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Evaluation of the artificial sweetener sucralose as a sanitary wastewater tracer in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA
Citation:
Cantwell, M., D. Katz, J. Sullivan, AND A. Kuhn-Hines. Evaluation of the artificial sweetener sucralose as a sanitary wastewater tracer in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 146:711-717, (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.07.036
Impact/Purpose:
Urban estuaries such as Narragansett Bay are used as receiving waters for wastewater treatment plant discharges, which contain trace concentrations of numerous chemicals including contaminants of emerging concern. This study focused on evaluating the use of wastewater tracers to better understand the spatial distribution of sanitary wastewater and associated contaminants in a coastal estuary. High-density water sampling was conducted in Narragansett Bay, RI, USA, to evaluate the behavior of sucralose, an artificial sweetener that has shown utility as a sanitary wastewater tracer. Water samples were collected at sixty-seven sites and analyzed for sucralose, whose performance was compared to carbamazepine and caffeine, which are other tracers present in wastewater effluents. Concentrations of sucralose were higher than the other tracers measured, ranging from 18 to 3181 ng/L, and corresponded well with salinity (r2 = 0.88), demonstrating conservative behavior throughout the Bay. Empirical bayesian kriging models were used to clearly show the spatial patterns of WW tracers baywide and how estuarine processes influence dilution and dispersion throughout the Bay. Findings from this study support the use of sucralose as a wastewater tracer in large waterbodies where the potential for ecological impact from WW discharges may occur.
Description:
Narragansett Bay is an urban estuary that historically has been impacted by long-term discharge of sanitary wastewater (WW) effluents. High-density water sampling was conducted in Narragansett Bay, RI, USA, in an effort to understand the distribution and behavior of sucralose, an artificial sweetener that has shown utility as a sanitary wastewater tracer. Water samples were collected at sixty-seven sites and analyzed for sucralose, whose performance was compared to other tracers present in wastewater effluents. Concentrations of sucralose were much higher than the other tracers measured, carbamazepine and caffeine, ranging from 18 to 3181 ng/L and corresponded well with salinity (r2 = 0.88), demonstrating conservative behavior throughout the Bay. Mapped interpolation data using an empirical bayesian kriging model clearly show the spatial trends of WW and how estuarine processes influence dilution and dispersion throughout the Bay. These findings provide further evidence of the efficacy of sucralose as a wastewater tracer in large urban estuaries where continuous high-volume discharge of WW occur.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Evaluation of the artificial sweetener sucralose as a sanitary wastewater tracer in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA