W5 AM Perfluorochemical Monitoring
Wednesday, 16 November 2005: 8:00 AM - 11:40 AM in 321-323

(SIN-1117-833483) Mass Loading and Fate of Perfluorinated Compounds in Wastewater Treatment Streams.

Sinclair, E¹, Kannan, K¹, ¹ Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health and State University of New York at Albany, Albany, New York, USA

ABSTRACT- The mass loading and fate of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and their perfluorinated analogues, was measured in two wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). The WWTPs employed identical activated sludge treatment processes and differed only in that Plant A had an additional industrial influence, whereas Plant B was influenced only by domestic and commercial wastewaters. PFOS mass loading to the WWTP was 2 to 5 fold greater in Plant A than Plant B, with masses of 1.1 to 5.6 g/day and 0.6 to 1.1 g/day, respectively. Similarly, perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHS) was 1 to 4 fold greater in Plant A than Plant B with masses of 0.5 to 2.6 g/day and 0.5 to 0.7 g/day, respectively. PFOA mass loadings to each plant were higher than other perfluorinated compounds, but did not significantly differ between Plant A and Plant B at 5.9 to 14.8 g/day and 6.9 to 15.1 g/day, respectively. Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) was occasionally measured in Plant A at high concentrations but never in Plant B, at < 0.8 to 8.7 g/day and < 1.0 g/day, respectively. Mass changes were monitored by comparing the effluent and influent masses. PFHS was relatively unaffected in both Plants A and B with changes of 122 ± 21% and 114 ± 20%, respectively. PFOS masses increased to a greater extent in Plant A than Plant B by 202 ± 66% and 109 ± 40%, respectively. PFOA masses increased to a greater extent in Plant A than Plant B by 217 ± 91% and 142 ± 17%. PFNA was consistently measured in Plant A effluent even when absent in the influent, and never measured at above the LOQ in Plant B. In summary, these results suggest that this industrial influence contained higher concentrations of PFOS, PFHS and sometimes PFNA, in addition to higher concentrations of perfluorinated precursor compounds.

Key words: perfluorinated, wastewater, fate, mass loading