Occurrence, Removal and Environmental Emission ... - ACS Publications

Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia ... The occurrence and fate of 14 triester organophosphate flame retard...
0 downloads 0 Views 964KB Size
Article

Occurrence, Removal and Environmental Emission of Organophosphate Flame Retardants/Plasticizers in a Wastewater Treatment Plant in New York State, USA Un-Jung Kim, Jung Keun Oh, and Kurunthachalam Kannan Environ. Sci. Technol., Just Accepted Manuscript • Publication Date (Web): 12 Jun 2017 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on June 12, 2017

Just Accepted “Just Accepted” manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication. They are posted online prior to technical editing, formatting for publication and author proofing. The American Chemical Society provides “Just Accepted” as a free service to the research community to expedite the dissemination of scientific material as soon as possible after acceptance. “Just Accepted” manuscripts appear in full in PDF format accompanied by an HTML abstract. “Just Accepted” manuscripts have been fully peer reviewed, but should not be considered the official version of record. They are accessible to all readers and citable by the Digital Object Identifier (DOI®). “Just Accepted” is an optional service offered to authors. Therefore, the “Just Accepted” Web site may not include all articles that will be published in the journal. After a manuscript is technically edited and formatted, it will be removed from the “Just Accepted” Web site and published as an ASAP article. Note that technical editing may introduce minor changes to the manuscript text and/or graphics which could affect content, and all legal disclaimers and ethical guidelines that apply to the journal pertain. ACS cannot be held responsible for errors or consequences arising from the use of information contained in these “Just Accepted” manuscripts.

Environmental Science & Technology is published by the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036 Published by American Chemical Society. Copyright © American Chemical Society. However, no copyright claim is made to original U.S. Government works, or works produced by employees of any Commonwealth realm Crown government in the course of their duties.

Page 1 of 27

Environmental Science & Technology

1

Occurrence, Removal and Environmental Emission

2

of Organophosphate Flame Retardants/Plasticizers in

3

a Wastewater Treatment Plant in New York State,

4

USA

5

Un-Jung Kima, Jung Keun Oha, Kurunthachalam Kannana,b*

6

a

Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, and Department of Environmental

7

Health Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Empire State

8

Plaza, P.O. Box 509, Albany, New York 12201-0509, United States

9 10

b

Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science and Experimental Biochemistry Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia

11 12 13

*Corresponding author: [email protected]

14 15

For submission to : ES&T

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

1

Environmental Science & Technology

Page 2 of 27

16

ABSTRACT

17

The occurrence and fate of 14 triester organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) and

18

plasticizers and their two diester metabolites were investigated in a wastewater treatment plant

19

(WWTP) in the Albany area of New York State. All target OPFRs were found in wastewater,

20

with average concentrations that ranged from 20.1 ng/L for tris(methylphenyl) phosphate

21

(TMPP) to 30100 ng/L for tris(2-butoxyethyl)phosphate (TBOEP) in influents and from 7.68

22

ng/L for TMPP to 12600 ng/L for TBOEP in final effluents. TBOEP was the dominant

23

compound in influents (max: 69500 ng/L) followed in decreasing order by tris(1-chloro-2-

24

propyl)phosphate (TCIPP; max: 14500 ng/L), bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate (BDCIPP;

25

max: 4550 ng/L), tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate (TDCIPP; max: 3150 ng/L) and tris(2-

26

chloroethyl)phosphate (TCEP; max: 8450 ng/L). The fraction of TMPP sorbed to suspended

27

particulate matter (SPM) was 56.4% of the total mass in wastewater, which was the highest

28

among the target chemicals analyzed. The average concentrations of OPFRs in sludge were

29

between 4.14 ng/g dw for tripropyl phosphate (TPP) and 7290 ng/g dw for TBOEP; for ash, they

30

were between 2.17 ng/g dw for TMPP and 427 ng/g dw for triphenyl phosphate (TPhP). The

31

mass loadings of OPFRs into the WWTP ranged from 0.02 mg/day/person for TPP to 28.7

32

mg/day/person for TBOEP, whereas the emission from the WWTP ranged from 0.01

33

mg/day/person for 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDPP) to 5.12 mg/day/person for TCIPP.

34

The removal efficiencies for OPFRs were slightly above 60% for TMPP, TBOEP and tris(2-

35

ethylhexyl)phosphate (TEHP) whereas those for other OPFRs were 0.995. Internal standards (mixture of eight deuterated OPEs) were

165

spiked into each calibration standard and sample at 20 ng/mL (for sludge and ash, 40 ng/mL).

166

The limits of quantitation (LOQs) were set at a signal to noise ratio of 10 in sample extracts.

167

These were determined to be 1–100 ng/L for wastewater (200 ng/L for TDBPP, 500 ng/L for

168

BDCIPP and 1000 ng/L for EHDPP), and 0.05–10 ng/g dry weight for SPM and other solid

169

matrices (Table S3). Procedural blank, field blank, laboratory blank, duplicate samples, and

170

matrix spike samples were analyzed. To check for potential degradation of OPEs during sample

171

storage, randomly chosen wastewater samples (n=3) were extracted at different time points at a

172

monthly interval (for details see supporting information). Because background contamination is a

173

critical issue in the analysis of OPEs, all containers and laboratory wares were thoroughly

174

checked.1,24 The filter papers and plastic containers contained trace amounts of TnBP, TPhP,

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

8

Page 9 of 27

Environmental Science & Technology

175

TBOEP, TCIPP and TMPP, but after rinsing with solvents, the background levels decreased

176

below the LOQ. Randomly selected wastewater, SPM and sludge/cake/ash samples were

177

fortified with known concentrations of OPEs (20–50 ng) for the determination of matrix effects

178

(for details see supporting information). Eight deuterated internal standards were used to account

179

for the matrix effects. Accuracy and precision were determined by fortification of samples with

180

native and internal standards, and analysis of those samples through the entire procedure.

181

Average recoveries ranged 85.5–110% for wastewater (n=8), 83.7–109% for SPM (n=8) and

182

82.7–101% for other solid wastes (n=4). HPLC grade water was injected after every 25 samples

183

and no carryover was observed. A mid-point calibration standard was injected after every 10 h to

184

monitor for drift in instrumental sensitivity. The detailed information with regard to method

185

performance and background contamination is presented in the supporting information.

186

Data Analysis. The fraction of the total mass of target chemicals sorbed to SPM,

187

removal efficiency in wastewater treatment processes, and mass loading to and emission from

188

WWTPs were calculated by the equations Eqs. (1) and (2) as reported by Wang and Kannan (25)

189

and Eqs. (3) and (4) as reported by Subedi and Kannan (26) 25–26

190 191

 =

 × 

 





 × 

  



× 100 … (1)

192 193

  %" =

&'' &'' )* +#, ×% )* &''( 

&''( 

&'' )* #$ ×% &''( 

#$ ×%

× 100 … (2)

194 195

899

-./ 00 1/340 = 56 × 7 × 899+



8

8

 × 89:  × ;?@6;A … (3)

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

9

Environmental Science & Technology

Page 10 of 27

196 197

B00/340 = CD 5E × 7" × 

899

899+

F + 5H × IJ"K × 

8

;?@6;A

×

8

89:

 … (4)

198 199

Where, PSPM is the fraction of the total mass of OPFRs sorbed to SPM (%), CSPM is the

200

concentration of OPFRs in SPM (ng/g wet wt), MSPM is the weight of SPM (g), VW is the volume

201

of wastewater (L) used to obtain the corresponding MSPM, CW is the concentration of OPFRs in

202

wastewater (ng/L), Ci and Ce are the concentrations of OPFRs in influent (ng/L) and effluent

203

(ng/L), respectively. Mass loading is the amount of individual OPFR introduced into WWTP

204

(mg/day/person), F is the daily flow of wastewater (L/d), Cs is the concentration of OPFRs

205

measured in sludge (ng/g wet weight), TSP is the total sludge production rate (g/day wet weight),

206

population is the number of inhabitants served by the WWTP, and emission is the quantity of

207

OPFRs discharged through wastewater effluent, SPM, and sludge (mg/day/person).

208 209

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

210

Occurrence and Distribution in Dissolved Phase of Wastewater. Among 16 OPEs

211

measured, TEP, TBOEP, TCEP, TCIPP, TiBP and TnBP were found in all wastewater samples

212

(n=48). Conversely, EHDPP was not detected in any of the wastewater samples (Table 1).

213

Occurrence of TPP, TDBPP, PBDPP, DPhP and BDCIPP is reported for the first time in

214

wastewater. The total (sum) concentrations of the 16 OPEs in wastewater ranged between 2230

215

ng/L and 117000 ng/L. TBOEP was the dominant compound in influents (mean: 30100 ng/L)

216

followed by TCIPP (5120 ng/L), BDCIPP (2900 ng/L), TDCIPP (1720 ng/L) and TCEP (1430

217

ng/L). In effluents, TBOEP was the predominant compound (12600 ng/L), followed by TCIPP

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

10

Page 11 of 27

Environmental Science & Technology

218

(5950 ng/L) and TDCIPP (3110 ng/L). There was no significant day-to-day or monthly

219

variations in the concentrations of target chemicals in samples analyzed in this study.

220

Concentrations of TCIPP, TDCIPP, TCEP, TBP, TPhP and TBOEP have been reported in

221

wastewater from various countries, including China, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Germany,

222

Australia and Austria (Table S4).10–15,17 The mean concentrations of TPhP and TCEP in our

223

study were lower than those reported from Norway, but higher than those reported from the other

224

countries listed above. TBOEP and TCIPP concentrations were similar to those reported from

225

Sweden, but higher than those reported from the other countries. The concentrations of TDCIPP

226

were striking, occurring at 2–10 times higher than the mean values reported for European

227

countries and 50 times higher than those reported for China. It is worth noting that 60–70% of

228

the global production and consumption of OPFRs was in Europe and America from 1995 to

229

2008.1,27,29 The measured concentrations of chlorinated OPFRs, except for TDCIPP, were up to 4

230

times higher in our study than those previously reported for wastewater samples collected during

231

2011-2012 in the state of Washington.20 Another explanation for high levels of TDCIPP found

232

in this study is the flammability standard (California Technical Bulletin 117) for residential

233

upholstered furniture that was implemented in 1975, which was expanded throughout the USA

234

until 2013. In New York State, a law restricting the use of TDCIPP and TCEP in children’s

235

products was in place during 2015 and 2013, respectively, but this does not include residential

236

upholstered furniture (supporting information).28 Additionally, the phase out of PBDEs in the

237

USA in 2005 has led to increased usage of TDCIPP, TCIPP and Firemaster 550 in household

238

products.22-23

239

OPFRs in Suspended Particulate Matter. Similar to that in dissolved phase, TEP, TBOEP,

240

TiBP and TnBP were found in all SPM samples. TMPP, TPhP, TCEP, TCIPP, TDCIPP and

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

11

Environmental Science & Technology

Page 12 of 27

241

TEHP were found in >80% of the SPM samples. TBOEP was predominant in the SPM of

242

influents (mean: 1480 ng/g dry wt) followed by BDCIPP (352 ng/g dry wt), TDCIPP (134 ng/g

243

dry wt) and TCIPP (94.9 ng/g dry wt). Except for a study from China, no earlier studies have

244

reported OPFR concentrations in SPM (Table S5). EHDPP was not found in the dissolved phase,

245

although it was found in the SPM of influent (Table 1). EHDPP can be hydrolytically degraded

246

in aqueous solution (half-life: 110 days at pH 7),30 which might explain its absence in the

247

dissolved phase in our study.

248

OPFRs in Solid Matrices. OPFRs were measured in combined sludge, dewatered sludge cake

249

(after belt press treatment of the combined sludge), and ash. TPhP, TBOEP, TCIPP, PBDPP and

250

TnBP were detected in these three types of solid matrices. TBOEP was predominant in combined

251

sludge (mean: 7290 ng/g dry wt), followed by TEHP (1190 ng/g dry wt), TDCIPP (783 ng/g dry

252

wt), TCIPP (411 ng/g dry wt) and TPhP (373 ng/g dry wt). Similarly, TBOEP (8360 ng/g dry wt)

253

was the dominant compound in sludge cake, followed by TEHP (1450 ng/g dry wt), TDCIPP

254

(852 ng/g dry wt) and TPhP (426 ng/g dry wt). There was no significant difference in the

255

concentrations of OPEs between combined sludge and sludge cake. However, the concentrations

256

of OPEs decreased dramatically following the incineration of sludge, as evidenced from the

257

concentrations in ash that were an order of magnitude lower than those in sludge. In ash, the

258

concentrations of TPhP were the highest (427 ng/g dry wt), followed by EHDPP (288 ng/g dry

259

wt), TDCIPP (205 ng/g dry wt) and TBOEP (181 ng/g dry wt). To the best of our knowledge,

260

this is the first study to measure OPFRs in ash samples from WWTPs.

261

The measured concentrations of OPEs in sludge were compared with those reported previously

262

from Germany, Sweden and China (Table S6).10,14,16–19 There was a country-specific difference

263

in the distribution of OPFRs in sludge, which is likely related to the consumption pattern of

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

12

Page 13 of 27

Environmental Science & Technology

264

OPFRs. Nevertheless, TCIPP, TBOEP and EHDPP were the dominant compounds. Thus far,

265

only one study reported the occurrence of diester OPFRs in sludge collected from China.19 The

266

reported concentration of DPhP in sludge from China (18 ng/g dry wt) was approximately two-

267

fold lower than in our study (41.1 ng/g dry wt).

268

Partitioning of OPFRs and Removal Efficiency. The fraction of OPEs sorbed to SPM was

269

calculated based on the concentrations measured in dissolved phase and SPM. The fraction of

270

OPEs sorbed to SPM (normalized to sampling volume) was the highest for TMPP (56.4%),

271

followed in decreasing order by TEHP (39.9%), TBOEP (21.9%), DPhP (17.7%), TiBP (14.8%),

272

TPhP (14.8%), TDCIPP (14.7%), TPP (9.77%), TnBP (9.76%), TEP (5.73%), TCEP (5.68%),

273

TCIPP (4.45%), and PBDPP (1.57%). These sorption coefficients are in accordance with their

274

corresponding logKoc values (Fig. S2).1 These results suggest that the analysis of OPFRs in

275

particulate fraction is important, especially for TEHP, which were found sorbed to particulates at

276

> 40% of the total mass in wastewater (Fig. S2).

277

Removal efficiencies for OPEs in WWTPs were calculated based on the total concentrations

278

(i.e., concentrations in both dissolved phase and SPM of wastewater) in influents and effluents.

279

Due to the low detection frequencies, TDBPP and EHDPP were not included in this calculation.

280

The average removal efficiencies for OPEs (Fig. 1) following the primary treatment ranged from

281

-87% (PBDPP) to 46% (TMPP) whereas those after the secondary treatment were from -101%

282

(PBDPP) to 70% (TMPP). Among the 16 OPEs investigated, only TMPP, TBOEP and TEHP

283

were removed at >60% (Table S7). Similarly, in a WWTP in China, negative removal was

284

reported for TCEP and TCIPP at -30.1% and -50.6%, respectively, while TMPP, TBOEP,

285

EHDPP, and TPhP were removed at >80%.17 In two WWTPs in Washington State (USA), a

286

negative removal for TCEP, TCIPP and TDCIPP was reported.20

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

13

Environmental Science & Technology

Page 14 of 27

287

The observed differences in removal efficiencies among several OPEs may be related to their

288

physicochemical properties (Table S7).31 For example, linear alkyl compounds (e.g., TnBP) were

289

expected to degrade more quickly than branched compounds (e.g., TiBP) by microorganisms.17

290

Similarly, chlorinated alkyl OPFRs were reported to be more resistant to degradation than non-

291

chlorinated hydrocarbons.17 All three chlorinated triester OPFRs analyzed in this study showed a

292

negative removal efficiency, which may be related to their resistance to biotransformation and

293

formation from precursor compounds.32

294

Composition Profiles and Mass Loadings of OPFRs.

We found that chlorinated-alkyl

295

OPFRs and TBOEP were the major OPEs found in wastewater and solid matrices (Fig. 2). In

296

particular, TBOEP, TCIPP and TDCIPP were the predominant OPFRs in wastewater. A similar

297

composition of OPFRs was found in SPM, except that BDCIPP was found at relatively higher

298

proportion in SPM. TBOEP was the dominant compound in sludge, and the proportions of

299

TEHP, EHDPP and PBDPP in sludge were higher than in wastewater. The composition of OPEs

300

in ash samples was remarkably different from that found in sludge, which suggests that

301

incineration decomposes certain types of OPEs (Fig. 2). One of the suspected sources of OPFRs

302

in WWTPs is the discharge from laundry.20,33

303

Calculation of the average daily mass loading of OPEs into the WWTP was based on the

304

concentrations measured in influents and the daily flow of wastewater (Fig. 3A). The estimated

305

average daily mass loadings per capita ranged from 0.02 mg/day/person (TPP) to 28.7

306

mg/day/person (TBOEP). Except for TBOEP (which had the highest mass loading), chlorinated

307

alkyl OPFRs showed higher mass loadings per capita (ranging between 1.2 and 4.5

308

mg/day/person) than non-chlorinated alkyl or aryl OPEs.

