The fate of linear alcohol ethoxylates during activated sludge sewage treatment

Battersby, N.S.; Sherren, A.; Bumpus, R.N; Eagle, R.J.; Molade, I.K

doi:10.1016/s0045-6535(01)00030-3

Chemosphere

2001

DOI: 10.1016/s0045-6535(01)00030-3

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The fate of linear alcohol ethoxylates during activated sludge sewage treatment

N.S. Battersby

A. Sherren

R.N Bumpus

et al.

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Cited by 27 publications

(26 citation statements)

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“…Physical removal is also influenced by the length of the ethoxy groups (3). Levels of AE on the sludge at 10°C were higher than those taken from the 20°C test, showing lower AE degradation efficiency during activated sludge sewage treatment at 10°C (14).…”

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confidence: 94%

“…The mineralization of LAS based on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) measurements using continuous activated sludge tests [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 303 A] varies between 80 and 95%, whereas the results obtained following the protocol of inherent tests (OECD 302) are in the range of 95-98% (18). In the case of linear alcohol ethoxylates, their elimination is higher than 95% as measured by bismuth active substances (BiAS)/cobalt thiocyanate active substances (18), higher than 87% based on DOC (14,19) determination, and higher than 98% using specific analytical determinations (14).…”

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confidence: 97%

“…In the case of AE, the published information indicates removals higher than 98% (3,4,9). The degree of mineralization observed with LAS and AE in WWTP operating with activated sludge has been reported to be higher than 90% (12)(13)(14).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Higher O 2 concentrations and longer alkyl chains ensure higher biodegradation removal of LAS in untreated water systems (18). In general terms, an increase in the temperature will favor the metabolic processes and, consequently, the activity of microbial cultures up to a maximum of 30-40°C as demonstrated with AE (14) and LAS (18). However, the information on the effect of temperature on the biodegradation of AE and LAS is very scarce, and it is relevant to establish seasonal variations on the biodegradation of these extensively used surfactants.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…However, the information on the effect of temperature on the biodegradation of AE and LAS is very scarce, and it is relevant to establish seasonal variations on the biodegradation of these extensively used surfactants. Some studies of the effects of temperature on biodegradation have been done separately for each surfactant type (14,18,20), although a comparison of both these important commercial surfactants using similar experimental conditions is lacking.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Effect of temperature on the biodegradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate and alcohol ethoxylate

Prats

López

Vallejo

et al. 2006

J Surfact & Detergents

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The effect of temperature on the biodegradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) and alcohol ethoxylate (AE) was evaluated using method OECD 303 A, Confirmatory test (Husmann units). The experiments were performed using an initial surfactant concentration of 10 mg/L and working temperatures of 25, 15, and 9°C, keeping the biodegradation units inside a thermostatic chamber. In all cases, the removal of both surfactants tested, LAS and AE, was higher than 90%, regardless of the temperature used in the test. We observed that longer acclimation periods were needed by the microorganisms at lower temperatures.Paper no. S1488 in JSD 9, 69-75 (Qtr. 1, 2006).The widespread use of surfactants in many household and industrial products, together with the high volume consumed worldwide, justifies the abundant and frequent scientific scrutiny of the environmental safety characteristics of these products. Among the variety of surfactants used in the industry, anionic linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) and nonionic alcohol ethoxylates (AE) are the most relevant families, representing 27 and 22% of the total volume used in the European Union in 1998 (1). The behavior of these surfactants during wastewater treatment operations has been thoroughly studied (2-5). Biodegradation begins in the sewer system (5-7), with reported removals higher than 60% for LAS and between 28 and 58% for AE (5). The LAS concentration in raw sewage varies from 1 to 10 mg/L (8), reaching 32 mg/L in some isolated peak cases (7). Reported concentrations for AE are in the range of 1-4 mg/L (4,9). The elimination of LAS in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) depends on the type of operation used; in plants operated with trickling filter systems, removals higher than 85% have been reported (7,10), whereas in plants using activated sludge systems, removals higher than 98% are widely obtained (2,5). Treatments based on trickling filters are reported to provide more variable degrees of removal (11). In the case of AE, the published information indicates removals higher than 98% (3,4,9). The degree of mineralization observed with LAS and AE in WWTP operating with activated sludge has been reported to be higher than 90% (12-14).LAS and AE are removed by biological processes (biodegradation) as well as by physical processes (sorption-precipitation) (2,3). The mass balance for LAS elimination according to different studies conducted at real environmental conditions (15) indicates that approximately 90% is biodegraded, 10% is removed by sorption onto the sludge, and less than 1% leaves the treatment plants with the treated water. Adsorption of LAS on activated sludge increases with the length of the alkyl chain (16), and it has been reported that the adsorption coefficient increases 2.8 times per methylene group (17). The physical removal of AE with primary sludge has been found to be between 6 and 60% of the total for C 10 EO 9 and C 16 EO 9 , respectively. Physical removal is also influenced by the length of the ethoxy groups (3). Levels of AE on the sludge a...

