Emission of bisphenol analogues including bisphenol A and bisphenol F from wastewater treatment plants in Korea

Sunggyu Lee; Chunyang Liao; Geum-Ju Song; Kongtae Ra; Kurunthachalam Kannan; Hyo-Bang Moon

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.09.011

Emission of bisphenol analogues including bisphenol A and bisphenol F from wastewater treatment plants in Korea

Chemosphere. 2015 Jan:119:1000-1006. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.09.011. Epub 2014 Oct 8.

Authors

Sunggyu Lee¹, Chunyang Liao², Geum-Ju Song³, Kongtae Ra⁴, Kurunthachalam Kannan⁵, Hyo-Bang Moon⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Marine Sciences and Convergent Technology, College of Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan 426-791, Republic of Korea.
² Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, and Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Empire State Plaza, P.O. Box 509, Albany, NY 12201-0509, USA.
³ Institute of Environmental and Energy Technology, POSTECH, Pohang 790-784, Republic of Korea.
⁴ Marine Environment and Conservation Research Division, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Ansan 426-744, Republic of Korea.
⁵ Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, and Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Empire State Plaza, P.O. Box 509, Albany, NY 12201-0509, USA; Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science and Experimental Biochemistry Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, PO Box 80216, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: kkannan@wadsworth.org.
⁶ Department of Marine Sciences and Convergent Technology, College of Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan 426-791, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: hbmoon@hanyang.ac.kr.

PMID: 25303660
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.09.011

Abstract

Due to the regulation on bisphenol A (BPA) in several industrialized countries, the demand for other bisphenol analogues (BPs) as substitutes for BPA is growing. Eight BPs were determined in sludge from 40 representative wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Korea. Total concentrations of BPs (ΣBP) in sludge ranged from <LOQ to 25700 ng g(-1). The highest concentrations of ΣBP were found in sludge collected from WWTPs that received discharges from the paper and textile industries. The profiles of BPs were dependent on the proportions of industrial wastewater treated at each of the WWTPs. The sludge from industrial WWTPs contained elevated proportions of BPA, whereas sludge from domestic WWTPs was dominated by bisphenol F (BPF), suggesting use of BPF in certain industrial products in Korea. No significant correlations were found between BPs and the WWTP characteristics. The average per-capita emissions of BPs ranged from 0.04 (BPP) to 886 g capita(-1) d (BPA) through WWTP discharges. The emission fluxes of ΣBP through industrial WWTPs were 2-3 orders of magnitudes higher than those calculated for domestic WWTPs, indicating that industrial discharges are the major source of BPs into the Korean environment. This is the first nationwide survey of BPs in sludge from Korean WWTPs.

Keywords: Bisphenol A; Bisphenol F; Effluent; Emission; Sludge; WWTP.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Analysis of Variance
Benzhydryl Compounds / analysis*
Carbon / analysis
Chromatography, Liquid
Industrial Waste / analysis*
Paper
Phenols / analysis*
Republic of Korea
Sewage / analysis*
Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Wastewater / chemistry*
Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*

Substances

Benzhydryl Compounds
Industrial Waste
Phenols
Sewage
Waste Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Carbon
bisphenol A