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

14

Page 15 of 27

Environmental Science & Technology

309

The calculated mass loading of OPEs into the WWTP seemed to be related to the production

310

volume of these chemicals, which is in the decreasing order of TCIPP > TDCIPP ≈ TPhP >

311

TMPP > TCEP > PBDPP.1 According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA;

312

2010/2011), the annual production volume of TCIPP (19,600 tons) was the highest, followed by

313

TDCIPP (7200 tons), TPhP (3800 tons), TBOEP (2000 tons), TnBP (1000 tons), EHDPP (145

314

tons) and DPhP (60 tons). The global production volumes of TBOEP and TEHP in the 1990s

315

were 5000–6000 tons and 1000–5000 tons, respectively.29

316

The estimated mass loadings of OPEs in our study were 5 to 50 times higher than those

317

reported from Australia.15 This difference may be related to higher production and consumption

318

of OPEs in the USA than in Asia-Pacific countries.1,17,27,29 The estimated daily mass loading per

319

capita was extrapolated to annual loadings in the USA, based on the assumption that the volume

320

of wastewater generated in the USA was approximately 85 trillion liters per day.20 The national

321

loadings of OPEs into WWTPs were compared with the reported production volume. It was

322

found that the mass loadings of TPhP, TCIPP, TDCIPP, and TnBP into WWTPs were 1.3–2.8%

323

of the annual production, which is consistent with those reported previously.14,20 This further

324

suggests that large proportions of OPEs are still present in products, and may eventually reach

325

landfills.

326

Environmental Emission and Fate. Average daily per capita emission of OPEs from the

327

WWTP was calculated based on the measured concentrations in effluent, SPM and sludge (Fig

328

3B). The average daily emission of TCIPP was the highest at 5.12 mg/day/person, followed by

329

TBOEP (3.72 mg/day/person), TDCIPP (2.89 mg/day/person), BDCIPP (1.58 mg/day/person)

330

and TCEP (0.96 mg/day/person). Although considerable amounts of OPFRs were removed

331

during the treatment processes (e.g., TBOEP at 25.0 mg/day/person, BDCIPP at 1.23

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

15

Environmental Science & Technology

Page 16 of 27

332

mg/day/person and TEHP at 0.34 mg/day/person), appreciable amounts of chlorinated OPFRs

333

were still discharged into the aquatic environment. The possibility of formation of two diester

334

metabolites (i.e., DPhP and BDCIPP) from their corresponding triester parent OPFRs (i.e., TPhP

335

and TDCIPP) was examined by calculating the concentration ratios between dister and triester

336

OPFRs and described in the supporting information. Some of the OPEs are expected to be

337

rapidly hydrolyzed in water and hydrolytic metabolites need to be examined in future studies.

338

Furthermore, the bioconcentration factors (BCF) of EHDPP, PBDPP, TnBP, TMPP, TBOEP,

339

and TEHP have been reported to be above 1000.1 Considering elevated levels of TBOEP and

340

TDCIPP found in wastewater and low removal efficiencies, further studies are needed to assess

341

the environmental occurrence of fate of OPEs in the aquatic environment.

342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

16

Page 17 of 27

Environmental Science & Technology

355 356 357 358 359 360 361

FIGURES

362 363

364 365

Fig. 1. Average removal efficiency (± standard deviation, %) of organophosphorus flame

366

retardants (OPFRs) after primary and secondary treatments in wastewater treatment plants (both

367

wastewater and SPM were included in the calculation of the removal efficiency)

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

17

Environmental Science & Technology

Page 18 of 27

368

369 370

Fig. 2. Composition of 16 organophosphorus flame retardants in various types of samples

371

analyzed from a wastewater treatment plant in the Albany area of New York (categorized as aryl,

372

non-chlorinated alkyl, chlorinated-alkyl and others)

373

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

18

Page 19 of 27

Environmental Science & Technology

374

375 376

Fig. 3. Average daily per capita mass loadings (A) and emission (B) of organophosphate flame

377

retardants in a wastewater treatment plant in the Albany area of New York

378

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

19

Environmental Science & Technology

Page 20 of 27

379

Table 1. Concentrations of organophosphate flame retardants in wastewater, suspended

380

particulate matter (SPM), sludge, dewatered sludge cake and ash samples

Compound

TMPP

TEP

TPhP

TPP

TBOEP

TCEP

TCIPP

TDBPP

TDCIPP

TEHP

EHDPP

PBDPP

TiBP

TnBP

DPhP

BDCIPP

381

MEAN MIN MAX D.F. MEAN MIN MAX D.F. MEAN MIN MAX D.F. MEAN MIN MAX D.F. MEAN MIN MAX D.F. MEAN MIN MAX D.F. MEAN MIN MAX D.F. MEAN MIN MAX D.F. MEAN MIN MAX D.F. MEAN MIN MAX D.F. MEAN MIN MAX D.F. MEAN MIN MAX D.F. MEAN MIN MAX D.F. MEAN MIN MAX D.F. MEAN MIN MAX D.F. MEAN MIN MAX D.F.

Influent 20.1 3.60 40.5 38% 501 184 775 100% 491 187 845 94% 21.2 5.65 45.8 75% 30100 129 69500 100% 1430 195 8450 100% 5120 820 14500 100% 449 370 530 19% 1720 259 3150 94% 392 13.1 1850 94% 0% 462 99.0 1530 81% 57.9 0.425 102 100% 291 50.8 649 100% 263 30.0 1290 88% 2900 1830 4550 56%

Wastewater (ng/L) Secondary Primary effluent effluent 7.68 47.9 6.11 7.26 10.6 206 19% 38% 442 473 265 295 630 665 100% 100% 293 390 147 178 595 680 81% 94% 18.9 23.5 6.60 12.3 39.1 44.8 88% 81% 12600 38700 35.8 73.3 101000 82400 100% 100% 1100 1090 552 326 2270 2280 100% 100% 5950 6580 965 3750 9350 23400 100% 100% 472 409 316 245 565 585 25% 31% 3100 2380 565 1480 8200 4420 100% 100% 50.5 328 4.43 21.0 169 910 50% 100% 0% 0% 764 547 188 191 2660 1630 100% 88% 95.4 56.1 17.2 24.4 255 92.4 100% 100% 301 321 69.8 150 769 614 100% 100% 252 188 22.2 25.0 505 458 69% 94% 1700 2690 610 1760 3630 4100 44% 56%

Influent 8.30 2.10 20.6 100% 9.90 4.32 23.9 100% 33.8 8.27 76.5 88% 0.731 0.277 1.85 75% 1480 46.9 3990 100% 22.5 7.95 54.4 100% 94.9 29.7 216 100% 21.2 19.5 22.8 13% 134 29.1 229 94% 66.5 14.3 121 100% 71.5 50.6 104 31% 3.99 1.17 7.52 69% 3.47 1.72 6.32 100% 12.4 1.74 28.6 100% 24.8 4.68 122 44% 352 105 765 44%

SPM (ng/g dry wt) Secondary Primary effluent effluent 3.41 5.66 0.699 1.43 23.4 14.8 81% 100% 8.06 11.4 1.48 2.40 16.7 25.7 100% 100% 14.6 29.5 6.96 13.4 38.5 67.2 94% 100% 0.758 0.687 0.185 0.254 1.52 1.80 81% 69% 471 1700 3.36 26.0 2480 4380 100% 100% 17.9 20.4 4.11 7.41 35.1 40.4 100% 94% 71.9 101 24.3 17.1 130 233 94% 100% 26.3 2.22 61.8 19% 0% 125 143 46.5 45.3 252 302 94% 94% 5.24 37.2 0.231 7.24 14.2 107 94% 100% 0% 0% 0.892 1.14 0.092 0.112 1.48 3.03 69% 38% 2.71 3.61 1.41 0.953 4.61 5.81 100% 100% 8.57 12.1 2.71 3.06 18.2 26.2 100% 100% 31.6 9.37 2.07 3.75 153 21.4 38% 50% 259 224 216 135 315 277 31% 31%

Combined sludge (ng/g dry wt)

Ash (ng/g dry wt)

Sludge cake (ng/g dry wt)

81.7 5.62 124 100% 36.8 2.77 121 92% 373 158 589 100% 4.14 1.60 10.4 77% 7290 3700 11500 100% 40.1 13.6 82.5 62% 411 64.4 1670 100% 195 122 333 23% 783 541 1340 100% 1190 737 1830 100% 225 145 450 54% 152 33.1 314 100% 19.9 5.46 94.7 100% 41.7 26.7 64.9 100% 40.5 17.7 132 92% 397 8%

2.17 0.293 4.53 25% 10.9 1.97 34.9 100% 427 90.1 1480 100% 11.3 3.20 25.3 100% 181 35.0 545 100% 47.7 14.1 198 75% 60.2 10.0 158 100% 19.4 6.05 59.5 33% 205 98.7 479 100% 21.4 0.740 67.6 67% 288 136 562 50% 83.0 30.1 254 100% 10.3 4.82 21.4 92% 11.7 3.78 27.6 100% 33.6 14.8 81.6 83% 0%

65.3 35.2 100 100% 49.1 2.99 189 100% 425 223 688 100% 6.45 3.07 10.3 92% 8360 2490 13500 100% 78.9 48.6 109 15% 290 132 661 100% 335 288 397 38% 852 431 1700 85% 1450 607 2750 100% 224 121 427 54% 174 54.1 555 100% 26.5 0.608 131 100% 44.8 13.8 106 100% 41.7 10.9 210 69% 331 62.4 595 23%

(D.F.: detection frequency)

382

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

20

Page 21 of 27

383

Environmental Science & Technology

TOC ART

384

385

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

21

Environmental Science & Technology

Page 22 of 27

386

ASSOCIATED CONTENT

387

Supporting Information.

388

Additional information with regard to instrumental parameters used in the analysis of

389

organophosphate esters (OPEs), QA/QC details, sample and WWTP parameters, detailed OPE

390

concentrations and comparison to the values found in the literature are given in the supporting

391

information (SI 1–5, Table S1–S7, Fig. S1–S2). The Supporting Information is available free of

392

charge on the ACS Publications website.

393 394

AUTHOR INFORMATION

395

Corresponding Author

396

*Phone:

397

[email protected].

398

Author Contributions

399

The manuscript was written through contributions of all authors. All authors have given approval

400

to the final version of the manuscript.

401

Notes

402

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

403

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

404 405

+1-518-474-0015;

fax:

+1-518-473-2895;

e-mail:

We thank individuals at the WWTP and Mr. Jingchuan Xue (Wadsworth center) for assistance with the collection of samples.

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

22

Page 23 of 27

Environmental Science & Technology

406 407

REFERENCES

408

(1) van der Veen, I.; de Boer, J. Phosphorus flame retardants: properties, production,

409

environmental occurrence, toxicity and analysis. Chemosphere. 2012, 88 (10), 1119-1153.

410

(2) Wei, G.L.; Li, D.Q.; Zhuo, M.N.; Liao, Y.S.; Xie, Z.Y.; Guo, T.L.; Li, J.J.; Zhang, S.Y.;

411

Liang, Z.Q. Organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers: sources, occurrence, toxicity

412

and human exposure. Environ. Poll. 2015, 196, 29-46.

413 414 415 416 417 418

(3) Andrae, N.J. Durable and Environmentally Friendly Flame Retardants for Synthetics. M.Sc. Thesis, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 2007. (4) EC, Risk assessment report for tris(2-chloro-1-methylethyl) phosphate (TCPP). European Communities (EC), Dublin, Ireland, 2008. (5) ATSDR, Toxicological profile for phosphate ester flame retardants. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR): Atlanta, GA, United States, 2012.

419

(6) World Health Organization, Environmental Health Criteria 209, flame retardants:

420

tris(chloropropyl) phosphate and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate. World Health Organization,

421

Geneva, Switzerland, 1998.

422 423 424 425

(7) World Health Organization, Environmental Health Criteria 111, Triphenyl Phosphate. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 1991a. (8) World Health Organization, Environmental Health Criteria 112, Tri-n-butyl Phosphate. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 1991b.

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

23

Environmental Science & Technology

Page 24 of 27

426

(9) McPherson, A.; Thorpe, B.; Blake, A. Brominated Flame Retardants in Dust on

427

Computers: The Case for Safer Chemicals and Better Computer Design. Clean Production

428

Action Report. 2004; http://svtc.org/wp-content/uploads/bfr_report_pages1-43.pdf

429

(10) Green, N.; Schlabach, M.; Bakke, T.; Brevik, E.M.; Dye, C.; Herzke, D.; Huber, S.; Plosz,

430

B.; Remberger, M.; Schøyen, M.; Uggerud, H.T.; Vogelsang, C. Screening of Selected Metals

431

and New Organic Contaminants 2007. NIVA Report 5569-2008, SPFO-Report 1014/2008. TA-

432

2367/2008. 2008; ISBN: 978-82-577-5304-7.

433

(11) García-López, M.; Rodríguez, I.; Cela, R. Mixed-mode solid-phase extraction followed by

434

liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of tri-and di-substituted

435

organophosphorus species in water samples. J. Chromatogr. A. 2010, 1217 (9), 1476-1484.

436 437

(12) Meyer, J.; Bester, K. Organophosphate flame retardants and plasticisers in wastewater treatment plants. J. Environ. Monit. 2004, 6, 599-605.

438

(13) Martínez-Carballo, E.; González-Barreiro, C.; Sitka, A.; Scharf, S.; Gans, O.

439

Determination of selected organophosphate esters in the aquatic environment of Austria. Sci.

440

Total. Environ. 2007, 388, 290-299.

441 442

(14) Marklund, A.; Andersson, B.; Haglund, P. Organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers in Swedish sewage treatment plants. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2005, 39, 7423-7429.

443

(15) O’Brien, J.W.; Thai, P.K.; Brandsma, S.H.; Leonards, P.E.; Ort, C.; Mueller, J.F.

444

Wastewater analysis of Census day samples to investigate per capita input of organophosphorus

445

flame retardants and plasticizers into wastewater. Chemosphere. 2015, 138, 328-334.

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

24

Page 25 of 27

Environmental Science & Technology

446

(16) Chen, X.; Bester, K. Determination of organic micro-pollutants such as personal care

447

products, plasticizers and flame retardants in sludge. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 2009, 395 (6), 1877-

448

1884.

449

(17) Liang, K.; Liu, J. Understanding the distribution, degradation and fate of organophosphate

450

esters in an advanced municipal sewage treatment plant based on mass flow and mass balance

451

analysis. Sci. Total. Environ. 2016, 544, 262-270.

452

(18) Zeng, X.; He, L.; Cao, S.; Ma, S.; Yu, Z.; Gui, H.; Sheng, G.; Fu, J. Occurrence and

453

distribution of organophosphate flame retardants/plasticizers in wastewater treatment plant

454

sludge from the Pearl River Delta, China. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2014, 33, 1720-1725.

455

(19) Gao, L.; Shi, Y.; Li, W.; Liu, J.; Cai, Y. Occurrence and distribution of organophosphate

456

triesters and diesters in sludge from sewage treatment plants of Beijing, China. Sci. Total.

457

Environ. 2016, 544, 143-149.

458

(20) Schreder, E.D.; La Guardia, M.J. Flame retardant transfers from US households (dust and

459

laundry wastewater) to the aquatic environment. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2014, 48 (19), 11575-

460

11583.

461

(21) USGS, Reconnaissance of Contaminants in Selected Wastewater-Treatment-Plant

462

Effluent and Stormwater Runoff Entering the Columbia River, Columbia River Basin,

463

Washington and Oregon, 2008–10. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): Portland, OR, United

464

States, 2012.

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

25

Environmental Science & Technology

Page 26 of 27

465

(22) Dodson, R.E.; Perovich, L.J.; Covaci, A.; Van den Eede, N.; Ionas, A.C.; Dirtu, A.C.;

466

Brody, J.G.; Rudel, R.A. After the PBDE phase-out: a broad suite of flame retardants in repeat

467

house dust samples from California. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2012, 46(24), 13056-13066.

468

(23) Stapleton, H. M.; Sharma, S.; Getzinger, G.; Ferguson, P.L.; Gabriel, M.; Webster, T.F.;

469

Blum, A. Novel and high volume use flame retardants in US couches reflective of the 2005

470

PentaBDE phase out. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2012, 46(24), 13432-13439.

471 472

(24) Staaf, T.; Östman, C. Indoor air sampling of organophosphate triesters using solid phase extraction (SPE) adsorbents. J. Environ. Monitor. 2005, 7(4), 344-348.

473

(25) Subedi, B.; Kannan, K. Occurrence and fate of select psychoactive pharmaceuticals and

474

antihypertensives in two wastewater treatment plants in New York State, USA. Sci. Total.

475

Environ. 2015, 514, 273-280.

476 477

(26) Wang, W.; Kannan, K. Fate of parabens and their metabolites in two wastewater treatment plants in New York State, United States. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2016, 50 (3), 1174-1181.

478

(27) Posner, S. Assessment of the Consumption of HBCDD in EPS and XPS in Conjunction

479

with National Fire Requirements; Technical report for Swerea IVF/AB: Mölndal, Sweden, 2011.

480

(28) Safer States, Bill Tracker: Adopted Policy. (2015) Retrieved July 22, 2015, from

481

http://www.saferstates.org/bill-tracker/

482

(29) World Health Organization, Environmental Health Criteria 218, flame retardants: tris(2-

483

butoxyethyl) phosphate, tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate and tetrakis(hydroxymethyl) phosphonium

484

salts. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2000.

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

26

Page 27 of 27

Environmental Science & Technology

485

(30) Su, G.; Letcher, R.J.; Yu, H. Organophosphate Flame Retardants and Plasticizers in

486

Aqueous Solution: pH-Dependent Hydrolysis, Kinetics, and Pathways. Environ. Sci. Technol.

487

2016, 50 (15), 8103-8111.

488

(31) Lyman, W.J.; Reehl, W.F.; Rosenblatt, D.H. Handbook of chemical property estimation

489

methods: environmental behavior of organic compounds. American Chemical Society,

490

Washington, DC, United States, 1990.

491 492

(32) Bester, K. Personal care compounds in the environment: Pathways, fate and methods for determination. Wiley-VCH Verlag GmBH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim, Germany, 2007.

493

(33) Saini, A.; Thaysen, C.; Jantunen, L.; McQueen, R.H.; Diamond, M. L. From clothing to

494

laundry water: investigating the fate of phthalates, brominated flame retardants, and

495

organophosphate esters. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2016, 50(17), 9289-9297.

ACS Paragon Plus Environment

27