Conference Co-Chairs Dr. Rula Deeb, Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. Professor ...

June 8-10, 2009 San Francisco, California 

Conference Co-Chairs 

Dr. Rula Deeb, Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. 

Professor David Sedlak, University of California, at Berkeley 

Conference Co-Sponsors 

Department of Toxic Substances Control 

Federal Institute of Hydrology, Germany 

Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., Independent Environmental Engineers, 

Scientists and Consultants 

United States Environmental Protection Agency (National 

Exposure Research Laboratory – NERL) 

University of California at Berkeley 

Collaborators 

California Water Environment Association 

Dechema, Germany 

Global Water Research Coalition (GWRC) 

International Association of Hydrologeologists (IAH) 

Microseeps 

National Water Research Institute (NWRI) 

Pollution Engineering Magazine 

Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) 

Water Research Foundation

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Table of Contents 

Conference Program .…….....……………….……………….…………………….....1 

Conference Attendee and Speaker List ..……….…………………………………...9 

Oral Presenters Index ……………………………….………………………………..50 

Oral Presentation Abstracts ………….………………………..…………….............56 

Poster Presenters Index ……………………………………………………………..167 

Poster Presentation Abstracts ………………………………………………………177 

Exhibitors ……………………………………………………………………………... 370 

GRA Information ………………………………………………………………………372 

Notes ……………………………………………………………………………………376


Conference Program 

1

7:30 Registration/Continental Breakfast 

Conference Program 

Monday, June 8, 2009 

8:00 Opening and Welcome Remarks 

Dr. David Sedlak and Dr. Rula Deeb, Conference Co-Chairs 

Dr. Maria Fürhacker, IWA Specialist Group Leader 

Thomas Mohr, GRA Board Member 

8:20 Removal of Bulk and Trace Organics in Underground Treatment Systems 

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Martin Jekel, Technical University of Berlin (Germany) 

Concurrent Session 1A: Micropollutants in Concurrent Session 1B: Watershed – Soil & 

Wastewater: Effects and Occurrence Groundwater 

TRACK A TRACK B 

Session Co-Chair: Dr. Stuart Khan, 

University of New South Wales 

(Australia); and Dr. Zaid Chowdhury, 

Malcolm Pirnie (USA) 

9:05 (103) Occurrence and Fate of 

Estrogenic Compounds in Australian 

Municipal Wastewater Treatment 

Plants and Riverine Environments 

Dr. Rai Kookana, CSIRO Land and 

Water (Australia) 

9:30 (11) Quantification of Antibiotic 

Resistance Gene Transfers in 

Activated Sludge Reactors Using 

Quantitative PCR 

Mr. Samuel Martin Ruel, CIRSEE, 

Suez Environment (France) 

9:55 (111) Fate of Disinfection By‐Products 

in Secondary and Tertiary Treated 

Wastewater 

Dr. Kathryn Linge, Curtin University 

(Australia) 

Session Co-Chairs: Dr. Mike Focazio, U.S. 

Geological Survey (USA); and Dr. Terry Feng, 

CH2M HILL (USA) 

(167) Mass Fluxes of Urban Micropollutants 

and Integrated Modelling of the River 

‐Groundwater ‐Interaction in the City of 

Halle/Germany 

Dr. Frido Reinstorf, University of Applied 

Sciences Magdeburg‐Stendal (Germany) 

(91) Anthropogenic Gadolinium and 

Pharmaceuticals as Tracers of Groundwater 

Contamination in Tokyo 

Mr. Keisuke Kuroda, University of Tokyo 

(Japan) 

(263) A Novel Approach for a Priori Predictions 

of Charged Organic Molecule Sorption to Soils 

and Sediments 

Dr. Christopher Higgins, Colorado School of 

Mines (USA) 

10:20 Break – Exhibitors & Poster Presentations (Group A Posters) 

Concurrent Session 2A: Micropollutants in Concurrent Session 2B: Watershed – Biosolids 

Wastewater: Removal Strategies 


Session Co‐Chairs: Ms. Lola 

Olabode, Water Environment 

Research Foundation (USA); and Dr. 

Maria Fürhacker , University of 

Natural Resources and Applied Life 

Sciences (Austria) 

2 

Session Co-Chairs: Dr. Dan Woltering, Water 

Environment Research Foundation (USA); and 

Dr. Rolf Halden, Arizona State University 

(USA)

11:05 (151) A Novel Approach to Reduce 

the Emission of Pharmaceutical and 

X‐Ray Diagnostic Agents into the 

Aquatic Environment 

Dr. Anke Putschew, TU Berlin 

(Germany) 

11:30 (122) Evaluation of the Removal of 

Organic Priority and Emerging 

Substances in the Activated Sludge 

Process Through 7 On‐Site 

Campaigns 

Dr. Samuel Martin Ruel, CIRSEE, 

Suez Environment (France) 

11:55 (152) Dynamic Modelling of 

Deconjugation, Sorption and 

Biodegradation Processes for 

Hormones and Antibiotics in Activated 

Sludge Systems 

Dr. Benedek Plósz, Norwegian 

Institute for Water Research, 

(Norway) 

12:20 (38) Applying Surrogates and 

Indicators to Assess Removal 

Efficiency of Trace Organic 

Chemicals in Indirect Potable Reuse 

Systems: Oxidation Processes 

Dr. Eric Dickenson, Colorado School 

of Mines (USA) 

12:45 Lunch Break 

(184) Risk Assessment of Biosolids‐Borne 

Triclocarban (TCC) 

Elizabeth Hodges Snyder, University of Florida 

at Gainesville (USA) 

(240) Nationwide Assessment of 

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products 

in U.S. Biosolids 

Kristin McClellan, Arizona State University 

(USA) 

(172) Presence, Fate and Treatability of 

Estro‐and Androgenic Contaminants in 

Wastewater and Biosolids 

Dr. Karl Linden, University of Colorado at 

Boulder (USA) 

(255) Fate of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers 

in Wastewater: From Treatment of Land of 

Biosolids 

Dr. Eduardo Saez, University of Arizona at 

Tucson (USA) 

1:45 Fate and Behavior of Pharmaceuticals in Treated Wastewaters, Sludge and 

River Waters Followed by an Environmental Risk Assessment Using Hazard 

Indexes 

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Damia Barcelo, Chemical & Environmental Research 

Institute of Barcelona (IIQAB-CSIC) 

Concurrent Session 3A: Environmental Concurrent Session 3B: Micropollutants in 

Chemistry Wastewater: Removal and What Are We Missing? 


Session Co‐Chairs: Dr. Mehran 

Alaee, Environment Canada 

(Canada); Dr. Lorien Fono, Carollo 

(USA) 

2:30 (50) Eliminating Solid Phase 

Extraction with Large‐Volume 

Injection LCMS/MS 

Dr. Jennifer Field, Department of 

Environmental and Molecular Oregon 

State University (USA) 

2:55 (76) Conjugated Estrogens: Still 

Unknown Threat to the Aquatic 

Environment 

Vimal Kumar Hatwal, Kyoto University 

(Japan) 

3 

Session Co-Chair: Dr. Jörg Drewes, Colorado 

School of Mines (USA) 

(71) Elimination of Organic Micropollutants in a 

Municipal Nutrient Removal Plant Upgraded 

with a Full Scale Post‐Ozonation Followed by 

Sand Filtration 

Dr. Juliane Hollender, EAWAG (Switzerland) 

(188) Powdered Activated Carbon Dosage to 

Flocculation Filtration to Reduce Micropollutant 

Removal 

Dr. Hansruedi Siegrist, EAWAG (Switzerland)

3:20 Break – Exhibitors & Poster Presentations (Group A Posters) 

Concurrent Session 3A: Environmental Concurrent Session 3B: Micropollutants in 

Chemistry (Cont.) Wastewater: Removal and What Are We Missing? 

(Cont.) 


3:45 (209) The Formation and Occurrence 

of Biological Transformation Products 

and Ozonation Products of Iodinated 

Contrast Media and Betablockers in 

the Urban Water Cycle 

Dr. Thomas Ternes, Federal Institute 

of Hydrology (Germany) 

4:10 (9) New Pesticide Metabolites ‐A 

Threat to Drinking Water? 

Dr. Heinz Juergen Brauch, TZW 

(Germany) 

4:35 (115) Occurrence of Old and 

Emergent Polyfluorinated Chemicals 

in Ambient Waters and in Drinking 

Water Resources 

Dr. Frank Thomas Lange, TZW 

(Germany) 

5:00 (7) Quaternary Ammonium 

Compounds: An Important Class of 

Sediment Contaminants too Long 

Under the Radar 

Dr. Bruce Brownawell, Stony Brook 

University (USA) 

(165) Removal of Micropollutants and 

Reduction of Biological Adverse Effects from 

Treated Wastewater by Slow Biological 

Activated Carbon Filtration 

Dr. Julien Reungoat, University of Queensland 

(Australia) 

(243) Batch Tests on the Biodegradation of 

Emerging Organic Micropollutants 

Ms. Manuela Barbieri, Technical University of 

Catalonia, Spain 

(14) Removal of Pharmaceuticals from 

Municipal Wastewaters: A Comparison of 

Treatment Technologies 

Berndt Björlenius, Stockholm Water Co. 

(Sweden) 

(210) Performance Assessment of Onsite 

Wastewater Treatment Units in Trace Organic 

Contaminant Removal 

Jennifer Teerlink, Colorado School of Mines 

(USA) 

5:25 Reception – Exhibitors and Poster Presentations (Group A Posters) 

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 


8:00 Overview of the Day 

8:05 Microbial Perchlorate Reduction – A Rocket Fueled Metabolism 

Keynote Speaker: Dr. John Coates, University of California At Berkeley (USA) 

Concurrent Session 4A: Oxidation Concurrent Session 4B: Biological 

Technologies: Emerging Disinfection Degradation of Micropollutants 

Byproducts - 1 


Session Co‐Chairs: Dr. Jurg Kelly, 

University of Queensland (Australia); 

and Dr. Michael Kavanaugh, Malcolm 

Pirnie, Inc. (USA) 

4 

Session Co-Chairs: Dr. Andrew Schuler, 

University of New Mexico (USA); and Dr. 

Nancy Love, University of Michigan at Ann 

Arbor (USA)

8:50 (223) Macro vs. Micropollutants in 

Impaired Waters: What Really 

Matters? 

Dr. William Mitch, Yale University 

(USA) 

9:15 (36) Iodo‐DBP Formation from the 

Reaction of Chlorinated Oxidants with 

X‐Ray Contrast Media in the 

Presence of Natural Organic Matter 

Dr. Susan Richardson, U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency 

(USA) 

9:40 (5) Formation and Occurrence of 

Chlorinated Triclosan Derivatives 

(CTDs)(5) Formation and Occurrence 

of Chlorinated Triclosan Derivatives 

(CTDs) and their Dioxin 

Photoproducts 

Jeffrey Buth, University of Minnesota 

(USA) 

(218) Fate of Psycho‐Active Drugs in Biological 

Wastewater Treatment: Examining Removal 

Processes and Formation of Transformation 

Products 

Arne Wick, Federal Institute of Hydrology 

(Germany) 

(280) Molecular Approaches for Understanding 

the Biodegradation of Emerging Contaminants 

with a Focus on NDMA and 1,4‐Dioxane 

Dr. Lisa Alvarez‐Cohen, University of California 

at Berkeley (USA) 

(282) Perfluorocarbons and the Limits of 

Biodegradation 

Dr. Craig Criddle, Stanford University (USA) 

10:05 Break – Exhibitors & Poster Presentations (Group B Posters) 

Concurrent Session 5A: Drinking Water: Concurrent Session 5B: Nanomaterials: What 

Emerging Disinfection Byproducts – 2 Are the Concerns? 


Session Co‐Chairs: Dr. Marc 

Deshusses, Duke University (USA); 

and Ms. Alice Fulmer, Water 

Research Foundation (USA) 

10:50 (164) Integrated Disinfection 

By‐Products Mixtures Research: 

Results from the Four Lab Study 

Dr. Susan Richardson, US 


(USA) 

11:20 (154) Kinetics of Perchlorate Ion 

Formation in Bleach Solutions: 

Reaction Pathways and 

Co‐Contaminant Effects 

Mr. Aleksey Pisarenko, Miami 


11:45 (214) N‐Nitrosodimethylamin 

Formation During Ozonation of Water 

Containing N,N‐Dimethylsulfamide: 

Role of Bromide 

Dr. Urs von Gunten, EAWAG 

(Switzerland) 

12:10 Lunch 

5 

Session Co-Chairs: Mr. Jeff Mosher, National 

Water Research Institute (USA); and Dr. 

Patricia Holden, University of California at 

Santa Barbara (USA) 

(281) Fate and Transport of Nanomaterials in 

Environmental Media 

Dr. Arturo Keller, University of California at 

Santa Barbara (USA) 

Nanomaterials for Environmental Applications 

Marc Deschusses, Duke University 

(279) Regulating Nanomaterials: New 

Challenges, New Strategies 

Dr. Jeff Wong, California Department of Toxic 

Substances Control (USA)

1:10 Endocrine Distruptors and Pharmaceuticals in US Drinking Water 

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Shane Snyder, Southern Nevada Water Authority (USA) 

Concurrent Session 6A: Oxidation Concurrent Session 6B: Membrane 

Strategies: How Effective Are They Technologies: How Well Do They Work? 

For Removing Micropollutants - 1 


Session Co‐Chair: Mr. Scott Warner, Session Co-Chair: Dr. Martin Reinhard, 

AMEC Geomatrix (USA) 

Stanford University (USA) 

1:55 (254) Insights to Free Radical (85) Water Reuse: Performance of a 

Treatment of Pharmaceuticals in Membrane Bioreactor Prior to Nanofiltration 

Water 

with Concentrate Recycling 

Dr. William Cooper, University of 

California at Irvine (USA) 

Dr. Christa S. McArdell, EAWAG (Switzerland) 

2:20 (49) Biogenic Manganese Oxides for (201) Rejection of PFOS/PFOA by Membrane 

the Oxidative Removal of Diclofenac in Water Reclamation System 

Ilse Forres, Ghent University, 

Dr. Jiangyong Hu, National University of 

LabMET 

Singapore (Singapore) 

2:45 (153) Hydroxyl Radical‐Mediated (183) Modeling Trace‐Organic Micropollutant 

Indirect Photolysis of N‐Ethyl 

Rejection in NF/RO Membranes for Reuse 

Perfluorooctane Sulfonamido Acetate Applications: Developmental Methods 

(N‐EtFOSAA) and Other 

Dr. Jörg Drewes, Colorado School of Mines 

Perfluoroalkanesulfonamides 

Dr. Megan Plumlee, Stanford 


(USA) 

3:10 Break – Exhibitors & Poster Presentations (Group B Posters) 

Concurrent Session 6A: Oxidation Concurrent Session 6B: Membrane 

Strategies: How Effective Are They Technologies: How Well Do They Work? (Cont,) 

For Removing Micropollutants - 1 (Cont.) 


4:00 (231) Assessment and Modeling of 

a Full Scale Ozonation Step of 

Municipal Secondary Wastewater 

Effluent 

Saskia Zimmermann, EAWAG 

(Switzerland) 

4:25 (68) Oxidative Treatment of 

Phenolic Micropollutants with 

Permanganate and Ferrate Salts 

Lanhau Hu,University of Illinois at 

Urbana‐Champaign (USA) 

6 

(204) Rejection of Trace Organic Contaminants 

by NF membranes: Effects of Sorption 

Dr. Eva Steinle‐Darling, Erler & Kalinowski, Inc. 

(USA) 

(24) Fate and Removal of Micropollutants in a 

Membrane Bioreactor 

Nhat Le‐Minh, University of New South Wales 

(Australia)

General Session 1: Micropollutants: Regulations, Management and Risk Communication – 

A Panel Discussion 

Moderators: Frans Schulting, Global Water Research Coalition; and Thomas Mohr, Santa Clara 

Valley Water District (USA) 

Panelists: 

Dr. Mong Hoo Lim, Singapore PUB (Singapore) 

Mr. Ed Means, Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. (USA) 

(180) Dr. Peter Stoks, RIWA/IAWR (The Netherlands) 

Dr. Rhodes Trussell, Trussell Technologies (USA) 

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 


8:00 Overview of the Day 

8:10 Water Micropollutants: In Vitro Mammalian Cell Toxicology to Human 

Toxicogenomics 

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Michael Plewa, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

(USA) 

Concurrent Session 7A: Ecotoxicology Concurrent Session 7B: Watershed – Occurrence 

and Human Health Concerns 


Session Co‐Chairs: Session Co-Chair: Ms. Joan Oppenheimer, 

8:55 (244) Measuring the Effect of 

Pharmaceuticals on Microbial 

Antibiotic Resistance in Wastewater 

with Nonparticle‐DNA Probes 

Dr. Krassimira Hristova, University 

of California at Davis (USA) 

9:20 (105) Toxicity Identification 

Evaluations for Fish Feminization in 

the Central Valley of California 

Dr. Daniel Schlenk, University of 

California at Riverside (USA) 

9:45 (146) Activity‐Directed Analytical 

Tools Based on Hormone 

Receptor‐Affinity Extraction for 

Isolating Dissolved EDCs from 

Complex Mixtures 

Dr. Lee Ferguson, University of 

South Carolina at Columbia (USA) 

10:10 (41) Continued Development of 

Normal Human Colonocyte Cultures 

to Identify the Carcinogenic 

Potential of Priority Disinfection By- 

Products 

Dr. Anthony DeAngelo, U.S. 


