No abstract

The widely use of phthalate esters (PAEs) in both industry and commercial products leads to their ubiquitous existence in the environment. In this study, sewage samples were collected from Several wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Shanghai, China to investigate the levels and profiles of PAEs. Of the 16 PAEs, DMP, DEP, DnBP, DiBP, DCHP, DEHP, DnNP and DnOP were present in all sludge samples. DEHP and DnBP are found to be the dominant PAEs in sludge, and the average concentration of DEHP in this study is at a medium magnitude in the world. Following sludge application in farmland, the annual mass loading of PAEs is up to 32,000 kg. However, further studies are needed to explore the metabolites of PAEs in sludge since they are easily biodegraded in WWTP process.

A simple device for precise measurement of electronic charges is designed in this paper. The electriferous ball deflect at an angle when placed in a strong electric field and kept balanced. The optical maser then deflect at the same angle through the sensor. The laser light reflect between the two mirrors up and down for many times, enlarging the displacement of the ball. Then the electronic charges of the ball will be precisely attained through geometric and mechanical relationships.

The occurrence and removal of selected pharmaceuticals have been investigated in a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of Shanghai in this study. Ibuprofen (IBP), naproxen (NPX), ketoprofen (KEP), diclofenac (DFC), and clofibric acid (CA) were selected as target compounds. Results showed that all of these pharmaceuticals were detected in the influent samples with IBP showing the highest concentrations (1380 ng/L). The partition coefficient (logKd) between the particulate and the dissolved phase calculated for KEP, NPX, CA, DFC, and IBP ranged from 1.2 to 2.2 in the raw sewage and the treated effluent suggesting the weak tendency of the target pharmaceuticals being absorbed onto particles. Different compounds were removed to different extent in the WWTP treatment processes. The highest removal efficiency was observed for IBP and the lowest for CA, 87.2% and 36.7%, respectively. The results indicated that municipal WWTP cannot remove these pharmaceuticals efficiently.