Levels, compositions, and inventory of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in sewage sludge of Guangdong Province, South China

Abstract

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were measured in sewage sludge samples collected from major wastewater treatment plants in Guangdong Province, South China. Concentrations of ∑ 39 PBDE (all 39 compounds including tri-to hepta-PBDE congeners except for BDE-209) ranged from 3.6 to 428 ng/g dw with a mean value of 67.4 ng/g dw and a median value of 25.9 ng/g dw, and those of BDE-209 ranged from 9.9 to 5,010 ng/g dw (mean 1,024 ng/g dw and median 824 ng/g dw). The PBDE mixtures detected were mainly comprised of penta-, octa-, and deca-BDEs, with deca-BDE as the dominant constituent. The most abundant congeners, excluding BDE-209, were BDE-47, BDE-99, and BDE-183. Good correlations were found among the concentrations of BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-100, BDE-138, and BDE-154 (r>0.8). However, poor correlations were found between the concentrations of BDE-209 and all other congeners (r<0.3). This fact suggests that most tri-to hepta-BDEs detected did not originate from decomposition of deca-BDE. The estimated annual emission of ∑ all PBDEs, ∑ 39 PBDEs, penta-BDE, octa-BDE, and deca-BDE to the Pearl River Delta environment (PRD), based on the sludge samples analyzed, amounts to 232, 20.2, 5.5, 1.7, and 212 kg per year, implicating sewage sludge as a significant source of PBDEs to the PRD environment.

Organic Contaminants in Chinese Sewage Sludge: A Meta-Analysis of the Literature of the Past 30 Years

“…Antibiotics are a group of emerging OCs that have received considerable attention in recent years. Alkylphenol polyethoxylates (APEOs), ,− bisphenol analogs (BPAs), ,,,,− hormones, ,,− ,− OCPs, ,,,,− PFCs, ,− pharmaceuticals, ,,− ,,,, phthalate esters (PAEs), ,− PBDEs, ,− PCBs, ,,,,,,,− SMs,...…”

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in water, suspended particulate matter, and sediment of reservoirs and their tributaries in Shenzhen, a mega city in South China

“…PC2 was dominated by BDE-209, accounting for 22.83%. Therefore, PC1 and PC2 in Wet_SPM represented components of penta-and deca-BDEs, which is similar to the composition in e uent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) (Ran et al, 2013). It was found that wastewater produced by enterprises in this area, such as electronic equipment manufacturing, plastic products processing and printing factories (Table S3), still contained residual PBDEs, which will be discharged into the tributaries and then carried into the reservoirs.…”

“…It was found that wastewater produced by enterprises in this area, such as electronic equipment manufacturing, plastic products processing and printing factories (Table S3), still contained residual PBDEs, which will be discharged into the tributaries and then carried into the reservoirs. In fact, removal rate of PBDEs in Hong Kong WWTPs was 20 ~ 52% (Deng et al, 2015), and e uent of Guangzhou WWTPs contained a small amount of PBDEs (0.9 ~ 4.4 ng/L), while PBDEs in sludge of Shenzhen WWTPs reached up to 500 ng/g (Ran et al, 2013). All these proved considerable concentrations of PBDEs in e uents of WWTPs that should be one of the important sources of PBDEs in reservoirs.…”