(USA) 

7 

MWH (USA) 

(127) The Distribution of Antidepressants and 

their Metabolites in an Urban Watershed 

Dr. Chris Metcalfe, Trent University (Canada) 

(118) Quantification of Magnetic Resonance 

Imaging Contrast Agents Using Inductively 

Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry ‐A 

Geochemical Perspective of Micropollutant 

Occurrence 

Dr. Michael Lawrence, University of 

Queensland (Australia) 

(147) Identifying Persistent Tracers of 

Wastewater ‐Pharmaceuticals in Switzerland 

Dr. Christoph Ort, University of Queensland 

(Australia) 

(247) Pollution of Urban Runoff by Additives 

Used in Construction Materials 

Dr. Michael Burkhardt, EAWAG (Switzerland)

10:35 Break – Exhibitors & Poster Presenters 

Concurrent Session 8A: Oxidation Concurrent Session 28: Brominated Flame 

Strategies: How Effective Are They Retardants: New Issues 

For Removing Micropollutants - 2 


Session Co‐Chair: Summer Session Co-Chair: Dr. Edward Kolodziej, 

Nastich, Smith Trager, LLP 

University of Nevada at Reno (USA) 

11:00 (94) Transformation Ratios of (277) Alternative Brominated Flame Retardants 

Organophosphorous Pesticides to in San Francisco Bay Wildlife and Sediments 

Oxons in Chlorination 

Dr. Susan Klosterhaus, San Francisco Estuary 

Dr. Koji Kosaka, National Institute of 

Public Health (Japan) 

Institute (USA) 

11:25 (300) Removal of Endocrine (250) Biotransformation of Polybrominated 

Disrupting Chemicals in Water by Diphenyl Ethers by Aerobic Bacteria 

Solar Photocatalysis 

Dr. Gianluca Li Puma, The 

University of Nottingham (United 

Kingdom) 

Dr. Kristin Robrock, Exponent, Inc. (USA) 

11:50 Fractionation and Bioaccumulation (203) Photolysis of Hydroxylated 

of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers 

(PFOS) Isomers in a Lake Ontario Dr. William Arnold, University of Minnesota 

Food Web 

Mehran, Alaee, Water Science and 

Technology Directorate, 

Environment Canada (Canada) 

(USA) 

12:15 Student Competition Awards and Closing Remarks 

8


Conference Attendee 

and Speaker List 

9


Aarons, Jerry 


700 Heinz Ave. 

Berkeley, CA 94710-2721 

USA 

Alaee, Mehran 

Environment Canada 

867 Lakeshore Road 

Burlington, Ontario L7R 4A6 

CANADA 

Alvarez-Cohen, Lisa 

University of California Berkeley 

726 Davis Hall 

Berkeley, CA 94720 

USA 

Andres, Hank 

Hydromantis, Inc. 

58 Segwun Road 

Waterdown, Ontario L0R2H6 

CANADA 

Arnold, William 

University of Minnesota 

500 Pillsbury Drive SE 

Minneapolis, MN 55455 

USA 

Attendees 

(as of 7/8/09) 

10 

Title: Engineering Geologist 

Phone Number: 510-540-3987 

Fax Number: 510-540-3819 

E-mail: 

jaarons@dtsc.ca.gov 

Title: Research Scientist 


Fax Number: 905-336-6430 

E-mail: 

mehran.alaee@ec.gc.ca 

Title: Professor 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

510-643-5969 

E-mail: 

alvarez@ce.berkeley.edu 

Title: Wastewater Process Engineer 

Phone Number: 905-522-0012 x 213 

Fax Number: 905-522-0031 

E-mail: 

hank_andres@yahoo.ca 

Title: Associate Professor 


Fax Number: 612-626-7750 

E-mail: 

arnol032@umn.edu 

Page 1 of 38

Arsem, Nirmela 

East Bay Municipal Utility District 

PO Box 24055 

Oakland, CA 94623 

USA 

Auguste, Bruchet 

CIRSEE-Suez Environment 

38 Rue du Presidena Wilson 

Le Precp, 78230 

FRANCE 

Babatola, Akin 

Wastewater Treatment Facility City of Santa Cruz 

110 California Street 

Santa Cruz, CA 95060 

USA 

Barbieri, Manuela 

Technical University of Catalonia 

C/Jordi Girona 1-3, Módulo D-2, Room 005 

Barcelona, Barcelona 08034 

SPAIN 

Barcelo, Damia 

IDAEA-CSIC 

Jordi Girona 18-26 

Barcelona, 08034 

SPAIN 

Beck, Andrew 

Health Canada 

195 Hinton Ave. N 

Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 1A2 

CANADA 

Belgiorno, Vincenzo 

University of Salerno 

via Colombo, 12 

Vietri, 84019 

ITALY 

11 

Title: Laboratory Manager 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

510-387-1435 

E-mail: 

narsem@ebmud.com 

Title: Dr. 

Phone Number: 33134802345 

Fax Number: 33134800901 

E-mail: 

auguste.bruchet@suez-env.com 

Title: Lab/Environmental Compliance Manag 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

831-420-6045 

E-mail: 

ababatola@ci.santa-cruz.ca.us 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

+34934017247 

+34934017251 

manuela.barbieri@upc.edu 

Title: Prof Dr 

Phone Number: +34606971545 

Fax Number: +34932045904 

E-mail: 

dbcqam@iiqab.csic.es 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

613-952-8084 

andrew_beck@hc-sc.gc.ca 


Phone Number: 00393358431599 

Fax Number: 0039089964100 

E-mail: 

v.belgiorno@unisa.it 

Page 2 of 38

Benesova, Libuse 

Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science 

Albertov 6 

Prague 2, 128 43 

CZECH REPUBLIC 

Bischel, Heather 

Stanford University 

908 Middle Ave., Apt J 

Menlo Park, CA 94025 

USA 

Bjorlenius, Berndt 

Stockholm Water Co 

Värmdövägen 23 

Stockholm, SE-131 55 

SWEDEN 

Blanquez, Paqui 

Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona 

Departament d'Enginyeria Quimica ETSE 

Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona 08193 

SPAIN 

Blute, Nicole 

Malcolm Pirnie 

888 West 6th Street, 3rd Floor 

Los Angeles, CA 90017 

USA 

Bonot, Sebastien 

CIRSEE- Suez Environnement / LCPME UMR CNRS 

7564 

15 rue du Charmois 

Vandoeuvre les Nancy, 54500 

FRANCE 

Bosch, Nanny 

Laboratory Data Consultants, Inc. (LDC) 

601 University Ave., Suite 105 

Sacramento, CA 95825 

USA 

12 


Phone Number: +420221951909 

Fax Number: +420224914803 

E-mail: 

hnatukova@post.cz 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

530-613-6696 

hbischel@stanford.edu 

+46852212485 

berndt.bjorlenius@stockholmvatten.se 



Fax Number: +34935812013 

E-mail: 

paqui.blanquez@uab.cat 

Title: Senior Project Engineer 


Fax Number: 213-614-9003 

E-mail: 

nblute@pirnie.com 

Title: Ph.D. Student 

Phone Number: +330383682239 

Fax Number: +330383682233 

E-mail: 

sebastien.bonot@free.fr 

Title: Operations Manager/Principal Chemist 


Fax Number: 916-649-0508 

E-mail: 

nbosch@lab-data.com 

Page 3 of 38

Boxall, Alistair 

University of York/Food and Environmental Research 

Agency 

Sand Hutton 

York, YO41 1LZ 

UNITED KINGDOM 

Brauch, Heinz-Jürgen 

DVGW Water Technology Center 

Karlsruher Str. 84 

Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg 76139 

GERMANY 

Brechmann, Mike 

BSK Labs 

567 W Shaw Suite C 

Fresno, CA 93704 

USA 

Brownawell, Bruce 

Stony Brook University 

SoMAS - Dana 127 

Stony Brook, NY 11794 

USA 

Burkhardt, Michael 

Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute 

Uberlandstrasse 133 

Dubendorf, 8600 

SWITZERLAND 

Burroughs (Park), Rachel 

CAS 

, 

USA 

Busetti, Francesco 

Curtin University of Technology 

GPO Box U1987 

Perth, Western Australia 6845 

AUSTRALIA 

13 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

+4401904462142 

E-mail: 

a.boxall@csl.gov.uk 

Title: Prof. Dr.-Ing. 

Phone Number: +49 721 9678 150 

Fax Number: +49 721 9678 104 

E-mail: 

brauch@tzw.de 

Title: Technical Manager 


Fax Number: 559-485-6935 

E-mail: 

mikebsk@yahoo.com 


Phone Number: (631) 632-8658 

Fax Number: (631) 632-3072 

E-mail: 

bbrownawell@notes.cc.sunysb.edu 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

+414488235332 

E-mail: 

michael.burkhardt@eawag.ch 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

614-766-6812 

rburroughs56@yahoo.com 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

+61411280052 

E-mail: 

f.busetti@exchange.curtin.edu.au 

Page 4 of 38

Buth, Jeffrey 


2752 Chicago Avenue 

Minneapolis, MN 55407 

USA 

Cabana, Hubert 

Sherbrooke University 

2500 blvd de l'Universite 

Sherbrooke, Quebec J1K 2R1 

CANADA 

Caminal, Gloria 

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 

Dept. Chemical Engineering, ETSE 

Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona 08193 

SPAIN 

Casola, Marco 

Delft Univeristy of Technology 

julianalaan 67 

Delft, 2628BC 

THE NETHERLANDS 

Cecen, Ferhan 

Bogazici University, Institute of Environmental Sciences 

34342 Bebek 

Istanbul, 34342 

TURKEY 

Chen, Shen-Yi 

National Kaohsiung First University of Science and 

Technology 

2 Jhuoyue Road, Nanzih 

Kaohsiung, 811 

TAIWAN 

Chen, Wen-Hsing 

National Ilan University 

No. 85 Wusing St. 

Taipei, 110 

TAIWAN 

14 

Title: Research Assistant 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

(612) 718-8910 

E-mail: 

buthx007@umn.edu 


Phone Number: 819-831-8000-56457 

Fax Number: 819-821-7954 

E-mail: 

hubert.cabana@uscherbrooke.ca 


Phone Number: +34 93 581 2144 

Fax Number: +34 93 581 2013 

E-mail: 

gloria.caminal@uab.cat 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

+310152789175 

m.casola@tudelft.nl 


Phone Number: +902123597256 

Fax Number: +902122575033 

E-mail: 

cecenf@boun.edu.tr 


Phone Number: +88676011000 x 2349 

Fax Number: +88676011061 

E-mail: 

sychen@ccms.nkfust.edu.tw 

Title: Assistant Professor 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

+88639357400 x 745 

E-mail: 

albert@niu.edu.tw 

Page 5 of 38

Cho, Jinwoo 

Korea Institute of Science and Technology 

Hang-dang Hanshin 109-1401 

Seoul, 133-798 

SOUTH KOREA 

Choo, Kwang-Ho 

Kyungpook National University 

1370 Sankyeok-Dong, Buk-Gu 

Daegu, Daegu 702-701 

KOREA 

Coates, John 


271 Koshland Hall 


USA 

Cooper, Bill 

University of California Irvine 

46 Vista Del Valle 

Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 

USA 

Corral, Romeo 

Metro Tuguegarao Water District 

67 Rizal St. 

Tuguegarao City, Cagayan 3500 

PHILIPPINES 

Criddle, Craig 


Env. & Energy Bldg., Rm. 151 473 Ortega, MC 4020 

Stanford, CA 94305 

USA 

Cwiertny, David 

University of California Riverside 

Dept. fo Chemical & Environmental Engineering, A242 

Bourns Hall 

Riverside, CA 92521 

USA 

15 

Title: Senior Researcher 

Phone Number: 82-10-8978-8965 

Fax Number: 82-2-958-6854 

E-mail: 

cogito1@chol.com 



Fax Number: 82539506579 

E-mail: 

chookh@knu.ac.kr 

Title: Professor of Microbiology 


Fax Number: 510-642-4995 

E-mail: 

jcoates@nature.berkeley.edu 



Fax Number: 949-824-3672 

E-mail: 

wcooper@uci.edu 


Phone Number: 0063788447309 

Fax Number: 0063788462179 

E-mail: 

romeollb@yahoo.com 



Fax Number: 650-725-3164 

E-mail: 

criddle@stanford.edu 



Fax Number: 951-827-5696 

E-mail: 

dcwiertny@engr.ucr.edu 

Page 6 of 38

Daneshvar, Atlasi 

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences 

Ulls Vag 31A 

Uppsala, 750 07 

SWEDEN 

de Ridder, David 

Delft University of Technology, Department of Sanitary 

Engineering 

Arie van de Heuvelstraat 25 

Bunnik, Utrecht 3981 CT 

NETHERLANDS 

Deangelo, Anthony 

US Environmental Protection Agency 

2525 Highway 54 

Durham, NC 27701 

USA 

Debroux, Jean 

Kennedy/Jenks Consultants 

303 Second St., Suite 300, South 

San Francisco, CA 94107 

USA 

Deeb, Rula 

Malcolm Pirnie 

2000 Powell Street, Suite 1180 

Emeryville, CA 94608 

USA 

DeLeo, Paul 

The Soap and Detergent Association 

1500 K Street, NW, Suite 300 

Washington, DC 20005 

USA 

Deshusses, Marc 

Duke University 

121 Hudson Hall 90287 

Durham, NC 27708 

USA 

16 

Title: PhD Student 


Fax Number: 004618673156 

E-mail: 

atlasi.daneshvar@vatten.slu.se 

Title: Msc 


Fax Number: +0152784918 

E-mail: 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

d.j.deridder@tudelft.nl 

919-541-2568 

919-541-0694 

deangelo.anthony@epa.gov 

Title: Scientist/Engineer 


Fax Number: 415-896-0999 

E-mail: 

jeandebroux@kennedyjenks.com 

Title: Senior Associate 


Fax Number: 510-596-8855 

E-mail: 

rdeeb@pirnie.com 

Title: Director, Environmental Safety 


Fax Number: 202-347-4110 

E-mail: 

pdeleo@sdahq.org 



Fax Number: 919-660-5219 

E-mail: 

marc.deshusses@duke.edu 

Page 7 of 38

Dhir, Amit 

Thapar University 

Patiala 

Punjab, 147004 

INDIA 

Di Gioia, Ph.D., Lodovico 

Danone Research 

RD 128 

Palaiseau, 91767 

FRANCE 

Dickenson, Eric 

Colorado School of Mines 

1500 Illinois Street 

Golden, CO 80401 

USA 

Dougherty, Jennifer 


473 Via Ortega, Room M10 


USA 

Downs, H.R. 

O.W.L. Foundation 

1390 N. McDowell Blvd., Suite G 306 

Petaluma, CA 94954 

USA 

Drewes, Jorg 

Colorado School of Mines, Advanced Water 

Technology Center, Environ. Science and Eng. Div. 



USA 

Eaton, Andrew 

MWH Labs 

750 Royal Oaks Dr. #100 

Monrovia, CA 91016 

USA 

17 

Title: Lecturer 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

0175-2393034 

E-mail: 

amit.dhir@thapar.edu 

Title: Process Development Manager 

Phone Number: +330169357600 

Fax Number: +330169357693 

E-mail: 

lodovico.di-gioia@danone.com 

Title: Post Doctoral Researcher 


Fax Number: 303-273-3413 

E-mail: 

edickens@mines.edu 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

650-725-3025 

jend@stanford.edu 

Title: President 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

707-792-1407 

E-mail: 

hrd@owlfoundation.net 

Title: Associate Professor and Director 


Fax Number: 303-273-3413 

E-mail: 

jdrewes@mines.edu 

Title: Lab Technical Director 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

626-386-1125 

E-mail: 

andrew.d.eaton@us.mwhglobal.com 

Page 8 of 38

Elovitz, Michael 

US EPA 

3431 Ruther Avenue 

Cincinnati, OH 45220 

USA 

Esser, Bradley 

LLNL 

PO Box 808, L0231 

Livermore, CA 94551 

USA 

Evangelista, Jerry 

Orange County Sanitation District 

10844 Ellis Avenue 

Fountain Valley, CA 92708 

USA 

Falas, Per 

Lund University 

Tullgatan 6A 

Lund, 22354 

SWEDEN 

Feng, Terry 

CH2M HILL, Inc. 

155 Grand Ave., #1000 


USA 

Fenoll Serrano, Jose 

Instituto Murciano de Investigacion y Desarrollo 

Agrario y Alimentario, IMIDA 

IMIDA, c/ Mayor s/n, La Alberca 

Murcia, 30150 

SPAIN 

Ferguson, Lee 

University of South Carolina 

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry 

Information, 631 Sumter St. 

