persulfate treatment (Chu et al.) and the mechanisms of sulfate radical treatment in the presence of chloride are elucidated in details (Lutze et al.). Furthermore, the removal of atrazine via non-thermal electrical discharge and adsorption on nanofibre membranes (Vanraes et al.) as well as the reactivity of zero-valent nanoparticle for the transformation of pentachlorophenol (Tso and Shih et al.) are indicating the capability of a variety of oxidation processes. The role of molecular weights and the impact of pre-ozonation on the C-,N-DBP formation from algae organic matter are showing the importance of transformation reactions (Zhou et al.).
Thomas Ternes* Federal Institute of Hydrology, Germany Adriano Joss Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) € rg Oehlmann Jo Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, € t, Frankfurt Goethe-Universita *Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (T. Ternes).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2015.02.055 0043-1354/© 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
