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MANAGING ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS USING EXISTING AND INNOVATIVE WASTEWATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES
Citation:
MILLS, M., G. SAYLES, AND E. J. KLEINER. MANAGING ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS USING EXISTING AND INNOVATIVE WASTEWATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES. Presented at EPA Science Forum 2006, Washington, DC, May 16 - 18, 2006.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
Research has shown that wastewater (WW) can be a significant source of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) to the environment. WW treatment (WWT) may include centralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) or smaller on-site WWT technologies. EDCs found in WWT effluents (aqueous and biosolids) include estrogenic and androgenic hormones, detergent metabolites, and plasticizers. Many questions exist as to why WWTP have higher or lower removal efficiencies. Little research has been conducted to demonstrate how technology or plant operations contribute to the EDCs removal. The efficacy of the unit processes within the plant is not well characterized. In addition, no significant research has been conducted to evaluate on-site WWT for the management of EDCs. One focus of NRMRL's EDCs and wastewater research is to characterize the performance of existing risk management strategies. This research has been started at the bench and pilot scale. Research has been conducted on the fate of alkylphenols and to characterize their biodegradation rates under redox conditions typically found in WWTPs. Additionally, research is being initiated to evaluate estrogenic and androgenic hormones under similar conditions. Research has also been initiated at the field scale. A collaborative project with the Office of Water to evaluate the fate of a large number of chemicals commonly or suspected to be found in wastewater has been initiated and includes selected hormones, detergent metabolites, and plasticizers. A second project evaluating the efficacy of anaerobic digesters has been initiated to study alkylphenols, hormones, and bisphenol A. This project is a collaborative effort between ORD laboratories, Region 5, and a regional wastewater utility. A second focus of this research is to determine the removal efficiency of on-site WWT technologies. On-site wastewater treatment accounts for about 30% of the treated wastewater in the US. These technologies include septic systems, constructed wetlands, and other on-site technologies. Collaborative research has been initiated on a constructed wetland being operated by an education retreat center. In addition, some preliminary research has been conducted in conjunction with Ohio EPA on evaluating the efficacy of a package plant servicing about 400 homes. The results of this research can be used to help WWT operators understand the capability of their treatment technologies to manage EDCs, how process variables and demographics influence performance, and how to improve the operation of their plants to minimize effluent levels of EDCs. In the future, if EPA concludes that EDCs in effluents must be regulated, the Office of Water will require performance information on conventional and innovative treatment to develop regulatory guidance.