Columbia, SC 29208 

USA 

18 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

513-569-7642 

513-569-7658 

elovitz.michale@epa.gov 

Title: Isotope Geochemist and Hydrologist 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

925-422-4247 

E-mail: 

bkesser@llnl.gov 

Title: Engineering Supervisor 


Fax Number: 714-962-6957 

E-mail: 

jevangelista@ocsd.com 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

0046462228998 

E-mail: 

per.falas@chemeng.lth.se 

Title: Principal Technologist 


Fax Number: 510-622-9159 

E-mail: 

terry.feng@ch2m.com 



Fax Number: +34968366792 

E-mail: 

jose.fenoll@carm.es 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

803-777-2203 

E-mail: 

ferguspl@mailbox.sc.edu 

Page 9 of 38

Field, Jennifer 

Oregon State University 

30 Campus Way 

Corvallis, OR 97331 

USA 

Focazo, Michael 

US Geological Survey 

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive 

Reston, VA 20192 

USA 

Fono, Lorien 

Carollo Engineers 

1717 Rose Street 


USA 

Foote, Gary 

AMEC Geomatrix 

2878 Sacramento St. #2 


USA 

Forrez, Ilse 

Ghent University, LabMET 

Coupure Links 653 

Ghent, 9000 

BELGIUM 

Fuerhacker, Maria 

BOKU-Univeristy of Natural Resources and Applied 

Life Sciences Vienna 

Muthgasse 18 

Vienna, 1190 

AUSTRIA 

Fulmer, Alice 

Water Research Foundation 

6666 W Quincy Ave 

Denver, CO 80235 

USA 

19 


Phone Number: (541) 737-2265 

Fax Number: (541) 737-0497 

E-mail: 

jennifer.field@oregonstate.edu 

Title: Hydrologist 


Fax Number: 703-648-6693 

E-mail: 

mfocazio@usgs.gov 

Title: Engineer 


Fax Number: 925-930-0208 

E-mail: 

lfono@carollo.com 

Title: Principal Geologist 


Fax Number: 510-663-4141 

E-mail: 

gary.foote@amec.com 


Phone Number: 0032092645985 

Fax Number: 0032092646248 

E-mail: 

ilse.forrez@ugent.be 


Phone Number: +4369919221487 

Fax Number: +4313689949 

E-mail: 

maria.fuerhacker@boku.ac.at 

Title: Senior Project Manager 


Fax Number: 303-730-0851 

E-mail: 

afulmer@waterresearchfoundation.org 

Page 10 of 38

Gamble, Jacqy 

Las Virgenes Municipal Water District 

4232 Las Virgenes Road 

Calabasas, CA 91302 

USA 

Gaulke, Linda 

University of Washington 

Box 352700 

Seattle, WA 98195 

USA 

Giudice, Ben 

University of California Davis 

Civil & Environmental Engineering, One Shields 

Avenue 

Davis, CA 95616 

USA 

Grabow, Larry 

Marin Municipal Water District 

220 Nellen Avenue 

Corte Madera, CA 94925 

USA 

Grassi, Sergio 

National Research Council of Italy 

via G.Moruzzi 1 

Pisa, 56124 

ITALY 

Guiraud, Pascal 

LISBP/INSA Toulouse 

135 av. de Rangueil 

Toulouse, 31077 

FRANCE 

Guo, Y. Carrie 

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California 

433 Salisbury Lane 

Claremont, CA 91711 

USA 

20 

Title: Management Analyst 


Fax Number: 818-251-2309 

E-mail: 

jgamble@lvmwd.com 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

206-883-8571 

lsg@u.washington.edu 

Title: Graduate Student Researcher 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

530-392-2351 

E-mail: 

bdgiudice@ucdavis.edu 

Title: Lab Manager 


Fax Number: 415-945-1123 

E-mail: 

lgrabow@marinwater.org 

Title: Prinmo Ricercatore 

Phone Number: 050-3152395 

Fax Number: 050-3152323 

E-mail: 

grassi@igg.cnr.it 


Phone Number: +330561559686 

Fax Number: +330561559760 

E-mail: 

pascal.guiraud@insa-toulouse.fr 

Title: Research Chemist 


Fax Number: 909-392-5246 

E-mail: 

yguo@mwdh2o.com 

Page 11 of 38

Haddad, Nicolas 

TEC Accutite 

262 Michelle Court 

South San Francisco, CA 94080 

USA 

Haertel, Garrett 

MRWPCA 

5 Harris Court, Bldg D 

Monterey, CA 93940 

USA 

Halden, Rolf 

Arizona State University 

1001 S. McAllister Drive 

Tempe, AZ 85287 

USA 

Hanamoto, Seiya 

Sakyouku yamabana kawaharatyou 20-10 pare21-202 

Kyoto, 

JAPAN 

Harper, Willie 

University of Pittsburgh 

3018 Terrace St. 

Pittsburgh, PA 15213 

USA 

Hashim, Nor Haslina 



Sydney, NSW 2052 

AUSTRALIA 

Hatwal, Vimal Kumar 

Kyoto University 

1-2 Yumihama 

Otsu, Shiga 520-0811 

JAPAN 

21 

Title: Vice President 


Fax Number: 650-616-1245 

E-mail: 

nhaddad@tecaccutite.com 

Title: Compliance Engineer 


Fax Number: 831-883-6181 

E-mail: 

garrett@mrwpca.com 


Phone Number: (480) 727-0893 

Fax Number: (480) 727-0889 

E-mail: 

rolf.halden@asu.edu 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

(077) 527-6223 

(077) 524-9869 

hanamoto@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp 



Fax Number: 412-624-0135 

E-mail: 

wharper@pitt.edu 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

+61-2-93855082 

+61-2-93138624 

nor.hashim@student.unsw.edu.au 

+81775276223 

+81775249869 

vimalk_hatwal@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp 

Page 12 of 38

Hernandez Leal, Lucia 

Wageningen University/TTIW Wetsus 

Postbus 1113 

Leeuwarden, Friesland 8900CC 

NETHERLANDS 

Higgins, Christopher 




USA 

Hladik, Michelle 

United States Geological Survey 

6000 J Street Placer Hall 


USA 

Hnatukova, Petra 

Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science 

Albertov 6 

Prague 2, 


Hodges-Snyder, Elizabeth 

University of Florida 

8020 NW 1st Place 

Gainesville, FL 32607 

USA 

Hoehn, Eduard 

Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute for Wate rScience and 

Technology 

Oberlandstr. 133 

Dubendorf, Zurich 8600 

SWITZERLAND 

Holden, Patricia 

University of California, Santa Barbara 

1205 Anderson Lane 

Santa Barbara, CA 93111 

USA 

22 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

+3158-284 62 00 

+3158-284 32 02 

lucia.hernandez@wetsus.nl 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

30-384-2002 

E-mail: 

chiggins@mines.edu 



Fax Number: 916-278-3013 

E-mail: 

mhladik@usgs.gov 


Phone Number: +420221951897 

Fax Number: +420224914803 

E-mail: 

hnatukova@post.cz 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

352-359-7570 

352-392-3399 

lizah@ufl.edu 



Fax Number: +41448235210 

E-mail: 

hoehn@eawag.ch 



Fax Number: 805-893-7612 

E-mail: 

holden@bren.ucsb.edu 

Page 13 of 38

Hollender, Juliane 

EAWAG-Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science & 

Technology 

Ueberlandstrasse 133 

Duebendorff, 8600 

SWITZERLAND 

Hoppe, Christiane 




USA 

Horst, Allison 

University of California Santa Barbara 

Donald Bren School, UCSB 

Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5131 

USA 

Houtz, Erika 


2249 Bonar St., Apt. F 


USA 

Hristova, Krassimira 

UC Davis, Dept. LAWR 

One Shields Ave. 


USA 

Hu, Jiangyong 

National University of Singapore 

Div. of Env. Sci. & Engr. 

Singapore, 119260 

SINGAPORE 

Hu, Lanhua 

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

205 N. Mathews Ave., Rm 4163 

Urbana, IL 61801 

USA 

23 

Title: Head of Department 

Phone Number: +41 44 8235493 

Fax Number: +41 44 823 5826 

E-mail: 

juliane.hollender@eawag.ch 

Title: Ph.D. Candidate 


Fax Number: 303-273-3413 

E-mail: 

choppe@mines.edu 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

805-563-2310 

E-mail: 

ahorst@umail.ucsb.edu 

Title: Graduate Student 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

937-307-9323 

E-mail: 

erikahoutz@gmail.com 

Title: Research Professor 


Fax Number: 530-752-1552 

E-mail: 

krhristova@ucdavis.edu 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

+6565164540 

E-mail: 

esehujy@nus.edu.sg 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

217-721-9631 

E-mail: 

lhu2@illinois.edu 

Page 14 of 38

Hung, Hsu-Wen 

Sustainable Environment Research Center, National 

Cheng Kung University, Taiwan 

Sustainable Environment Research Center, No. 500, 

Sec. 3, Anming Road 

Tainan, Tainan 70955 

TAIWAN 

Isaacson, Carl 

US EPA 

960 College Station Road 

Athens, GA 30605 

USA 

Jackson, Cary 

Hach Company 

PO Box 389, MS 12 

Loveland, CO 80539 

USA 

Jacob, Thomas 

DuPont Co. 

1407 Shetland Court 

Roseville, CA 95661 

USA 

Jasper, Justin 


4045 87th Lane 

Circle Pines, MN 55014 

USA 

Jekel, Martin 

Berlin University of Technology 

Strasse des 17. Juni 135 

Berlin, 10623 

GERMANY 

Jones-Lepp, Tammy 

US EPA 

PO Box 93478 

Las Vegas, NV 89193 

USA 

24 


Phone Number: +88663840136 x 208 

Fax Number: +88663840960 

E-mail: 

hwhung@mail.ncku.edu.tw 

Title: Post-Doctoral Fellow 


Fax Number: 706-355-8160 

E-mail: 

isaacson.carl@epa.gov 

Title: Director of Regulatory Affairs 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

(970) 669-3050 

E-mail: 

cjackson@hach.com 

Title: Government Affaris Manager 


Fax Number: 916-443-3062 

E-mail: 

tom.jacob@usa.dupont.com 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

612-308-4627 

justud@gmail.com 


Phone Number: +49 30 314 23339 

Fax Number: +49 30 214 23313 

E-mail: 

martin.jekel@tu.berlin.de 



Fax Number: 702-798-2142 

E-mail: 

jones-lepp.tammy@epa.gov 

Page 15 of 38

Karpuzcu, M. Ekrem 

University of California, Berkeley 

920 Grizzly Peak Blvd. 


USA 

Kavanaugh, Michael 

Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. 

2000 Powell Street, Suite 1180 

Emeryville, CA 94608 

USA 

Keller, Arturo 

University of California Santa Barbara 

3420 Bren Hall 


USA 

Keller, Jurg 

Advanced Water Management Centre, The University 

of Queensland 

Gehrmann Building 

Brisbane, Queensland 4072 

AUSTRALIA 

Kerns, Josh 

Confluence Environmental, Inc. 

3308 El Camino Ave., Suite 300 #148 


USA 

Kerns, Josh 

Confluence Environmental, Inc. 

3308 El Camino Avenue, Suite 300 


USA 

Khan, Stuart 


UNSW Water Research Centre 

UNSW, NSW 2052 

AUSTRALIA 

25 

Title: Student 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

510-637-9705 

E-mail: 

ekarpuzcu@gmail.com 



Fax Number: 510-596-8855 

E-mail: 

mkavanaugh@pirnie.com 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

805-453-1822 

E-mail: 

keller@bren.ucsb.edu 



Fax Number: +61733654726 

E-mail: 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

j.keller@uq.edu.au 

916-760-7641 

jkerns@confluence-env.com 

Title: Owner 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

916-760-7641 

E-mail: 

jkerns@confluence-env.com 


Phone Number: +61-2-93855082 

Fax Number: +61-2-93138624 

E-mail: 

s.khan@unsw.edu.au 

Page 16 of 38

Khunjar, Wendell 

Virginia Tech 

418 Durham Hall 

Blacksburg, VA 24060-0246 

USA 

Kim, Ilho 

Kyoto University 

Yumihama 1-2 

Otsu, Shiga 520-0811 

JAPAN 

Kim, Mi-Hwa 

Hanyang University 

1271, Sa 3-dong. Sangnok-gu 

Ansan, Gyeonggi-do 426-791 

KOREA 

Kim, Moonil 


#1271, Sa 3-dong. Sangnok-gu 

Ansan, Gyeonggi-do 426-791 

KOREA 

Klosterhaus, Susan 

San Francisco Estuary Institute 

7770 Pardee Lane, 2nd Floor 


USA 

Kohn, Tamar 

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne 

(EPFL) 

ISTE-LCE, Station 2 

Lausanne, CH-1015 

SWITZERLAND 

Kolodziej, Edward 

University of Nevada, Reno 

MS 258, 1664 N. Virginia St. 

Reno, NV 89557 

USA 

26 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

540-231-3334 

540-231-7916 

wkhunjar@vt.edu 


Phone Number: 81-77-527-6223 

Fax Number: 81-77-524-9869 

E-mail: 

jinker123@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp 

Title: Research Professor 


Fax Number: +82315025142 

E-mail: 

tea5421@hanyang.ac.kr 



Fax Number: +82315025142 

E-mail: 

moonilkim@hanyang.ac.kr 

Title: Environmental Scientist 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

(510) 746-7334 

E-mail: 

susan@sfei.org 

Title: Ph.D. 

Phone Number: +41 21 693 0891 

Fax Number: +41 21 693 8070 

E-mail: 

tamar.kohn@epfl.ch 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

775-682-5553 

E-mail: 

koloj@unr.edu 

Page 17 of 38

Kookana, Rai 

CSIRO 

PMB 2 

Glen Osmond, South Australia 5064 

AUSTRALIA 

Kosaka, Koji 

National Institute of Public Health 

2-3-6 Minami 

Wako, 351-0918 

JAPAN 

Kulla, Jean 

K2 Enviro, Inc. 

22365 El Toro Road 

Lake Forest, CA 92630 

USA 

Kumar, Kapil 

Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi 

Centre for Energy Studies, I.I.T Delhi 

New Delhi, Delhi 110016 

INDIA 

Kuroda, Keisuke 

The University of Tokyo 

7-3-1 Hongo 

Bunkyo ward, Tokyo 113-8656 

JAPAN 

Kutschera, Kristin 

Institute of Water Chemistry 

Technical University Dresden 

Dresden, 01277 

GERMANY 

Lange, Frank Thomas 

DVGW Water Technology Center (TZW) 

Karlsruher Strasse 84 

Karlsruhe, Baden-Wurttemberg 76227 

GERMANY 

27 

Title: Dr 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

+61883038565 

E-mail: 

rai.kookana@csiro.au 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

+81484586306 

+81484586305 

kosaka@niph.go.jp 

Title: Principal Scientist 


Fax Number: 949-583-2887 

E-mail: 

k2mobile@msn.com 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

911126596246 

91126591121 

kapil.iitd05@gmail.com 

+81358416255 

+81358418532 

k_kuroda@env.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp 

004935146339131 

004935146337271 

kristin.kutschera@tu-dresden.de 

Title: Ph.D. 

Phone Number: +497219678157 

Fax Number: +497219678104 

E-mail: 

lange@tzw.de 

Page 18 of 38

Lara Martin, Pablo Antonio 

Stony Brook University 

School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences 

Stony Brook, NY 11794 

USA 

Law, Cecilia Ming-Chu 

The University of Hong Kong 

Flat C 20/F, Viking Court, 165 Connaught Road West 

Hong Kong SAR, 

CHINA 

Lawrence, Michael 

Advanced Water Management Centre 

University of Queensland 

St. Lucia, Queensland 4072 

AUSTRALIA 

Lee, In-Seok 

Pusan National University 

Pusan, 

KOREA 

Le-Minh, Nhat 

University of New South Wales, Kensington 

UNSW Water Research Centre, School of Civil and 

Environmental Engineering, UNSW, Kensington 

Sydney, New South Wales 2052 

AUSTRALIA 

Leong, Glenn 

Kleinfelder 

2534 42nd Avenue 


USA 

Leung, James 

Public Utilities Board Singapore 

311 A Anchorvale Lane #14-06 


SINGAPORE 

28 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

631-632-3718 

631-632-3072 

plaramartin@notes.cc.sunysb.edu 

852 6180 0353 

cecilawmingchu@gmail.com 



Fax Number: +61733654726 

E-mail: 

m.lawrence@awmc.uq.edu.au 



Fax Number: +82515823965 

E-mail: 

lee5147@empal.com 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

+61293855082 

+61293138624 

minh@student.unsw.edu.au 

Title: Senior Environmental Scientist 


Fax Number: 510-628-9009 

E-mail: 

gleong@kleinfelder.com 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

+6597717656 

+6565469751 

james_leung@pub.gov.sg 

Page 19 of 38

Lewis, Brian 

Department of Toxic Substances 

700 Heinz Ave. 


USA 

Li, Yi-Fan 

Environment Canada 

4905 Dufferin Street 

Toronto, Ontario M3H 5T4 

CANADA 

Li Puma, Gianluca 

The University of Nottingham 

University Park 

Nottingham, NG7 2RD 

UNITED KINGDOM 

Lim, Mong Hoo 

Public Utilities Board Singapore 

97 Cashew Rd #04-05 


SINGAPORE 

Lin, Tsair-Fuh 

National Cheng Kung University 

1 University Rd., Dept. Envionrmental Engineering 

Tainan City, 70101 

TAIWAN 

Lin, Yi-Li 


473 Via Ortega 


USA 

Linden, Karl 

University of Colorado-Boulder 

UCB 428, Environmental Engineering 

Boulder, CO 80309 

USA 

29 

Title: Senior Engineering Geologist 


Fax Number: 510-540-3819 

E-mail: 

blewis@dtsc.ca.gov 

Title: Research Scientist 


Fax Number: 416-739-4288 

E-mail: 

yi-fan.li@ec.gc.ca 


Phone Number: +441159514170 

Fax Number: +441159514115 

E-mail: 

gianluca.li.puma@nottingham.ac.uk 



Fax Number: +6567313136 

E-mail: 

lim_mong_hoo@pub.gov.sg 



Fax Number: +88662752790 

E-mail: 

tflin@mail.ncku.edu.tw 

Title: Postdoctoral Scholar 


Fax Number: 650-725-3162 

E-mail: 

yililin@stanford.edu 



Fax Number: 303-792-7317 

E-mail: 

karl.linden@colorado.edu 

Page 20 of 38

Linge, Kathryn 

Curtin Water Quality Research Centre 

GPO Box U1987 

Perth, Western Australia 6845 

AUSTRALIA 

Liu, Jinlin 


LLC 201, The Composite Building, The University of 

Hong Kong 

Hong Kong, 

CHINA 

Liu, Wei 

RWQCB - Region 3 

895 Aerovista Place 

San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 

USA 

Love, Nancy 

University of Michigan 

2350 Hayward St., 2340 GG Brown 

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2125 

USA 

Lu, Xiaoying 

University of Hong Kong 

Pokfulam Road, LG209, Composite Bldg., SAR 

Hong Kong, 852 

HONG KONG 

Luksemburg, William 

Vista Analytical Laboratory 

1104 Windfield Way 

El Dorado Hills, CA 95762 

USA 

Lyon, Bonnie 

UNC Chapel Hill, Dept. of Environmental Sciences & 

Engineering 

148 Rosenau Hall, CB#7431 

Chapel Hill, NC 27599 

USA 

30 



Fax Number: +61892663547 

E-mail: 

k.linge@curtin.edu.au 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

+85266816930 

liu.jinlin@hotmail.com 

Title: Associate Eng. Geologist 


Fax Number: 805-543-0397 

E-mail: 

wnliu@waterboards.ca.gov 



Fax Number: 734-764-4292 

E-mail: 

nglove@umich.edu 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

00852-61738527 

xiaoyinglv8@hotmail.com 



Fax Number: 916-673-0106 

E-mail: 

billux@vista-analytical.com 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

919-966-1709 

lyonb@email.unc.edu 

Page 21 of 38

Maez, Joseph 

Nevada Division of Environmental Protection 

901 South Stewart St., Suite 4001 

Carson City, NV 89701 

USA 

Maier, Martha 

Vista Analytical Laboratory 

1104 Windfield Way 


USA 

Mali, Mimansha 

Veer Narmad South Gujarat University 

Department of Chemistry 

Suart, Gujarat 395007 

INDIA 

Mansell, Scott 


207 Obrien Hall, UC 


USA 

Marco-Urrea, Ernest 


Departament d’Enginyeria Química and Institu de 

Ciència I Tecnologia Ambiental, Escola Tècnica 

Superior d’Enginyeria (ETSE) 

Bellaterra, 08193 

SPAIN 

Marfil Vega, Ruth 

University of Cincinnati 

765 Baldwin Hall 

Cincinnati, OH 45221-0071 

USA 

Martin Ruel, Samuel 

Suez Environment 

Cirsee, 38 rue de President Wilson 

Le Pecq, 78230 

FRANCE 

31 



Fax Number: 775-687-4684 

E-mail: 

jmaez@ndep.nv.gov 

Title: Laboratory Director 


Fax Number: 916-673-0106 

E-mail: 

mmaier@vista-analytical.com 

Title: Research Scholar 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

+919998929059 

E-mail: 

mimansha28@yahoo.co.in 

Title: Graduate Student Researcher 


Fax Number: 510-642-7483 

E-mail: 

scottmansell@berkeley.edu 


Phone Number: +34 93 581 4793 

Fax Number: +34 93 581 2013 

E-mail: 

earnest.arco@uab.cat 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

513-807-5332 

513-556-2599 

marfilr@email.uc.edu 



Fax Number: +33134803838 

E-mail: 

samuel.martin@suez-env.com 

Page 22 of 38

Maruya, Keith 

Southern California Coastal Water Research Project 

(SCCWRP) 

3535 Harbor Blvd. #110 

Costa Mesa, CA 92626 

USA 

Mazza, Cecilia 

Waters Corporation 

7 Walnut Street 

Upton, MA 01568 

USA 

McArdell-Buergisser, Christa 

EAWAG-Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science & 

Technology 

Ueberlandstrasse 133 

Duebendorff, 8600 

SWITZERLAND 

McClellan, Kristin 

Arizona State University 

1001 S McAllister 


USA 

McDonald, James 


UNSW Water Research Centre, Vallentine Annex, 

School of Civil & Environmental Engineering 

Sydney, NSW 2052 

AUSTRALIA 

McInnis, Patrick 

Ontario Ministry of the Environment 

4083 Fieldgate Drive 

Mississauga, Ontario L4W 2C6 

CANADA 

32 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

714-755-3214 

714-755-3299 

keithm@sccwrp.org 

Title: Chemical Analysis Manager 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

508-482-3613 

E-mail: 

cecilia_mazza@waters.com 


Phone Number: +41 44 823 5483 

Fax Number: +41 44 823 5826 

E-mail: 

christa.mcardell@eawag.ch 


Phone Number: (480) 965-5847 

Fax Number: (480) 727-0889 

E-mail: 

kristin.mcclellan@asu.edu 


Phone Number: +61-2-93855036 

Fax Number: +61-2-93138624 

E-mail: 

jamesmcdonald@unsw.edu.au 

Title: Scientist, Drinking Water Quality 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

416-235-6294 

E-mail: 

patrick.mcinnis@ontario.ca 

Page 23 of 38

McNamara, Patrick 


Department of Civil Engineering, 500 Pillsbury Drive 

SE 

Minneapolis, MN 55455-0116 

USA 

Means, Ed 

Malcolm Pirnie,Inc. 

8001 Irvine Center Drive 

Irvine, CA 92618 

USA 

Metcalfe, Chris 

Trent University 

1600 West Bank Drive 

Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8 

CANADA 

Mi-Hwa, Kim 


#1271, Sa 1-dong, Sangnok-gu 

Asan, Gyeonggi-do 426-791 

SOUTH KOREA 

Mitch, William 

Yale University 

Mason 313, 9 Hillhouse Ave. 

New Haven, CT 06520 

USA 

Mohr, Thomas 

Groundwater Resources Association of California 

570 Almaden Expressway 

San Jose, CA 95118 

USA 

Mompelat, Sophie 

Environment and Health Research Laboratory, French 

School of Public Health, Rennes, France 

Avenue du Pr. Leon Bernard 

Rennes, 35000 

FRANCE 

33 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

414-349-0841 

E-mail: 

mcnam131@umn.edu 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

(949) 450-7921 

(949) 450-9902 

emeans@pirnie.com 


Phone Number: 705-748-1011 x 7272 

Fax Number: 705-748-1569 

E-mail: 

cmetcalfe@trentu.ca 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

+82 31 400 4096 

+82 31 502 5142 

tea5421@hanyang.ac.kr 



Fax Number: 203-432-4387 

E-mail: 

william.mitch@yale.edu 

Title: Director 

Phone Number: 408-265-2607 x 2051 

Fax Number: 408-979-5369 

E-mail: 

tmohr@valleywater.org 


Phone Number: (029) 902-2927 

Fax Number: (029) 902-2929 

E-mail: 

sophie.mompelat@ehesp.fr 

Page 24 of 38

Morasch, Barbara 

EPFL 

EPFL-ENAC-ISTE-LCE, CM1 116 Station 2 

Lausanne, 1015 

SWITZERLAND 

Mosher, Jeff 

National Water Research Institute 

6505 Ladera Drisa 

San Clemente, CA 92673 

USA 

Nabelkova, Jana 

Czech Technical University in Prague 

Thakurova 7 

Prague 6, 16629 


Navarro, Simon 

University of Murcia 

Campus Universitario de Espinardo 

Murcia, 30100 

SPAIN 

Neal, Susan 

ITT Water & Wastewater 

761 Atherton Way 

Rock Hill, SC 29730 

USA 

Nghiem, Long 

University of Wollongong 

Faculty of Engineering, University of Wollongong 

Wollongong, New South Wales 2522 

AUSTRALIA 

Nguyen, My-Linh 

Nevada Division of Environmental Protection - BWPC 

901 S. Stewart St., Suite 4001 

Carson City, NV 89701 

USA 

34 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

+41216938036 

E-mail: 

Barbara.Morasch@epfl.ch 

Title: Executive Director 


Fax Number: 714-378-3375 

E-mail: 

jmosher@nwri-usa.org 

Title: Ph.D. 

Phone Number: +420224354350 

Fax Number: +420224355474 

E-mail: 

nabelkova@fsv.cvut.cz 



Fax Number: +37968364148 

E-mail: 

snavarro@um.es 

Title: Oxidation Market Manager 


Fax Number: 704-716-7600 

E-mail: 

susan.neal@itt.com 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

longn@uow.edu.au 

Title: Ph.D., P.E. 


Fax Number: 775-687-4684 

E-mail: 

mnguyen@ndep.nv.gov 

Page 25 of 38

Novak, Richard 

Praxair, Inc. 

7000 High Grove Blvd. 

Burr Ridge, IL 60527 

USA 

Ogunyoku, Temitope 

UC Davis 

One Shields Avenue 


USA 

OKeefe, John 

Calcon Systems Inc. 

12919 Alcosta Blvd., Suite 9 

San Ramon, CA 94583 

USA 

Olabode, Lola 

Water Environment Research Foundation 

635 Slaters Lane Suite 300 

Alexandria, VA 22314 

USA 

Oppenheimer, Joan 

MWH 

4603 Alcorn Drive 

La Canada, CA 91011 

USA 

Ort, Christoph 

AWMC, The University of Queensland 

Level 4 Gehrmann Building (60) 

Brisbane, Queensland 4072 

AUSTRALIA 

Patel, Saurabh 

Veer Narmad South Gujarat University 

Department of Chemistry, Udhana-Magdalla Road 

Suart, Gujarat 395007 

INDIA 

35 

Title: Senior R&D Manager 


Fax Number: 630-320-4519 

E-mail: 

richard_novak@praxair.com 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

530-220-2814 

E-mail: 

tasgunyoku@ucdavis.edu 

Title: Business Development 


Fax Number: 925-277-9657 

E-mail: 

jokeefe@calcon.com 

Title: Program Manager 

Phone Number: 703-684-2470 x 7902 

Fax Number: 703-299-0742 

E-mail: 

loladobe@werf.org 



Fax Number: 818-568-6015 

E-mail: 

joan.oppenheimer@mwhglobal.com 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

+610733466252 

E-mail: 

c.ort@awmc.uq.edu.au 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

+919374717886 

E-mail: 

saurabh@sgu.ernet.in 

Page 26 of 38

Peng, Ted 


5796 Corporate Ave. 

Cypress, CA 90630-4732 

USA 

Pereira, Vanessa 

IBET 

Av. República, Quinta do Marquês, Apartado 12, 2781- 

901 Oeiras 

Oeiras, 2781-901 

PORTUGAL 

Pisarenko, Aleksey 

Southern Nevada Water Authority 

PO Box 99954 

Las Vegas, NV 89193-9954 

UNITED STATES 

Plewa, Michael 


1101 West Peabody Drive 


USA 

Plosz, Benedek 

Norwegian Inst. for Water Research (NIVA) 

Gaustadalleen 21 

Oslo, 0349 

NORWAY 

Plumlee, Megan 

Exponent 

149 Commonwealth Drive 

Menlo Park, CA 94025 

USA 

Putschew, Anke 

Technische Universitate Berlin, Department of 

Environmental Engineering 


Berlin, 10623 

GERMANY 

36 

Title: Engineering Geologist 


Fax Number: 714-484-5411 

E-mail: 

tpeng@dtsc.ca.gov 


Phone Number: 351214469588/52 

Fax Number: 351214421161 

E-mail: 

vanessap@itqb.unl.pt 

Title: Graduate Intern 


Fax Number: 702-856-3647 

E-mail: 

aleks.pisarenko@snwa.com 

Title: Professor of Genetics 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

217-333-3614 

E-mail: 

mplewa@illinois.edu 



Fax Number: +4722185200 

E-mail: 

benedek.plosz@niva.no 

Title: Senior Scientist 


Fax Number: 650-328-3094 

E-mail: 

mplumlee@exponent.com 


Phone Number: +493031425480 

Fax Number: +493031423850 

E-mail: 

anke.putschew@tu-berlin.de 

Page 27 of 38

Qin, Sujie 


473 Via Ortega, #154 


USA 

Rasa, Ehsan 

UC Davis 

Civil Eng Dept., 1 Shield Ave. 


USA 

Razavi, Behnaz 

University of California Irvine 

Urban Water Center 


USA 

Reina, Jenny 

CH2M HILL 

155 Grand Ave. 


USA 

Reinhard, Martin 


Dept. Civil Env. Eng. 


USA 

Reinstorf, Frido 

University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal 

Breitscheidstraße 2 

39114 Magdeburg, 

GERMANY 

Reis, Maria 

Universidade Nova de Lisboa 

Chemistry Department, FCT, Universidade Nova de 

Lisboa 

Caparica, 2829-516 

PORTUGAL 

37 

Title: Postdoctoral 


Fax Number: 650-725-3762 

E-mail: 

sqin@stanford.edu 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

530-574-8193 

erasa@ucdavis.edu 

949-973-7797 

brazavi@uci.edu 

Title: Associate Engineer 


Fax Number: 510-622-9278 

E-mail: 

jreina@ch2m.com 

Title: Ph.D. 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

650-723-0308 

E-mail: 

reinhard@stanford.edu 


Phone Number: 00493918864480 

Fax Number: 00493918864430 

E-mail: 

frido.reinstrof@hs-hagdeburg.de 



Fax Number: 351212948385 

E-mail: 

amr@dq.fct.uni.pt 

Page 28 of 38

Reungoat, Julien 

The University of Queensland-Advanced Water 

Management Centre 

Level 4, Gehrmann Building (60) 

Brisbane, QLD 4072 

AUSTRALIA 

Rhoads, Kurt 


472 Via Ortega, Rm. M8, MC 4020 


USA 

Richardson, Susan 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 



USA 

Robrock, Kristin 

Exponent, Inc. 

500 12th Street 


USA 

Roccaro, Paolo 

University of Catania 

C.so Sempione 55 

Milano, 20145 

ITALY 

Rosenfeld, Paul 

Soil Water Air Protecton Enterprise 

3110 Main Street, Suite 205 

Santa Monica, CA 90405 

USA 

Sachse Vasquez, Christen 

RIFM 

50 Tice Blvd. 

Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677 

USA 

38 


Phone Number: +617 3346 6251 

Fax Number: +617 3365 4726 

E-mail: 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

j.reungoat@awmc.uq.edu.au 

(650) 799-5680 

krhoads@stanford.edu 


Phone Number: (706) 355-8304 

Fax Number: (706) 355-8302 

E-mail: 

richardson.susan@epa.gov 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

510-268-5003 

510-268-5099 

krobrock@exponent.com 


Phone Number: 0039 095 7382729 

Fax Number: 0039 095 73827248 

E-mail: 

proccaro@dica.unict.it 

Title: Sr. Environmental Chemist 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

310-795-2335 

E-mail: 

prosenfeld@swape.com 

Title: Director Technical Information and Ser 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

201-689-8089 

E-mail: 

csachse-vasquez@rifm.org 

Page 29 of 38

Saez, Eduardo 

University of Arizona 

6157 N. Calle Matamoros 

Tucson, AZ 85750 

USA 

Sanches, Sandra 

Insituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica 

Av. República, Quinta do Marquês, Apartado 12, 2781- 

901 Oeiras 

Lisbon, 2781-901 

PORTUGAL 

Sanchez, Lily 

Orange County Water District 

18700 Ward Street 


USA 

Santoke, Hanoz 

University of Irvine 

254 Social Ecology I 


USA 

Savichtcheva, Olga 

Tula State University, Russia 

Rue des Croix de Guerre, 25, 4020, Liege 

Liege, 4020 

BELGIUM 

Schlenk, Daniel 

University of California, Riverside 

Dept. of Environmental Sciences 

Riverside, CA 92521 

UNITED STATES 

Schreier, Cindy 

PRIMA Environmental, Inc. 

5070 Robert J. Mathews Pkwy, Suite 300 


USA 

39 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

520-621-5369 

E-mail: 

esaez@email.arizona.edu 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

351214469552 

351214421161 

sandramsanches@gmail.com 

Title: Director, Health & Regulatory Affairs 


Fax Number: 714-378-3369 

E-mail: 

lsanchez@ocwd.com 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

714-330-7520 

hsantoke@uci.edu 

0074872351904 

0074872351904 

sola247@hotmail.com 



Fax Number: 951-827-3993 

E-mail: 

daniel.schlenk@ucr.edu 



Fax Number: 916-939-7398 

E-mail: 

cschreier@primaenvironmental.com 

Page 30 of 38

Schuler, Andrew 

University of New Mexico 

MSC01 1070 

Albuquerque, NM 87131 

USA 

Schulting, Frans 

Global Water Research Coalition 

Lingedijk 87 

Rhenoy, 4152 EA 

NETHERLANDS 

Sedlak, David 


Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 

657 David Hall 


USA 

Sedlak, Meg 

SFEI 

7770 Pardee Lane, 2nd Floor 


USA 

Sein, Myint Myint 

Department of Instrumental Analytical Chemistry, 

University of Duisberg-Essen 

Lotharstr, 1 

Duisburg, NRW 47048 

GERMANY 

Shang, Chii 

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 

Clear Water Bay, Kowloon 

HONG KONG 

Shenkar, Laura 

The Artemis Project 

1301B Kobbe Avenue 


USA 

40 



Fax Number: 505-277-1988 

E-mail: 

schuler@unm.edu 

Title: Managing Director 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

+313435683820 

E-mail: 

f.lschulting@freeler.nl 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

510-643-0256 

E-mail: 

sedlak@ce.berkeley.edu 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

510-746-7334 

510-746-7300 

stephanie@sfei.org 


Phone Number: +492033792533 

Fax Number: +492033792108 

E-mail: 

myint.sein@uni-due.de 


Phone Number: +852 2358 7885 

Fax Number: +852 2358 1534 

E-mail: 

cechii@ust.hk 

Title: Principal 


Fax Number: 415-276-8928 

E-mail: 

laura@theartemisproject.com 

Page 31 of 38

Siegrist, Hansruedi 

Eawag 

Ueberlandstr. 133 

Duebendorf, 8608 

SWITZERLAND 

Sim, Won-Jin 

Pusan National University 

Department of Environmental Engineering, Pusan 

National University, Jangjeon 2-dong 

Geumjeong-gu, Busan, 609-735 

REPUBLIC OF KOREA 

Simmons, Jane Ellen 

US EPA 



USA 

Snyder, Shane 


PO Box 99954 

Las Vegas, NV 89193 

USA 

Sobrados Bernardos, Lucia 

C.E.H. - CEDEX 

Po Bajo Virgen Del Puerto, 3 

Madrid, 28005 

SPAIN 

Souza, Kurt 

California Department of Public Health 

5113 Cambridge Lane 

Carpinteria, CA 93013 

USA 

Stacklin, Christopher 

Orange County Sanitation District 

10844 Ellis Avenue 


USA 

41 



Fax Number: +41448235389 

E-mail: 

siegrist@eawag.ch 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

+82515823964 

+82515823965 

onejiny@pusan.ac.kr 

919-541-7829 

simmons.jane@epa.gov 

Title: WQ R&D Project Manager 

Phone Number: (702) 856-3668 

Fax Number: (702) 856-3647 

E-mail: 

shane.snyder@snwa.com 

Title: Centro De Estudios Hidrograficos 

Phone Number: 34 91 355 80 07 

Fax Number: 34 91 335 79 94 

E-mail: 

lucia.sobrados@cedex.es 

Title: Regional Engineer 


Fax Number: 805-745-8196 

E-mail: 

kurt.souza@cdph.ca.gov 



Fax Number: 714-962-6957 

E-mail: 

cstacklin@ocsd.com 

Page 32 of 38

Steinle-Darling, Eva 

Erler & Kalinowski, Inc. 

