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DISTRIBUTION STUDY OF PERSISTENT, BIOACCUMULATIVE & TOXICS (PBTS) AT THE CALUMET WATER RECLAMATION PLANT
Impact/Purpose:
To improve knowledge concerning the fate and cycling of PBTs throughout the WWTP, especially during critical treatment processes (digesters, aeration tanks). Partnerships and analytical collaboration will be built during the project, and laboratory methods will be validated using field samples. A main objective will be to study the distribution of PBDEs, mercury, alkylphenol ethoxylates, and PCBs and their transformation products within the Calumet WRP. In addition, pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater will be studied. These data should allow the collaborators to determine the overall effectiveness of removing PBDEs, mercury, alkylphenol ethoxylates, and PCBs from wastewater at Calumet WRP. Lastly, the researchers will examine the possible volatilization of PCBs, PBDEs, Hg, and APEs from the sludge drying beds.
Description:
This project will determine the fate, transport and emission characteristics of selected persistent bioaccumulative compounds passing through a municipal waste treatment plant, including the sludge drying process. Compounds of interest include polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PDBEs), alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APEs), mercury, and PCBs. The project will also determine chemical transformations occurring in the process such as debromination of PBDEs, methylation of mercury, and degradation of alkyl phenol ethoxylates. To address these objectives, aqueous and solid samples will be taken at various points of the waste treatment process, and analyzed for numerous compounds.