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mentioning

confidence: 94%

mentioning

confidence: 97%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Effect of temperature on the biodegradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate and alcohol ethoxylate

Prats

López

Vallejo

et al. 2006

J Surfact & Detergents

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Chromium(VI) oxide oxidation of non‐ethoxylated and ethoxylated alcohols for determination by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Beneito‐Cambra

Bernabé-Zafón

Simó‐Alfonso

et al. 2010

Rapid Comm Mass Spectrometry

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A new derivatization procedure to increase the sensitivity of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) to non-ethoxylated and ethoxylated alcohols was investigated. The analytes were oxidized with chromium(VI) oxide and the resulting carboxylic and ethoxy-carboxylic acids were isolated by extraction with ethyl acetate; the extracts were alkalinized and infused into the ESI-MS system working in the negative-ion mode. The yields of the combined oxidation-extraction were ca. 100% for non-ethoxylated fatty alcohols dissolved in acetone and they decreased moderately in samples containing increasing amounts of water (e.g., a 75% yield was obtained with 50% water). Ethoxylated alcohols with more than two ethylene oxide units resulted in yields of ca. 60%. Low limits of detection (LODs) were obtained when the procedure was applied to the analysis of body-care products and cosmetics containing fatty alcohols, e.g., in a varicose-vein cream, the LODs were 25 microg cetyl alcohol and 7.5 microg stearyl alcohol (detected as palmitic acid and stearic acid, respectively) per gram of sample. High molecular mass alcohols were also detected in seawater after pre-concentration by solid-phase extraction. Thus, the proposed method is particularly valuable for use in industrial samples having complex matrices and in environmental samples and it is competitive with other methods for the analysis of trace amounts of fatty alcohols.

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The Impact of Process Variables on the Removal of PBDEs and NPEOs During Simulated Activated Sludge Treatment

Langford

Scrimshaw

Lester

2007

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol

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This work illustrates that the removal of some endocrine-disrupting compounds from sewage treatment works effluent is dependent on parameters such as sludge age, influent concentrations, concentrations of co-pollutants and hydraulic retention time as well as physicochemical properties of the compound. Greater nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NPEO) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) removal was observed at a higher sludge age, and it appeared that the enzymes required for NPEO degradation were already present. NPEO degradation was reduced in the presence of the more hydrophobic PBDE compounds as sorption of PBDEs occurred, rapidly reducing available sorption sites for NPEOs. The more hydrophobic NP and PBDEs demonstrated little degradation in comparison to longer-chain NPEO compounds. From this research, it is apparent that the principal environmental risk of PBDE contamination after wastewater treatment is via sludge-disposal routes. Treatment of wastewater containing NPEO surfactants poses environmental risks via two routes: some nonylphenolic compounds may pass through into receiving waters and degradation products such as nonylphenol and short-chain ethoxylate compounds will enter the environment via sludge disposal.

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The fate of linear alcohol ethoxylates during activated sludge sewage treatment

Cited by 27 publications

References 15 publications

Effect of temperature on the biodegradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate and alcohol ethoxylate

Effect of temperature on the biodegradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate and alcohol ethoxylate

Chromium(VI) oxide oxidation of non‐ethoxylated and ethoxylated alcohols for determination by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The Impact of Process Variables on the Removal of PBDEs and NPEOs During Simulated Activated Sludge Treatment

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