1870 Ogden Drive 

Burlingame, CA 94010 

USA 

Stevens-Garmon, John 

Environmental Science & Engineering Division, 




USA 

Stoks, Peter 

Association of Rhine Water Works RIWA 

Groenendael 6 

Nieuwegein, 3439 LV 

NETHERLANDS 

Stransky, David 

Czech Technical University in Prague 

Thakurova 7 

Prague 6, 16629 


Stroheker, Thomas 

Danone Research 

RD 128 

Palaiseau, 91767 

FRANCE 

Surujlal, Swastika 

George Municipality 

York Street 

George, Western Cape 6529 

SOUTH AFRICA 

Tabet, Eddy 

TEC Accutite 

262 Michelle Court 

South San Francisco, CA 94080 

USA 

42 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

650-292-9100 

650-553-9012 

esteinledarling@ekiconsult.com 

Title: Master's Student 


Fax Number: 303-273-3413 

E-mail: 

josteven@mines.edu 



Fax Number: +31306009039 

E-mail: 

stoks@riwa.org 

Title: Ph.D. 

Phone Number: +420224354334 

Fax Number: +420224355474 

E-mail: 

stransky@fsv.cvut.cz 

Title: Ph.D. 


Fax Number: 0033169357697 

E-mail: 

thomas.stroheker@danone.com 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

+27448780156 

+27448781577 

swastika@george.co.za 



Fax Number: 650-616-1245 

E-mail: 

etabet@tecaccutite.com 

Page 33 of 38

Takar, Aden 

Ontario Ministry of the Environment 

40 St. Clair Avenue West, 2nd Floor 

Toronto, Ontario M4V 1M2 

CANADA 

Takizawa, Satoshi 

University of Tokyo 

5435-2-406 Oyaguchi, Minmiku 

Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture 336-0042 

JAPAN 

Teerlink, Jennifer 




USA 

Ternes, Thomas 

Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) 

Am Mainzer Tor 1 

Koblenz, D-56068 

GERMANY 

Tesfayohannes, Taaque 

Zone 7 Water Agency 

100 N Canyons Parkway 

Livermore, CA 94551 

USA 

Thapliyal, Alka 

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi 

Centre for Energy Studies 

Delhi, Delhi 110016 

INDIA 

Thrash, Cameron 


Department of Plant & Microbial Biology, 271 

Koshland Hall 


USA 

43 

Title: Ecotoxicologist 


Fax Number: 416-327-6421 

E-mail: 

aden.takar@ontario.ca 



Fax Number: +81358418532 

E-mail: 

takizawa@env.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp 



Fax Number: 303-273-3413 

E-mail: 

jteerlin@mines.edu 


Phone Number: +49 261 1365560 

Fax Number: +49 261 1365363 

E-mail: 

ternes@bafg.de 

Title: WQ Chemist 

Phone Number: 925-447-0534 x 215 

Fax Number: 925-447-1188 

E-mail: 

ttesfayohannes@zone7water.com 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

911126596246 

911126591121 

alka.thapliyal@gmail.com 

510-292-7785 

510-292-7785 

jthrash@nature.berkeley.edu 

Page 34 of 38

Trussell, Rhodes 

Trussell Technologies, Inc. 

232 North Lake Avenue, Suite 300 

Pasadena, CA 91104 

USA 

Tubau, Isabel 

Technical University of Catalonia 

Jordi Girona 31 

Barcelona, Barcelona 08034 

SPAIN 

Tucker, David 

City of San Jose 

700 Los Esteros 


USA 

Vagliasindi, Federico G.A. 

University of Catania 

Viale A. Doria 6 

Catania, 20101 

ITALY 

Vale Cardoso, Vitor 

EPAL 

Laboratório Central da EPAL, Rua do Alviela, 12 

Lisbon, 1170-012 

PORTUGAL 

van Bochove, Eric 

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 

Agriculture Canada, 2560 Hochelaga Blvd. 

Quebec, Quebec G1V 2J3 

CANADA 

VanderMarck, Monique 

San Jose Water Company 

110 W. Taylor St. 


USA 

44 


Phone Number: (626) 496-0560 

Fax Number: (626) 486-0871 

E-mail: 

rhodes.trussell@trusselltech.com 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

34934011860 

34934017251 

isabel.tubau@upc.edu 

Title: Program Manager 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

408-945-5316 

E-mail: 

david.tucker@snajoseca.us 


Phone Number: 00390957382704 

Fax Number: 00390957382748 

E-mail: 

fvaglias@dics.unict.it 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

00351218100241 

00351218100222 

vitorcar@epal.pt 



Fax Number: 418-648-2402 

E-mail: 

eric.vanbochove@agr.gc.ca 

Title: Director of Water Quality 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

408-479-7859 

E-mail: 

monique_vandermarck@sjwater.com 

Page 35 of 38

Vicent, Teresa 


Dept. Chemical Engineering ETSE 

Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona 08193 

SPAIN 

von Gunten, Urs 

Eawag 

PO Box 611, Ueberlandstrasse 133 

Duebendorf, 8600 

SWITZERLAND 

Wagner, Elizabeth 

University of Illinois 

Room 366, 1101 West Peabody Drive 


USA 

Walewijk, Sophie 


473 Via Ortega 


USA 

Walters, Evelyn 

The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University 

1001 South McAllister Avenue 


USA 

Wang, Gen-Shuh 

National Taiwan University 

6-1 Roosevelt Road, Sec 1 

Taipei, 100 

TAIWAN 

Waria, Manmeet 

Dr. G.A. O'Connor 

408 Newell Hall, University of Florida 

Gainsville, FL 32603 

USA 

45 


Phone Number: +34 93 581 2142 

Fax Number: +34 93 581 2013 

E-mail: 

teresa.vicent@uab.cat 

Title: Prof. 


Fax Number: +41448235210 

E-mail: 

vongunten@eawag.ch 

Title: Principal Research Specialist 


Fax Number: 217-333-8046 

E-mail: 

edwagner@uiuc.edu 



Fax Number: 650-725-3162 

E-mail: 

sophiew@stanford.edu 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

585-694-1377 

evelyn.walters@asu.edu 


Phone Number: +886233668098 

Fax Number: +886223940612 

E-mail: 

gswang@ntu.edu.tw 

Title: Student 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

352-392-1803 x327 

E-mail: 

mwaria@ufl.edu 

Page 36 of 38

Warner, Scott 


40 Wendy Court 

Novato, CA 94945 

USA 

Wick, Arne 

Federal Institute of Hydrology 

Am Mainzer Tor 1 

Koblenz, 56058 

GERMANY 

Wilczak, Andrzej 

SFPUC 

1657 Rollins Road 

Burlingame, CA 94010 

USA 

Woltering, Daniel 

Water Environment Research Foundation 

635 Slaters Lane, Suite 300 

Alexandria, VA 22314-1177 

USA 

Wong, Jeff 


1001 I Street 

Sacramento, CA 95814-2828 

USA 

Xiaoying, Lu 


LG209, Composite Bldg. 

Hong Kong, 

CHINA 

Yargeau, Viviane 

McGill University 

3610 University 

Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B2 

CANADA 

46 

Title: Principal Hydrogeologist/VP 


Fax Number: 510-663-4100 

E-mail: 

scott.warner@amec.com 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

004926113065408 

wick@bafg.de 

650-652-3112 

awilczak@sfwater.org 

Title: Ph.D. 


Fax Number: 703-299-0742 

E-mail: 

dwoltering@werf.org 

Title: Chief Scientist 


Fax Number: 916-327-4494 

E-mail: 

jwong@dtsc.ca.gov 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

00852-61738527 

00852-28598987 

xiaoyinglv8@hotmail.com 



Fax Number: 514-398-6678 

E-mail: 

viviane.yargeau@mcgill.ca 

Page 37 of 38

Yingling, Ginny 

Minnesota Department of Health 

625 N. Robert St. 

St. Paul, MN 55164-0975 

USA 

Young, Thomas 

University of California, Davis 

Dept. Civil & Env. Eng. 


USA 

Zhou, Zhi 


2700 Ygnacio Valley Road, Suite 300 

Walnut Creek, CA 94598 

USA 

Zimmermann, Saskia 

Eawag 

Überlandstrasse 133 

Dubendorf, 8600 

SWITZERLAND 

47 

Title: 

Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

E-mail: 

651-201-4930 

651-201-5606 

virginia.yingling@state.mn.us 



Fax Number: 530-752-7872 

E-mail: 

tyoung@ucdavis.edu 


Phone Number: 

Fax Number: 

925-932-1710 

E-mail: 

gzhou@carollo.com 



Fax Number: +41448235028 

E-mail: 

saskia.zimmermann@eawag.ch 

Page 38 of 38

Conference Planning 

Organizing Committee 

Committees 

R. Deeb, Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., USA (Co-Chair) 

J. Drewes, Colorado School of Mines, USA 

M. Focazio, United States Geological Survey, USA 

M. Fürhacker, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, 

Vienna, Austria 

B. Jacobsen, Avedoere Wastewater Services, Denmark 

S. Khan, University of New South Wales, Australia 

M. Reinhard, Stanford University, USA 

S. Richardson, United States Environmental Protection Agency, USA 

H. Rohns, Stadtwerke Duesseldorf AG, Germany 

D. Sedlak, University of California at Berkeley, USA (Co-Chair) 

T. Ternes, Federal Institute of Hydrology, Germany 

Technical Program Committee 

M. Alaee, Environment Canada, Canada 

A. Boxall, UK Environment, UK 

R. Deeb, Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., USA 

J. Drewes, Colorado School of Mines, USA 

J. Field, Oregon State University, USA 

M. Focazio, United States Geological Survey, USA 

B. Jacobsen, Avedoere Wastewater Services, Denmark 

M. Jekel, Technical University of Berlin, Germany 

G. Jiang, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China 

S. Khan, University of New South Wales, Australia 

R. Kookana, CSIRO, Australia 

C. Metcalfe, Trent University, Canada 

W. Mitch, Yale University, USA 

C. Schmidt, RheinEnergie Koeln, Germany 

H. Seah, Public Utility Board, Singapore 

D. Sedlak, University of California, Berkeley, USA 

H. Siegrist, EAWAG, Switzerland 

S. Snyder, Southern Nevada Water Authority, USA 

M. Reinhard, Stanford University, USA 

S. Richardson, United States Environmental Protection Agency, USA 

T. Ternes, Federal Institute of Hydrology, Germany 

U. von Gunten, EAWAG, Switzerland 

48


Oral Abstracts 

49

Oral Presenters Index 

Alvarez-Cohen, Lisa (280) – Abstract not available 

Molecular Approaches for Understanding the Biodegradation of 

Emerging Contaminants - Focus on NDMA and 1,4 Dioxane 

Arnold, William (203) 

Photolysis of Hydroxylated Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers …………………….134 

Barbieri, Manuela (243) 

Batch Tests on the Biodegradation of Emerging Organic Micropollutants ………149 

Barcelo, Damia (Keynote Speaker 6/8/09) 

Fate and Behavior of Pharmaceuticals in Treated Wastewaters, 

Sludge and River Waters Followed by an Environmental Risk 

Assessment Using Hazard Indexes …………………………………………………...56 

Björlenius, Berndt (14) 

Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Municipal Wastewaters: A Comparison 

of Treatment Technologies ……………………………………………………………..71 

Brauch, Heinz Juergen (9) 

New Pesticide Metabolites ‐ A Threat to Drinking Water? …………………………..67 

Brownawell, Bruce (7) 

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds: An Important Class of Sediment 

Contaminants too Long Under the Radar ………………………………………….....66 

Burkhardt, Michael (247) 

Pollution of Urban Runoff by Additives Used in Construction Materials ……….....153 

Buth, Jeffrey (5) 

Formation and Occurrence of Chlorinated Triclosan Derivatives 

(CTDs)(5) Formation and Occurrence of Chlorinated Triclosan 

Derivatives (CTDs) and their Dioxin Photoproducts ………………………………....65 

Coates, John (Keynote Speaker 6/9/09) 

Microbial Perchlorate Reduction - A Rocket Fueled Metabolism ………………......58 

Cooper, William (254) 

Insights to Free Radical Treatment of Pharmaceuticals in Water ………………....156 

Criddle, Craig (282) 

Perfluorocarbons and the Limits of Biodegradation ………………………………....163 

DeAngelo, Anthony (41) 

Continued Development of Normal Human Colonocyte Cultures to 

Identify the Carcinogenic Potential of Priority Disinfection By‐Products ……….......79 

50

Dickenson, Eric (38) 

Applying Surrogates and Indicators to Assess Removal Efficiency of 

Trace Organic Chemicals in Indirect Potable Reuse Systems: 

Oxidation Processes …………………………………………………………………...77 

Drewes, Jörg (183) 

Modeling Trace‐Organic Micropollutant Rejection in NF/RO Membranes 

for Reuse Applications: Developmental Methods ………………………………….124 

Ferguson, Lee (146) 

Activity‐Directed Analytical Tools Based on Hormone Receptor‐Affinity 

Extraction for Isolating Dissolved EDCs from Complex Mixtures ………………...107 

Field, Jennifer (50) 

Eliminating Solid Phase Extraction with Large‐Volume Injection LCMS/MS ……..82 

Florrez, Ilse (49) 

Diclofenac Removal with Biogenic Maganese Oxides ……………………………...80 

Hatwal, Vimal Kumar (76) 

Conjugated Estrogens: Still Unknown Threat to the Aquatic Environment ……….87 

Higgins, Christopher (263) 

A Novel Approach for a Priori Predictions of Charged Organic Molecule 

Sorption to Soils and Sediments ……………………………………………………..157 

Hollender, Juliane (71) 

Elimination of Organic Micropollutants in a Municipal Nutrient Removal 

Plant Upgraded with a Full Scale Post‐Ozonation Followed by 

Sand Filtration …………………………………………………………………………...85 

Hristova, Krassimira (244) 

Measuring the Effect of Pharmaceuticals on Microbial Antibiotic Resistance 

in Wastewater with Nonparticle‐DNA Probes ……………………………………….151 

Hu, Jiangyong (201) 

Rejection of PFOS/PFOA by Membrane in Water Reclamation System ………...132 

Hu, Lanhau (68) 

Oxidative Treatment of Phenolic Micropollutants with Permanganate and 

Ferrate Salts ……………………………………………………………………………...84 

Jekel, Martin (Keynote Speaker 6/8/09) 

Fate of Organic Compounds Through Treatment and Groundwater Recharge 

Systems at Different Case Studies Sites ……………………………………………...60 

Keller, Arthuro (281) 

Fate and Transport of Nanomaterials in Environmental …………………………....162 

51

Klosterhaus, Susan (277) 

Alternative Brominated Flame Retardants in San Francisco Bay 

Wildlife and Sediments ………………………………………………………………..159 

Kookana, Rai (103) 

Occurrence and Fate of Estrogenic Compounds in Australian Municipal 

Wastewater Treatment Plants and Riverine Environments ………………………...95 

Kosaka, Koji (94) 

Transformation Ratios of Organophosphorous Pesticides to Oxons in 

Chlorination ……………………………………………………………………………...93 

Kuroda, Keisuke (91) 

Anthropogenic Gadolinium and Pharmaceuticals as Tracers of 

Groundwater Contamination in Tokyo ………………………………………………..91 

Lange, Frank Thomas (115) 

Occurrence of Old and Emergent Polyfluorinated Chemicals in Ambient 

Waters and in Drinking Water Resources …………………………………………..100 

Lawrence, Michael (118) 

Quantification of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents 

Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry ‐ A 

Geochemical Perspective of Micropollutant Occurrence ………………………….102 

Le-Minh, Nhat (24) 

Fate and Removal of Micropollutants in a Membrane Bioreactor ………………….73 

Li Puma, Gianluca (301) 

Removal of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Water by Solar 

Photocatalysis ………………………………………………………………………….164 

Lim, Mong Hoo (Panelist) 

Linden, Karl (172) 

Presence, Fate and Treatability of Estro‐and Androgenic Contaminants 

in Wastewater and Biosolids ………………………………………………………….122 

Linge, Kathryn (111) 

Quantification of Antibiotic Resistance Gene Transfers in Activated Sludge 

Reactors Using Quantitative PCR …………………………………………………….98 

Martin Ruel, Samuel (11/122) 

1) Quantification of Antibiotic Resistance Gene Transfers in Activated 

Sludge Reactors Using Quantitative PCR …………………………………………...69 

2) Evaluation of the Removal of Organic Priority and Emerging 

Substances in the Activated Sludge Process Through 7 

On‐Site Campaigns ……………………………………………………………………104 

52

McArdell, Christa (85) 

Water Reuse: Coupling the Biological Wastewater Treatment and 

the Dense Membrane Polishing Achieves >90% Water Yield ……………………..89 

McClellan, Kristin (240) 

Nationwide Assessment of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products 

in U.S. Biosolids ………………………………………………………………………..148 

Means, Ed (Panelist) 

Metcalfe, Chris (127) 

The Distribution of Antidepressants and their Metabolites in an 

Urban Watershed ……………………………………………………………………...106 

Mitch, William (223) 

Macro vs. Micropollutants in Impaired Waters: What Really Matters? …………..145 

Ort, Christoph (147) 

Identifying Persistent Tracers of Wastewater ‐ Pharmaceuticals 

in Switzerland …………………………………………………………………………..108 

Pisarenko, Aleks (154) 

Kinetics of Perchlorate Ion Formation in Bleach Solutions: Reaction 

Pathways and Co‐Contaminant Effects ……………………………………………...115 

Plewa, Michael (Keynote Speaker 6/10/09) 

Dynamic Modeling of Deconjugation, Sorption and Biodegradation 

Processes for Hormones and Antibiotics in Activated Sludge Systems …………..62 

Plósz, Benedek (152) 

