TY - JOUR
T1 - Profiles and removal efficiency of polybrominated diphenyl ethers by two different types of sewage treatment work in Hong Kong
AU - Man, Yu Bon
AU - Chow, Ka Lai
AU - Man, Ming
AU - Lam, James Chung Wah
AU - Lau, Frankie Tat Kwong
AU - Fung, Wing Cheong
AU - Wong, Ming Hung
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank Mr. Raymond Tang at the Drainage Services Department, all the research team members led by Prof. M.H. Wong in Hong Kong Baptist University and the research team members led by Prof. P.K.S. Lam in the State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong for technical and Ms. Sue Fung of CIES for editorial assistance. Financial supports from the Drainage Services Department , the Government of the Hong Kong SAR ( DEMP 11/04 ) , Open Science Research Fund of State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution ( OSRF/0001 ) and the Start-up Research Grant for Newly Recruited Professors/(Research) Chair Professors, The Hong Kong Institute of Education ( RG24/13-14R ) are gratefully acknowledged.
PY - 2015/2/1
Y1 - 2015/2/1
N2 - This study was to investigate removal efficiencies and profiles of 14 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners by two different types of sewage treatment work (STW) in Hong Kong: Stonecutters Island STW (SCISTW) which uses chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) process and Sha Tin STW (STSTW) which adopts biological treatment. The results indicated that both SCISTW and STSTW had a high total removal efficiency for BDE-47, BDE-99 BDE-209 and total PBDEs (SCISTW: 71.6. ±. 15.8, 84.7. ±. 12.3, 96.0. ±. 2.62 and 87.4. ±. 8.02%, respectively; STSTW: 74.8. ±. 9.5, 90.7. ±. 9.14, 96.2. ±. 2.41 and 89.3. ±. 2.62%, respectively) and PBDEs were chiefly removed by sorption. However, the profile of PBDEs demonstrated that the relative proportions of BDE-28 and BDE-47 in total PBDEs markedly increased, while that of BDE-209 decreased in the effluent samples of the two sewage treatment works, especially in STSTW. The percentage of BDE-209 in total PBDEs in effluent (49.3%) of SCISTW was 21.2% lower than that in influent (70.5%), and the percentage of BDE-209 in total PBDEs in effluent (13.8%) of STSTW was 34.1% reduced from influent (47.9%). Despite overall removal, the percentage of BDE-47 in total PBDEs in effluent (17.6%) of SCISTW was 6.85% higher than that in influent (10.7%), and the percentage of BDE-47 in total PBDEs in effluent (33.5%) of STSTW was 18.1% increased from influent (16.8%). The increase in proportion of BDE-47 in the effluent might raise environmental and public health concerns. Our study is a first attempt in reporting the PBDE congener profiles in different phases of sewage treatment.
AB - This study was to investigate removal efficiencies and profiles of 14 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners by two different types of sewage treatment work (STW) in Hong Kong: Stonecutters Island STW (SCISTW) which uses chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) process and Sha Tin STW (STSTW) which adopts biological treatment. The results indicated that both SCISTW and STSTW had a high total removal efficiency for BDE-47, BDE-99 BDE-209 and total PBDEs (SCISTW: 71.6. ±. 15.8, 84.7. ±. 12.3, 96.0. ±. 2.62 and 87.4. ±. 8.02%, respectively; STSTW: 74.8. ±. 9.5, 90.7. ±. 9.14, 96.2. ±. 2.41 and 89.3. ±. 2.62%, respectively) and PBDEs were chiefly removed by sorption. However, the profile of PBDEs demonstrated that the relative proportions of BDE-28 and BDE-47 in total PBDEs markedly increased, while that of BDE-209 decreased in the effluent samples of the two sewage treatment works, especially in STSTW. The percentage of BDE-209 in total PBDEs in effluent (49.3%) of SCISTW was 21.2% lower than that in influent (70.5%), and the percentage of BDE-209 in total PBDEs in effluent (13.8%) of STSTW was 34.1% reduced from influent (47.9%). Despite overall removal, the percentage of BDE-47 in total PBDEs in effluent (17.6%) of SCISTW was 6.85% higher than that in influent (10.7%), and the percentage of BDE-47 in total PBDEs in effluent (33.5%) of STSTW was 18.1% increased from influent (16.8%). The increase in proportion of BDE-47 in the effluent might raise environmental and public health concerns. Our study is a first attempt in reporting the PBDE congener profiles in different phases of sewage treatment.
KW - PBDEs
KW - Profiles
KW - Sewage
KW - Sewage treatment work: removal efficiency
KW - Sludge
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84908141391&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.09.070
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.09.070
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 25461027
AN - SCOPUS:84908141391
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 505
SP - 261
EP - 268
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
ER -