Dynamic Modelling of Deconjugation, Sorption and Biodegradation 

Processes for Hormones and Antibiotics in Activated Sludge Systems …………112 

Plumlee, Megan (153) 

Indirect Photolysis of Perfluorochemicals: Hydroxyl Radical-Initiated 

Oxidation of N-Ethyl Perfluorooctane Sulfonamido Acetate 

(N-EtFOSAA) and Other Perfluoroalkanesulfonamides ……………………………114 

Putschew, Anke (151) 

A Novel Approach to Reduce the Emission of Pharmaceutical and 

X‐Ray Diagnostic Agents into the Aquatic Environment …………………………..110 

Reinstorf, Frido (167) 

Mass Fluxes of Urban Micropollutants and Integrated Modelling of the 

River ‐ Groundwater ‐ Interaction in the City of Halle/Germany …………………..121 

Reungoat, Julien (165) 

Removal of Micropollutants and Reduction of Biological Adverse Effects 

from Treated Wastewater by Slow Biological Activated Carbon Filtration ……….119 

53

Richardson, Susan (36/164) 

1) Iodo‐DBP Formation from the Reaction of Chlorinated Oxidants with 

X‐Ray Contrast Media in the Presence of Natural Organic Matter ………………..75 

2) Integrated Disinfection By‐Products Mixtures Research: Results from 

the Four Lab Study ……………………………………………………………………116 

Robrock, Kristin (250) 

Biotransformation of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers by Aerobic Bacteria ……155 

Saez, Eduardo (255) 

Fate of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Wastewater: From Treatment 

of Land of Biosolids ……………………………………………………………………157 

Schlenk, Daniel (105) 

Toxicity Identification Evaluations for Fish Feminization in the Central 

Valley of California ……………………………………………………………………..97 

Sein, Myint Myint (198) 

Oxidative Treatment of Trace Organic Contaminants Diclofenac, 

Iopamidol, Tributyltin Chloride, TCPP and TnBP in Wastewater 

Effluents with O3 and O3/H2O2 ……………………………………………………..130 

Siegrist, Hansruedi (188) 

Powdered Activated Carbon Dosage to Flocculation Filtration to Reduce 

Micropollutant Removal ……………………………………………………………….128 

Snyder, Elizabeth Hodges (184) 

Risk Assessment of Biosolids‐Borne Triclocarban (TCC) …………………………126 

Snyder, Shane (Keynote Speaker 6/9/09) 

Endocrine Disruptors and Pharmaceuticals in US Drinking Water ………………..64 

Steinle-Darling, Eva (204) 

Rejection of Trace Organic Contaminants by NF membranes: Effects 

of Sorption ………………………………………………………………………………135 

Stoks, Peter (Panelist) 

Teerlink, Jennifer (210) 

Performance Assessment of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Units in 

Trace Organic Contaminant Removal ……………………………………………….140 

Ternes, Thomas (209) 

The Formation and Occurrence of Biological Transformation Products 

and Ozonation Products of Iodinated Contrast Media and Betablockers 

in the Urban Water Cycley ……………………………………………………………137 

54

Trussell, Rhodes (Panelist) 

von Gunten, Urs (214) 

N‐Nitrosodimethylamin Formation During Ozonation of Water 

Containing N,N‐Dimethylsulfamide: Role of Bromide ……………………………..142 

Wick, Arne (218) 

Fate of Psycho‐Active Drugs in Biological Wastewater Treatment: 

Examining Removal Processes and Formation of Transformation 

Products ………………………………………………………………………………..143 

Wong, Jeff (279) 

Regulating Nanomaterials: New Challenges, New Strategies ……………………160 

Zimmermann, Saskia (231) 

Assessment and Modeling of a Full Scale Ozonation Step of Municipal 

Secondary Wastewater Effluent ……………………………………………………..146 

55

PROFESSOR DAMIÀ BARCELÓ 

Chemical and Environmental Research Institute of Barcelona 

Spain 

Professor Damià Barceló was born in Lleida, Spain, in 1954. He received his Ph.D. in 

Analytical Chemistry in 1984. Since 1999, he has been a full Research Professor at the 

Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Studies IDAEA-CSIC and the Head of 

the Environmental Chemistry Department (Barcelona, ES). Since May 2008, he has 

served as the Director of the Catalan Institute of Water Research (ICRA) (Girona, ES). 

He has published more than 512 scientific papers in scientific journals and has a Hirsch 

Index of 60. He is the editor of 13 books on environmental analysis and a co-author of a 

pesticide book. Other relevant activities include the following: networking experience at 

the EU (1997-2002); coordinator of the Waste Water Cluster (2002-2004), EMCO 

(2004-2007) and INNOVA MED (2007-2009) and partner of projects related with water 

and soil quality at the European Union Level. He has been supervising 24 Ph.D. theses 

on environmental analysis (1992-2008). In November 2007, he received the Spanish 

Prize King Jaime I on the Protection of the Nature. 

Dr. Barceló’s scientific focus is on method development and monitoring of priority, new 

and emerging pollutants, including endocrine disrupting compounds, using advanced 

mass spectrometric analysis such as LC-MS/MS and hybrid instruments like LC-Q-TOF- 

MS and LC-MS-MS-LIT combined with bioassays , biosensors and endocrine effect 

studies. 

ABSTRACT 

“Fate and Behavior of Pharmaceuticals in Treated Wastewaters, Sludge and River 

Waters Followed by an Environmental Risk Assessment Using Hazard Indexes” 

D. Barceló 1,2 , M. Petrovic 1,3 , J. Radjenovic 1 , M. Gros 1 , A. Ginebreda 1 and S. Perez 1 

1 

Department of Environmental Chemistry, IIQAB-CSIC, Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, 

Spain; 

2 

Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Parc Cientific i Tecnologic de la Universitat de 

Girona, Edifici Jaume Casademont, 17003 Girona, Spain 

3 

Catalan Institution for Research and Advance Studies (ICREA), Passeig Lluis Companys 23, 

08010 Barcelona, Spain 

Pharmaceuticals in their native form or as metabolites are continuously introduced to 

sewage waters mainly through excreta, disposal of unused or expired drugs or directly 

from pharmaceutical discharges. During the treatment at wastewater treatment plants 

(WWTP) they are either partially retained in the sludge, or metabolized to a more 

hydrophilic, but still persistent form that passes the WWTP and ends up in the receiving 

waters. The removal of pharmaceuticals in WWTPs is variable and depending on the 

properties of the substance and process parameters (i.e. sludge retention time (SRT), 

hydraulic retention time (HRT), temperature). A large number of pharmaceuticals is 

56

hardly eliminated and therefore detected in WWTP effluents. Although present in low 

environmental concentrations, drugs can have adverse effects on aquatic organisms. 

These effects are rather chronicle than acute toxic effects, depending on the exposure 

factor (bioavailability), degradability and susceptibility of the compound in question. 

In this study a behavior of several pharmaceuticals belonging to different therapeutic 

categories (analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs, lipid regulators, antibiotics, etc.) 

was monitored during treatment of wastewater in a pilot-plant membrane bioreactor 

(MBR). The elimination in MBR was compared with the elimination in a conventional 

activated sludge (CAS) process in an existing wastewater treatment facility. 

Performance of two MBR (one with flat sheet membranes and another with hollow fiber 

membranes) was monitored and from the measured concentrations of pharmaceuticals 

in the collected sludge samples and their corresponding supernatants, sorption 

capacities of primary, secondary activated and MBR sludge were estimated. Finally, 

total aqueous and solid phase output loads of WWTP were determined. 

Furthermore, in order to gain better insight into the biodegradability and metabolic 

pathways of selected pharmaceuticals (diclofenac, aceclofenac, atenolol and 

glibenclamide) batch experiments were performed under controlled laboratory settings. 

For trace analysis of pharmaceuticals a quantitative methodology was developed based 

on solid phase extraction (SPE) and followed by LC-MS-MS on a hybrid quadrupolelinear 

ion trap (QqLIT) instrument. Samples were also screened for the presence of 

stable intermediates and these were characterized by QqLIT-MS and hybrid quadrupole 

time-of-flight (QqToF-MS). 

Finally, a case study will be reported reporting a comprehensive monitoring program 

conducted to evaluate the input of pharmaceuticals and drugs of abuse through urban 

wastewater. Influent and effluent wastewaters of seven municipal WWTP from Ebro 

river basin (North-East of Spain) as well as river waters receiving effluent discharges 

were analyzed to assess the occurrence of 73 pharmaceuticals covering several 

medicinal classes. In a long term study covering four sampling campaigns, analgesics 

and anti-inflammatories altogether with anti-hypertensives were the most ubiquitous 

substances detected also at higher average concentrations from 1 up to 20 µg/L in 

influents and from 0.4 to 1 µg/L in effluents, respectively. Calculation of removal rates 

and half-lives revealed that an important number of target compounds were only 

partially removed with current treatments applied in WWTP, while some compounds 

such as carbamazepine, benzodiazepines, serotonin reuptake inhibitors and macrolide 

antibiotics presented poor or no elimination. In receiving river waters, due to an 

important dilution, levels detected were in the low ng/L range. However, the evaluation 

of hazard quotients, which are calculated by dividing measured environmental 

concentrations (MEC) by predicted no effect concentrations (PNEC), indicates that for 

few compounds the margin of safety is narrow. 

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Medio Rural y 

Medio Marino MMAMRM project (010/PC08/3-04). 

57

PROFESSOR JOHN COATES 

Department of Plant and Microbial Biology 


USA 

John D. Coates is a Professor of Microbiology at University of California, Berkeley. He also 

holds a joint appointment as a Geological Scientist Faculty in the Earth Sciences Division 

at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories and is co-director of the Energy 

Biosciences Institute Microbial Enhanced Hydrocarbon Recovery (MEHR) program. He is 

co-founder and Board Member of BioInsite LLC a company geared towards the use of 

microorganisms for solutions to environmental contaminant problems. He obtained an 

Honors B.Sc. in Biotechnology in 1986 from Dublin City University, Ireland and his Ph.D. in 

Microbiology in 1991 from University College Galway, Ireland. His major area of interest is 

geomicrobiology applied to environmental problems. Specific interests include diverse 

forms of anaerobic microbial metabolism such as microbial perchlorate reduction, microbial 

iron oxidation and reduction, and microbial humic substances redox cycles. Other interests 

include alternative renewable energies, bioremediation of toxic metals, radionuclides, and 

organics. He has won several awards for research and mentorship including the 1998 Oak 

Ridge Ralph E. Powe Young Faculty Enhancement Award, the 2001 DOD SERDP 

Program Project of the Year award, and the 2002 SIUC College of Science Researcher of 

the Year Award. He has given more than 100 invited presentations at national and 

international meetings. He has authored and co-authored more than 90 peer-reviewed 

publications and book chapters. He has published one book and has 9 patent submissions 

based on technologies developed in his lab several of which are in commercial application. 

He sits on the editorial boards of the journals Applied and Environmental Microbiology, and 

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. He is an editorial scientist for the Faculty 1000 

review database and is a member of the American Society for Microbiology, the American 

Chemical Society, the American Geophysical Union, and the International Humic 

Substances Society. In addition to his traditional teaching at UC Berkeley, Dr. Coates is 

continuously involved in various outreach programs supporting education of high school 

and community college students. He has mentored several high school students and 

science projects in his laboratory and was the recent recipient of the University of 

California Berkeley Summer Research Opportunity Program Recognition award for 

mentorship. 

ABSTRACT 

“Microbial Perchlorate Reduction - A Rocket Fueled Metabolism” 

Perchlorate, an oxyanion of chlorine is now recognized as a widespread ion in 

environmental systems. Because of the potential health complications associated with 

prolonged exposure, perchlorate was added to the EPA’s Contaminant Candidate List in 

1998. Subsequent remediation efforts have led to the recognition of microbial reduction as 

the preferential strategy to remove perchlorate. Although originally assumed to be a 

coincidental reaction of nitrate respiring organisms now it is known that specialized 

microorganisms have evolved that can grow by the anaerobic reductive dissimilation of 

58

perchlorate into innocuous chloride. More than forty of these organisms are now in pure 

culture and this number is rapidly increasing all the time. Since 1996 concerted efforts 

have resulted in significant advances in our understanding of the microbiology, 

biochemistry, and genetics of microorganisms capable of reductively transforming 

perchlorate into innocuous chloride. The recent completion of the whole-genome sequence 

of the perchlorate-reducer, Dechloromonas aromatica, offers further insight into the 

evolution and regulation of this unique metabolism. Perchlorate-reducing microorganisms 

have been isolated from a broad diversity of environments including both pristine and 

contaminated soils and sediments. Although originally unexpected due to the supposed 

limited natural abundance of perchlorate, recent geochemical studies have indicated that 

natural perchlorate is far more prevalent than originally perceived. In addition, the diverse 

metabolic capabilities of these microorganisms could also account for their presence in 

environments where perchlorate is not found. Phenotypic characterization revealed that 

the known dissimilatory perchlorate-reducing bacteria (DPRB) exhibit a broad range of 

metabolic capabilities including the oxidation of hydrogen, simple organic acids and 

alcohols, aromatic hydrocarbons, hexoses, reduced humic substances, both soluble and 

insoluble ferrous iron, electrically charged cathodes, hydrogen sulfide, and elemental 

sulfur. All of the known DPRB are facultatively anaerobic or microaerophilic which is 

reasonable in light of the fact that molecular oxygen is produced as a transient 

intermediate of the microbial reduction of perchlorate. Some, but not all, DPRB 

alternatively respire nitrate. To date, all microorganisms capable of perchlorate reduction 

can alternatively use chlorate, however, the same is not necessarily true of chloratereducing 

bacteria and there are now several chlorate-reducing microorganisms in pure 

culture that are incapable of the reductive respiration of perchlorate. DPRB are ubiquitous, 

dependent on molybdenum for their metabolism, and the presence of oxygen and nitrate 

negatively regulate perchlorate reduction. All DPRB are members of the proteobacteria, a 

phylum that is believed to have evolved 2.5 – 2.8 Ga. However, molecular evidence 

suggests that perchlorate reduction is the result of horizontal transferred genetic events 

and it may not have originated in the proteobacteria phylum. This is supported by 

evolutionary analysis of the genes specifically involved in the metabolism, the perchlorate 

reductase and the cytochrome oxidase, both of which are belonged to protein families that 

may have been prevalent in the last universal common ancestor 4.25 – 4. 29 Ga. 

The field of microbial perchlorate reduction has clearly advanced significantly in a very 

short period from a poorly understood metabolism to a burgeoning scientific field of 

discovery. Over the last 10 yrs we have gained a much greater appreciation of the 

microbiology, biochemistry and genetic systems involved and this has led directly to the 

development of successful treatment technologies for contaminated environments. Overall, 

the future is promising; however, research in this field is still in its infancy. Little is known of 

the evolutionary timeline of this metabolism. From a biogeochemical perspective, a better 

understanding of how perchlorate is formed in the natural environment and what 

geochemical conditions are required for its formation might give some insight into this. 

From a microbial perspective, it will be important to look for this metabolism in more 

extreme environments such as hypersaline or hyperthermophilic to obtain DPRB isolates 

across a broader phylogeny to establish a broad-base molecular chronometer. This will 

also allow for the development of more robust technologies for the treatment of extreme 

waste streams contaminated with this pervasive compound. 

59

PROFESSOR MARTIN JEKEL 

University of Technology Berlin (TU Berlin) 

Department of Water Quality Control 


10623 Berlin 

Germany 

Dr. Martin Jekel is a professor in the Department of Water Quality Control at TU Berlin. 

His undergraduate degree was in Chemistry from the University of Karlsruhe, Germany 

(1970 - 1975), and his doctorate degree was in Chemical Engineering also from the 

University of Karlsruhe, Germany (1976 – 1978). He was a Post-Doctoral Researcher at 

Stanford University (Environmental Engineering) from 1978 to 1979. Between 1976 and 

1986, Dr. Jekel was a researcher at the Engler-Bunte Institute, Department of Water 

Chemistry, University of Karlsruhe, Germany. Between 1986 and 1988, he was an 

associate professor at the University of Paderborn, Germany. Since 1988, he has been 

a full professor at TU Berlin. His research focuses on water quality control. 

ABSTRACT 

“Removal of Bulk and Trace Organics in Underground Treatment Systems” 

Underground treatment systems are applied in drinking water preparation in Central 

Europe and some parts of the world for more than a century. They include systems with 

bank filtration out of rivers (RBF) and lakes (LBF), artificial groundwater recharge (AGR) 

, soil-aquifer-treatment (SAT) or aquifer storage and recovery (ASR). A common term is 

now Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) for all subsystems. The conditions of 

underground treatment vary from site to site in view of raw water qualities (surface 

water of different quality, secondary or tertiary effluents, storm water etc..), infiltration 

rates, residence times, travel distances and redox conditions established along the flow 

path. 

Caused by the detection of numerous trace organic compounds in the last decades, 

studies were initiated to follow the fate of these compounds together with inorganic 

parameters and the bulk organics (DOC). The overall results indicate a high potential to 

remove a great part of the substances, depending on the subsurface conditions, but 

some persistent substances are not removed even during long passages. They are 

present in the recovered groundwater and may impart the use for drinking and other 

purposes or additional specific treatment is needed. The knowledge about the removal 

efficiencies of the underground systems is rising in the last years significantly, allowing 

a careful evaluation of the existing examples of underground treatment and a more 

reliable prediction of new applications in given cases. 

The presentation will include the results of trace and bulk organics removal in the case 

of Berlin, where 70 % of the drinking water is produced via lake bank filtration and 

60

artificial groundwater recharge out of eutrophic surface waters with significant portions 

of treated domestic wastewater (up to 40 %). Thus the Berlin case can be considered 

as an indirect potable reuse system and is comparable to water reclamation systems 

employing SAT or ASR. The retention times in Berlin are in general above 2 months, 

which allow the recovery of groundwater without any microbiological problems and 

distribution without disinfection. 

The results on bulk organics show a very significant effect of redox conditions on the 

rate and extent of DOC removal. The fraction of biopolymers in the DOC is removed 

aerobically within days, while anoxic conditions seem to require up to 4 and more 

months. The trace organics detected in the surface waters behave quite differently. 

Some are fast and completely removed, like most antibiotics, except of 

Sulfamethoxazole. Others show a slow removal, depending on the redox conditions 

along the flow path. And a few compounds are not removed at all and can be qualified 

as conservative tracers. However, as seen in the Berlin Tegel case, the antiepileptic 

Carbamazepin, may be degraded to some extent if iron release is occurring, while 

higher redox potentials are not suitable for removal. 

The presentation will also include recent studies in laboratory columns on the interacting 

influences of DOC-degradation and metabolism of Sulfamethoxazole, an antibiotic 

compound with rather unusual behavior. 

61

PROFESSOR MICHAEL PLEWA 

University Scholar and Professor of Genetics 


1101 West Peabody Drive 


USA 

Dr. Michael J. Plewa is University Scholar and Professor of Genetics in the College of 

Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. He is 

also an investigator with the NSF Center WaterCAMPWS Program in the College of 

Engineering. He has an international reputation for research and teaching in 

environmental and molecular mutagenesis and he has published 185 scientific papers 

and reports. His current research interests include the isolation and chemical 

characterization of antimutagens and anticarcinogens from commercial agricultural byproducts, 

the impact of hydrogen sulfide and diet on the initiation of colon cancer, and 

the calibration of cytotoxic, genotoxic and toxicogenomic responses induced by 

drinking-water disinfection by-products. His first sabbatic was at the Biology Division at 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory during 1985. In 1986 he was awarded the title of 

University Scholar as a distinguished faculty member of the University of Illinois. In 1991 

Dr. Plewa was awarded a Distinguished Professor Lectureship from the University of 

Manitoba Board Of Regents. That same year Dr. Plewa was named a Visiting Scientist 

at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. In 1992 93 he was a Visiting 

Scientist at the National Institutes of Health. In 1993 Dr. Plewa was named a J. William 

Fulbright Senior Scholar, by the Board of Foreign Scholarships and the U.S. Information 

Agency; he continued research with colleagues in Prague. In 1997 Dr. Plewa was 

named as a Kyoto University Scholar in the Faculty of Engineering. This award was 

provided by the Japan Ministry of Education, he conducted research and delivered 

lectures throughout Japan and he has continued his scholarly contacts at Kyoto 

University. In 1998 Dr. Plewa was awarded a William and Flora Hewlett International 

Research Grant to develop a new environmental program with the Academy of 

Sciences of the Czech Republic. Dr. Plewa served as a Councilor, member of the 

Executive Board and was twice elected as the Treasurer of the Environmental Mutagen 

Society. Dr. Plewa has a highly rated teaching program and he was appointed to the 

College of ACES Teaching Academy of Excellence. His teaching recognition includes 

the Broadrick-Allen Award for Excellence in Honors Teaching from the Campus Honors 

Program and the University of Illinois Campus Award for Excellence in Guiding 

Undergraduate Research. In 2002 he was named a distinguished member of the 

National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Dr. Plewa received the 2003 Illinois State 

University Alumnus Achievement Award. In 2008 Dr. Plewa was elected as President of 

the UIUC Chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. He is the President-Elect and 

the 2009 Program Chair for the 40th annual meeting of the Environmental Mutagen 

Society. 

62

ABSTRACT 

"Water Micropollutants: In Vitro Mammalian Cell Toxicology to Human 

Toxicogenomics" 

In order to directly compare the toxicity of important environmental micropollutants 

including classes of drinking water disinfection by-products (DBPs) and complex 

mixtures, we developed and calibrated in vitro mammalian cell cytotoxicity and genomic 

DNA damage assays. This mammalian cell toxicological database was built upon the 

data from the U.S. EPA SAR study and the U.S. EPA Nationwide Occurrence Study. 

Mammalian cell (Chinese hamster ovary cell line AS52) cytotoxicity and genotoxicity 

data provided a rank ordering of the relational toxicities of regulated and emerging 

DBPs and related agents both within an individual chemical class and among classes. 

We quantitatively analyzed individual DBPs from the major DBP classes and their rank 

order for cellular cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. For chronic cytotoxicity the descending 

rank order was: haloacetaldehydes > haloacetamides > halonitromethanes > 

haloacetonitriles > >2C-haloacids > haloacetic acids > halomethanes. For the induction 

of genomic DNA damage the descending rank order was: haloacetonitriles > 

haloacetamides > halonitromethanes > haloacetaldehydes > haloacetic acids > >2Chaloacids 

> halomethanes. With over 70 DBPs analyzed, the comparative toxicity of 

iodo- > bromo- >> chloro-DBPs was demonstrated across different structural DBP 

classes. Nitrogen-containing DBPs (N-DBPs) were substantially more toxic compared to 

carbonaceous DBPs (C-DBPs). These results are important in light of the increasing 

occurrence of iodinated-DBPs and N-DBPs resulting from the use of alternative 

disinfectants, from compromised source waters and pharmaceutical contamination. This 

work has been expanded to include comparative toxicogenomics of DBPs in normal, 

non-transformed human embryonic cells. Our data demonstrate the impact of DBPs at 

low, non-toxic concentrations on the expression of genes that control pathways of DNA 

damage/repair and human toxic responses. The results demonstrate that specific, 

temporally-dependent pathways are involved in the response of human cells to DBPs. 

63

DR. SHANE SNYDER 

Applied R&D Center; Southern Nevada Water Authority 

Department of Chemistry; University of Nevada, Las Vegas 

USA 

Dr. Snyder received his Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology and Zoology from Michigan 

State University. Much of his research has focused on the fate, transport, and treatment 

of emerging contaminants, such as endocrine disrupting compounds, perchlorate, and 

pharmaceuticals. Shane has published more than 50 manuscripts and book chapters on 

the detection and treatment of endocrine disruptors and pharmaceuticals in water. Dr. 

Snyder has served two terms on the US Federal Advisory Committee for EPA’s 

Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program and has served on two expert panels for EPA’s 

Candidate Contaminant List III. Dr. Snyder is the Research and Development Project 

Manager at the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s Applied R&D Center in Las Vegas. 

Dr. Snyder also serves as an associate adjunct professor at the University of Nevada, 

Las Vegas. 

ABSTRACT 

"Endocrine Disruptors and Pharmaceuticals in US Drinking Water" 

The drinking water for more than 28 million people was screened for a diverse group of 

pharmaceuticals, potential endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), and other 

unregulated organic contaminants. Source water, finished drinking water, and 

distribution system (tap) water from 19 US water utilities was analyzed for 51 

compounds between 2006 and 2007. The 11 most frequently detected compounds were 

atenolol, atrazine, carbamazepine, estrone, gemfibrozil, meprobamate, naproxen, 

phenytoin, sulfamethoxazole, TCEP, and trimethoprim. Median concentrations of these 

compounds were less than 10 ng/L, except for sulfamethoxazole in source water (12 

ng/L), TCEP in source water (120 ng/L), and atrazine in source, finished, and 

distribution system water (32, 49, and 49 ng/L). Atrazine was detected in areas far 

removed from application where wastewater was the only known source of organic 

contaminants. The occurrence of compounds in finished drinking water was controlled 

by the type of chemical oxidation (ozone or chlorine) used at each plant. At one drinking 

water treatment plant, summed monthly concentrations of the detected analytes in 

source and finished water are reported. Atenolol, atrazine, DEET, estrone, 

meprobamate, and trimethoprim can serve as indicator compounds representing the 

potential contamination from other pharmaceuticals and EDCs and monitoring the 

efficacy of different treatment processes. 

64

Oral Abstract - #5 

Formation and Occurrence of Chlorinated Triclosan Derivatives 

(CTDs) and their Dioxin Photoproducts 

Presenting author: Jeffrey M. Buth (presenting author), University of Minnesota, 

Department of Chemistry, 207 Pleasant St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, Phone: (612) 

625-2206, E-mail: buthx007@umn.edu; William A. Arnold ‡ , Kristopher McNeill † ; 

† Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota; ‡ Department of Civil and 

Environmental Engineering, University of Minnesota 

Triclosan, a widely used antimicrobial, has been frequently detected as a contaminant in 

waterways throughout the world. The fraction of triclosan that persists through 

wastewater treatment may be chlorinated during chlorine disinfection, resulting in 

chlorinated triclosan derivative (CTD) products. Triclosan and CTDs are of concern, 

because they have the potential to undergo photolysis in aquatic environments to form 

polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins. While the occurrence of triclosan in wastewater effluent 

and natural waters has been well-studied, few measurements have been made of CTDs. 

It is important to determine the amount of CTDs formed from triclosan during wastewater 

disinfection, because they may give rise to more highly toxic dioxins. 

This work has undertaken to develop an analytical method to determine triclosan and 

CTD concentrations in wastewater effluent before and after chlorine disinfection to 

assess the formation of CTDs. The method utilizes solid phase extraction (SPE) for preconcentration 

and clean-up, followed by capillary liquid chromatography-electrospray 

ionization-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QqQMS) analysis. Because 

triclosan and CTDs may be discharged into aquatic systems with wastewater effluent, 

the photochemistry of triclosan and CTDs has been investigated in natural waters under 

solar irradiation. The generation of a dioxin photoproduct has been confirmed for each 

CTD. Photolysis rates were found to be highly dependent on pH, as the phenolate forms 

degraded one to two orders of magnitude faster than the phenol forms. Photolysis 

quantum yields were also determined. An understanding of CTD formation during 

chlorine disinfection of wastewater and the photochemistry of CTDs enables an 

estimation of the total triclosan-derived dioxin load to the aquatic environment. 

Biography: 

Jeffrey Buth is an analytical chemistry Ph.D. candidate at the University of Minnesota, 

Twin Cities. He obtained his B.A. in chemistry at Augustana College in Rock Island, 

Illinois. Advised by Kris McNeill and Bill Arnold, his research focuses on chemical 

transformations of pharmaceutical and personal care product (PPCP) pollutants and the 

environmental occurrence of PPCPs and their transformation products. 

65


Quaternary Ammonium Compounds: And Important Class of 

Sediment Contaminants Too Long Under the Radar 

Bruce J. Brownawell, Xiaolin Li, Daryl McHugh, Joseph Ruggieri, and Pablo A. Lara-Martín; 

School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences; Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794- 

5000 

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are high-volume chemicals, finding widespread use 

as fabric softeners, ingredients in personal care products, disinfectants, and preservatives. Due 

to exceptionally high particle reactivity, QACs can be very persistent in sewage sludge and 

sediments. QACs are widely distributed at high levels in sediments throughout the lower Hudson 

River Basin, where median concentrations of this class of understudied contaminants are above 

25 µg/g (concentrations which exceed levels of all other organic contaminants of concern), and 

concentrations exceeding 100's of ppm can be found in the most contaminated surface (and 

especially subsurface) sediments. We have detected many QACs (some unrecognized 

previously in the environment that are rapidly increasing in abundance) that find uses as 

disinfectants, antimicrobials, and algaecides, and whose risk assessment may require additional 

attention. Here we discuss the occurrence, and what we know about the time history and fate of 

QACs in receiving waters and sediments. Of special interest are applications of the most 

persistent and particle reactive QACs as powerful/unique tracers of the sources, transport and 

differential fate of EDCs (PBDEs, NPEOs, estrogens, and PCBs), sediment particles and organic 

matter, and other particle reactive contaminants in the lower Hudson River Basin, Long Island 

Sound, and offshore environments. Furthermore, biological sewage treatment leads to selective 

removal of more soluble and biodegradable QACs. However, once in receiving waters these 

same compounds appear to very persistent in sediments. Thus the concentrations and 

compositions of different classes of QACs appears to be diagnostic of the efficacy and extent of 

local treatment of municipal sewage. 

Biographical sketch: 

Bruce Brownawell is an Associate Professor at Stony Brook Universisty. He received his B.S. in 

Chemistry at DePaul University and his PhD in Chemical Oceanography from the MIT/Woods 

Hole Oceanographic Joint Program. His group is interested in the detection, sources, and 

environmental fate of anthropogenically derived organic chemicals in surface water and 

groundwater environments. 

66


New Pesticide Metabolites – A Threat to Drinking Water? 

Heinz-Jürgen Brauch (presenting author), Oliver Happel, Frank Thomas Lange, Frank Sacher; 

DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser (TZW), Karlsruhe, Germany 

In many countries world-wide the occurrence of pesticides in drinking water is regulated by 

national directives. Some of these directives, as e.g. the German Drinking Water Directive, cover 

also the occurrence of pesticide metabolites formed in the environment after application of the 

parent compound. Due to their polar nature, however, many pesticide metabolites are difficult to 

analyze by conventional techniques and thus the knowledge about their occurrence in 

environmental waters and their fate in the environment is scarce. In addition to this, pesticide 

metabolites are only rarely included in routine drinking water monitoring programs and thus 

reliable information about their occurrence in drinking water is lacking. 

Recently, some new pesticide metabolites have been detected in German groundwaters. These 

include the metabolites of the pesticides chloridazone, chorothalonil, dimethachlor, metazachlor 

and metolachlor. Chloridazone is a herbicide used in beet cultures. Chorothalonil is used as 

fungicide in cultures of wheat, potatoes, barley, and asparagus. Dimethachlor and metazachlor 

are herbicides predominantly used in rape cultures while metolachlor is preferable used as 

herbicide in crop. Most of these new metabolites are either carboxylic acid or sulfonic acid 

derivatives of the mother compound. Analysis of the metabolites has become feasible by solidphase 

extraction of the analytes on a polymeric material and subsequent determination by liquidchromatography 

and tandem mass spectrometry. Applying these methods to ground or drinking 

waters, limits of detection down to the low ng/L range can be achieved. 

In the present study the behavior of these new pesticide metabolites during different steps of 

drinking water treatment has been investigated in laboratory-scale experiments. Treatment steps 

under investigation include underground passage, flocculation/coagulation, ozonation and GAC 

filtration. During all experiments environmental concentrations of metabolites and conditions 

usually applied in waterworks were used. The results from the lab-based experiments were 

complemented by results from a monitoring program in German waterworks. The results show 

clearly that some of the technologies under investigation are well suited for an efficient removal of 

the metabolites while others proved to be rather non-effective. Most of the metabolites under 

investigation proved to be rather persistent and thus no biodegradation during underground 

passage can be expected. Chloridazone und its metabolites e.g. react rather fast with ozone 

while flocculation/coagulation turned out to be no appropriate treatment option for their removal. 

Due to the polar nature of the pesticide metabolites, GAC filtration has only limited capability for 

their removal. For most of the metabolites, a rapid break-through was observed in laboratoryscale 

adsorption experiments. 

Summarizing the results from the laboratory-scale experiments it can be concluded that removal 

of the new pesticide metabolites is feasible although not all treatment technologies exhibit good 

removal efficiencies. However, according to the available toxicological data, which give no 

indication of negative health effects at the concentration levels found in the environment, these 

compounds can not be regarded as a new threat to drinking water. 

67

Biosketches: 

Prof. Dr. Heinz-Jürgen Brauch (presenter) 

DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser (TZW) 


76139 Karlsruhe 

Germany 

Phone: +49 721 9678 150; Fax: +49 721 9678 104; E-Mail: brauch@tzw.de 


Prof. Dr. Heinz-Jürgen Brauch is the head of the chemical analysis department of TZW, the 

research institute of the German Gas and Waterworks association. Since 1984 he is an 

internationally accepted expert in the field of water chemistry with special focus on the analysis of 

inorganic and organic trace-pollutants, their occurrence in the aquatic environment and their fate 

during drinking water treatment. Since 2005 Heinz-Jürgen Brauch is honorary professor at the 

Technical University in Dresden. 

Dr. Frank Thomas Lange 




Germany 

Phone: +49 721 9678 157; Fax: +49 721 9678 104; E-Mail: lange@tzw.de 

Dr. Lange is a senior research chemist at TZW, the research institute of the German Gas and 

Waterworks Association. Since 1992 he is responsible for various projects on water quality, and 

treatment. His current interests comprise occurrence and behaviour of polar organic pollutants 

like perfluorinated chemicals, aromatic sulfonates, and polar pesticides including their metabolites 

in the aquatic environment. 

Dr. Oliver Happel 




Germany 

Phone: +49 721 9678 155; Fax: +49 721 9678 104; E-Mail: happel@tzw.de 

In September 2007 Dr. Happel has finished his PhD-thesis concerning the speciation of 

aluminium carboxylic acid complexes by ion exchange chromatography. Since October 2007 he 

is working at TZW and is responsible for projects regarding disinfection by-products by ozonation 

and the adsorption behaviour of polar pesticides on activated carbon. 

Dr. Frank Sacher 




Germany 

Phone: +49 721 9678 156; Fax: +49 721 9678 104; E-Mail: sacher@tzw.de 

Frank Sacher is researcher at TZW. He works on the development of analytical methods and 

investigations on occurrence and fate of organic micro-pollutants in the environment and during 

drinking water treatment. 

68


Quantification of Antibiotic Resistance Gene Transfers in 

Activated Sludge Reactors Using Quantitative PCR 

Sébastien Bonot (presenting author) 1,2 # , Sophie Courtois 2 , Zdravka Do Quang 2 , Christophe 

Merlin 1 * ; (1) Laboratoire de Chimie Physique et Microbiologie pour l’Environnement (LCPME) - 

UMR 7564 CNRS - Nancy Université, 15 Avenue du Charmois, 54500 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, 

France - (2) Centre International de Recherche sur l'Eau et l'Environnement (CIRSEE - Suez 

Environnement), 38 rue du président Wilson 78230 Le Pecq, France. 

Antibiotics contribute significantly to our quality of life and became indispensable molecules to 

support human and veterinary medicines. In Europe, 12,500 tons of antibiotics are used each 

year and, because they are poorly transformed by the organism and weakly degraded in the 

sewage treatment networks, they end up in the environment where they are now becoming 

detectable at low concentrations. Recent studies showed that even at sub-inhibitory doses, 

antibiotics significantly affect bacterial cell physiology by modulating gene expression in 

microbes. In some instance sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics have been shown to 

induce resistance gene transfers between bacteria. 

Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) might provide a good environment to favour gene transfer: 

bacteria are found in high density, and both antibiotics and antibiotics resistant bacteria are 

simultaneously present. Because they occupy a key position between human activities and the 

environment, WWTP may play a major role in limiting the dissemination of antibiotic resistance 

genes, therefore contributing to the preservation of our therapeutic potential. In this context, we 

setup a research project aiming at evaluating the effect of environmental conditions on the 

dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes in activated sludge. 

So far antibiotic resistance gene transfers have been mainly studied using culture-based 

methods. Although this kind of approaches allowed the understanding of the basic phenomenon 

involved in gene transfers, it remains quite limited to study gene exchanges in a complex “natural” 

environment: first, many environmental bacteria cannot be cultured and second resistance genes 

are not necessarily expressed in a new host despite the fact it keeps its potential if further 

transferred. In order to overcome these limitations we developed a molecular approach based on 

quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (q-PCR) to monitor the fate of an antibiotic resistant 

plasmid, pB10, in activated sludge reactors. Plasmid pB10 belongs to the promiscuous IncPβ 

family of conjugative plasmids, it originated from activated sludge, it hosts several resistant genes 

relevant to the current use of antibiotics in modern medicine such as amoxicillin and 

sulfamethoxazole, and finally it transfers by conjugation at relatively high frequency. Because 

conjugative transfer corresponds to a certain form of intercellular replication, an effective transfer 

of pB10 in sludge should result in an increase of the plasmid copy number. 

A first set of experiments was devoted to the improvement of extraction methods to recover pure 

community DNA from sludge and setting up specific detection of pB10 by q-PCR in a complex 

DNA mixture. Quantification of pB10 from sludge could be achieved with high specificity and high 

sensitivity. As little as 10 copies of pB10 molecules could be counted in 50 ng of sludge DNA 

mixture, which corresponds to an equivalent of 25 millions of bacteria. With such detection level it 

became possible to consider monitoring the dissemination of pB10 in a complex environmental 

matrix. Plasmid pB10 was inoculated in various microcosms, including sludge and sediment 

reactors, maintained for a week period in various conditions. Quantification of pB10 at daily 

intervals showed that the dissemination of the plasmid could vary tremendously depending on the 

environmental parameters applied to the microcosms. The influence of the environmental matrix 

on the efficiency of transfers, as well as the impact of sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics 

and the degree of aeration of the reactors will be presented. 

69

Biographical Sketches: 


Sébastien Bonot is PhD student in environmental microbiology at Nancy-University (France) 

where he works in collaboration with Suez Environnement (Paris, France) on a project aiming at 

understanding antibiotic resistance gene transfers in activated sludge. Originally he has a 

background in microbiology, molecular biology and toxicology of environment. 

Phone number: +33 (0)3 83 68 22 39 

Fax number: +33 (0)3 83 68 22 33 

Email : Sebastien.Bonot@pharma.uhp-nancy.fr 

sebastien.bonot@suez-env.com 

Sophie Courtois is project leader for molecular biology research applied to the detection of 

waterborne pathogens at CIRSEE (research center of Suez Environnement) in France. Dr 

Courtois is an environmental microbiologist with special reference to molecular biology. She’s 

strongly involved in DNA chip and quantitative PCR research programs. 

Phone number: +33 (0)1 34 80 22 28 

Fax number : +33 (0)1 30 53 62 09 

Email: sophie.courtois@suez-env.com 

Dr Zdravka Do Quang is Head of the Analysis and Health Division at CIRSEE (research center of 

Suez Environnement) in France. Her expertise is mainly in the field of water treatment processes 

and technologies on disinfection, oxidation and particle separation. She is President Elect of the 

European Group of the International Ozone Association (EA3G) and active member of AWWARF 

and IWA. 

Phone number: +33 (0)1 34 80 22 58 

Fax number: +33 (0)1 34 80 62 09 

Email : zdravka.doquang@suez-env.com 

Christophe Merlin is assistant professor of microbiology at Nancy-University (France). Dr Merlin is 

a bacterial geneticist and molecular biologist with current research interests focused on the 

dynamic of bacterial genomes in complex environmental matrices, adaptation to manmade 

compounds such as antibiotics and nanoparticles, and bacterial aggregate behaviour in 

fluctuating environments. 

Phone number: +33 (0)3 83 68 22 30 

Fax number: +33 (0)3 83 68 22 33 

Email : Christophe.Merlin@pharma.uhp-nancy.fr 

70


Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Municipal Wastewaters: A 

Comparison of Treatment Technologies 

Berndt Björlenius 1 , Cajsa Wahlberg 1 and Nicklas Paxeus 2 ; 1 Stockholm Water Co, Henriksdal 

WWTP, Värmdövägen 23, SE-131 55 Stockholm, Sweden, Tel: +int 46 (0)8 522 124 85, 

berndt.bjorlenius@stockholmvatten.se; 2 Gryaab AB, Norra Fågelrovägen 3, SE-418 34 

Gothenburg, Sweden 

Keywords: APIs, pharmaceuticals, wastewater, removal, biological treatment, ozonation, 

UV/H2O2, activated carbon, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis 

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in the aquatic environment and their release from 

wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have recently received much attention in Sweden. Several 

treatment methods proposed in the literature were reported to be successful to reduce APIs in the 

effluents from WWTPs, however they have only been evaluated for a limited number of APIs. The 

scope of the present work was a comparative investigation of different treatment technologies in 

order to achieve a sufficient elimination for a broad spectrum of APIs. 

About 80 individual APIs covering the majority of anatomic therapeutic classes and representing 

the most sold pharmaceuticals in the region of Stockholm were chosen for the study. In addition 

to chemical analysis of the APIs, several ecotoxicological tests were performed including effects 

on rainbow trout, zebra fish, a crustacean and two algae species, to study possible environmental 

adverse effects from the treatment methods. 

Efficiencies of membrane bioreactor (MBR), activated carbon filtration (GAC), nanofiltration (NF), 

reverse osmosis (RO) and a biofilm process (MBBR) have been evaluated in a pilot plant for 

municipal wastewater. In addition, oxidative methods such as ozone (O3) and UV/H2O2 were 

studied. The flow range for the test units were 20-600 L/h. The individual treatment lines were 

operated for a prolonged time, the MBBR for as long as 1.5 years. Efficiencies for biological 

removal of the APIs were also compared for a full scale operating plant (aerobic sludge age 20d), 

two parallel pilot plants with different sludge age (6 and 100 d respectively), and a secondary 

biological treatment in the form of MBBR. 

Oxidation in a partly pressurized ozonation system, 5-15 g O3/m 3 , gave very high removal rates 

for the studied APIs, often higher than 95%. Additionally, the reduction of microbial organisms 

(disinfection) was very good. The ecotoxicological study revealed an unfavourable elevated 

sensibility of one of the algae species to the ozonated wastewater (the reasons are to be 

studied). Another efficient removal process that technically worked well was a combination of UV 

and H2O2 (including a system containing TiO2), however the treatment required rather high 

dosage of H2O2 to achieve sufficiently good results which resulted in an excess of H2O2 after the 

treatment. As for ozone treatment, a good reduction of microbial levels was observed. 

GAC exhibited god reduction of the studied APIs, however, without reducing microorganisms. 

Significant reduction of APIs was also obtained using RO and NF. Microorganisms from the 

wastewater were collected in the concentrate and were not found in the permeate. 

The evaluation of the biological methods showed that they were not sufficient to achieve the goal 

set up as the 80% removal of all the selected APIs. An increase in average removal rate for some 

pharmaceuticals was, however, observed from 50 %, via 60 % to 70% when the sludge age 

increased from 6 d, via 20d to 100d. The secondary biological step, the biofilm process (MBBR) 

showed only marginal contribution to the removal efficiency in comparison with the existing 

treatment plant. No extra removal was observed in the biofilm process after the ozonation 

(O3+MBBR) of the WWTP effluent. 

71


In conclusion, ozonation turned out to be a very effective treatment method apart from the 

elevated sensitivity observed for the algae. The most effective process for removal of APIs, was 

the activated carbon, GAC. UV/H2O2 appeared to have a good potential to be further developed. 

The use of the different studied methodologies in wastewater treatment in terms of the removal 

efficiency for APIs, disinfection as well as possible toxicity/negative effects of the treated 

wastewater on several test organisms, use of resources etc. will be discussed. 

Biography: 

Mr Berndt Björlenius works as a research engineer and project manager for the public company 

Stockholm Water. He has a degree of Master of Science in Chemical Engineering. During 20 

years he has evaluated and operated processes for water and waste water treatment. He started 

his work by studying biological nitrogen removal in supernatant from digested sludge, and then he 

made a national study of emissions of green house gases from WWTPs, which was followed by 

the construction of decision support systems for operators. During 2001-2006 he was the project 

manager for planning, design, construction and evaluation of the Hammarby Sjöstad WWTP 

(equipped with aerobic, anaerobic and membrane processes). The last three years he has 

designed, operated and evaluated removal processes for pharmaceutical residuals. 

72


Determination of Sulfonamide and Trimethoprim Antibiotics in 

Wastewater Using Isotope Dilution LC Tandem Mass 

Spectrometry 

Nhat Le-Minh (presenting author) 1 , Stuart Khan 1 , Richard Stuetz 1 ; 1 UNSW Water Research 

Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney,NSW, 2052, Australia 

There is increasing interest in the occurrence, fate and removal of antibiotics during treatment by 

municipal wastewater treatment systems. This interest has arisen due to concerns regarding 

potential impact to microbial ecology in receiving water bodies, as well as the possibility that 

these antibiotics may facilitate the development and profileration of resistant strains of bacteria. In 

order to evaluate the effectiveness of current wastewater treatment systems and emerging 

advanced treatment technologies in eliminating antibiotics, a robust and reliable analytical 

technique is needed to determine trace concentrations of the antibiotics in water and wastewater. 

This paper presents an analytical method for the determination of trace concentrations of six 

sulfonamide and trimethoprim antibiotics in muncipal wastewaters using clean-up by solid phase 

extraction (SPE) and analysis by isotope dilution LC tandem mass-spectrometry. 

The use of SPE with Waters HLB SPE cartridge and methanol as the elution solvent provides an 

effective enrichment and clean-up with recoveries between 80-93% for all compounds even in 

complex synthetic wastewater samples. Limits of detection (LOD) in wastewaters were observed 

between 0.5 and 4.5 ng.L -1 , which is comparable with previously published methods using similar 

tandem techniques. The limits of quantification (three times LOD) for those antibiotics are 

generally in the low ng/L range; however, there are challenges in dealing with the complex 

wastewater matrices which, in some cases, may cause significant interference and quantification 

complications. Different sample matrices were observed to induce unpredictable and widely 

varying effects on the signal quantification by either ion enhancement or ion suppression. To 

mitigate this complication, isotope dilution was used to account for any matrix effects, as well as 

analytical losses during sample preparation and extraction process. 

This paper also provides ion fragmentation pathways for the antibiotics which were clearer and 

less uncertain than those previously suggested in the literature. The approach to identify the 

fragmentation pattern takes into account not only principles of fragmentation reactions but also 

potential compound tautomerisms. The spectra of isotope labeled standards were used to 

confirm whenever possible. The informative and less uncertain ion fragmentation pathways may 

be useful for optimizing mass spectrometric conditions for the analytes of interest and identifying 

problems with detected mass peaks. 

The analysis of samples from several wastewater treatment plants was performed to illustrate the 

applicability of the analytical method and to provide an overview of occurrence and fate patterns 

for the antibiotics in Australian municipal wastewaters. Preliminary results show that some 

antibiotics of interest were found in the municipal wastewaters (e.g. sulfamethoxazole, 

trimethoprim and sulfapyridine) at concentrations up to hundreds of ng.L -1 . Conventional 

secondary wastewater treatment processes partially eliminate these antibiotics at the efficiency 

between 50-70%. Some tertiary treatment processes such as flocculation, UV disinfection, and 

sand filtration were not always effective in eliminating these antibiotics. On the hand, 

superchlorination was shown to be highly effective for the removal of parent compounds, but it is 

currently unknown whether this was predominantly by oxidative degradation or by chlorination 

addition or substitution reactions. 

73

Bibliography: 


Nhat is 3 rd year PhD student at UNSW Water Research Centre, School of Civil and 

Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales. His research interest is in the fate 

and removal of antibiotics during wastewater treatment processes. 

Mailing address: Level 4, School Office, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Building 

H20, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. 

Email: minh@student.unsw.edu.au 

74


Iodo-DBP Formation form the Reaction of Chlorinated Oxidants 

with X-ray Contrast Media in the Presence of Natural 

Organic Matter 

Stephen E. Duirk (presenting author) 1 , Cristal Lindell 1 , Christopher C. Cornelison 1 , Thomas A. 

Ternes 2 , and Susan D. Richardson 1 ; 1 US EPA, ORD, NERL, ERD, 960 College Station Rd. 

Athens, GA, 30605, USA; 2 Federal Institute of Hydrology (BFG), Am Mainzer Tor 1 D-56068 

Koblenz, Germany 

Since being found in the environment, the fate of iodinated X-ray contrast media (ICM) in aquatic 

ecosystems is still relatively unknown (1). Iopromide has been they only ICM in which ecotoxicity 

has been assessed and was found not to elicit toxic effects (2). Iopamidol, iopromide, and 

diatrizoate are generally the most commonly detected ICMs in wastewater effluents and aquatic 

ecosystems (1, 3). Since conventional wastewater treatment does not completely remove ICMs 

(1), wastewater effluents contaminated with ICM and their transformation products (4) can enter 

surface and ground waters potentially used as drinking water sources. Conventional water 

treatment (i.e., coagulation/flocculation, sedimentation, and filtration) does not remove or 

transform ionic and non-ionic ICMs (5). Ozonation can transform approximately 30% of non-ionic 

ICMs (i.e., iopromide and iopamidol), while granular activated carbon can remove approximately 

50% of all ICMs (5). However, the fate of ICMs or ICM transformation products during drinking 

water treatment has yet to be fully assessed. 

Iodinated disinfection byproducts (DBPs) have recently gained attention due to their cyto- and 

genotoxicity. Iodoacetic acid is the most genotoxic of all known haloacetic acids (HAAs) (6). In a 

recent occurrence study, significant concentrations of iodo-DBPs were detected when aqueous 

iodide was below detection (7). In the absence of naturally occurring iodide, ICM contamination 

could potentially be a source of iodine. However, ICMs have not been investigated as precursors 

to iodo-DBPs. In the presence of chlorine and monochloramine, iopamidol was found to be 

degraded, resulting in very low concentrations of iodoform. When spiking Athens-Clarke County 

raw source water with iopamidol, all 6 of the iodinated trihalomethanes (THMs) were formed in 

the presence of both chlorinated oxidants, as well as iodoacetic acid, which was found during 

chloramination of the same source water. It appears that ICMs could be a source of iodine due to 

pharmaceutical contamination of drinking water sources. Proposed DBP formation pathways, as 

well as iodo-DBP speciation will be discussed. 

References 

1. Ternes, T. A.; Hirsch, R., Environ. Sci. Technol. 2000, 34, (13), 2741-2748. 

2. Steger-Hartmann, T.; Lange, R.; Schweinfurth, H., Ecotox. Environ. Safe. 1999, 42, (3), 274- 

281. 

3. Seitz, W.; Weber, W. H.; Jiang, J. Q.; Lloyd, B. J.; Maier, M.; Maier, D.; Schulz, W., 

Chemosphere 2006, 64, (8), 1318-1324. 

4. Schulz, M.; Lo; x; ffler, D.; Wagner, M.; Ternes, T. A., Environ. Sci. Technol. 2008, 42, (19), 

7207-7217. 

5. Seitz, W.; Jiang, J. Q.; Schulz, W.; Weber, W. H.; Maier, D.; Maier, M., Chemosphere 2008, 

70, (7), 1238-1246. 

6. Plewa, M. J.; Wagner, E. D.; Richardson, S. D.; Thruston, A. D.; Woo, Y. T.; McKague, A. B., 

Environ. Sci. Technol. 2004, 38, (18), 4713-4722. 

7. Richardson, S. D.; Fasano, F.; Ellington, J. J.; Crumley, F. G.; Buettner, K. M.; Evans, J. J.; 

Blount, B. C.; Silva, L. K.; Waite, T. J.; Luther, G. W.; McKague, A. B.; Miltner, R. J.; Wagner, 

E. D.; Plewa, M. J., Environ. Sci. Technol. 2008. 

75

Biosketches: 


Stephen E. Duirk: Dr. Duirk is a research scientist and environmental engineer for the United 

States Environmental Protection Agency in Athens, GA. He is currently investigating the reaction 

of disinfectants with anthropogenic chemicals and natural organic matter as well as the formation 

of unregulated disinfection byproducts. 

United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 

Ecosystems Research Division, 960 College Station Rd., Athens, GA 30605-2700 

duirk.stephen@epa.gov 

Tel: 706.355.8206 

Fax: 706.355.8202 

Cristal Lindell and Chris Cornelison: Ms. Lindell and Mr. Cornelison are research assistants 

under the advisement of both Drs. Duirk and Richardson. Both are contracted through Student 

Services Authority. 



lindell.cristal@epa.gov 

cornelison.chris@epa.gov 

Thomas A. Ternes: Dr. Ternes is a senior researcher with the Federal Institute of Hydrology in 

Koblenz, Germany. He is dealing with fate studies of emerging contaminats in wastewater and 

drinking water treatment processes. 

Federal Institute of Hydrology (BFG), Am Mainzer Tor 1 D-56068 Koblenz, Germany 

ternes@bafg.de 

Susan D. Richardson: Dr. Richardson is a senior research chemist with the U. S. Environmental 

Protection Agency in Athens, GA. Dr. Richardson is known for identification and occurrence of 

emerging disinfection byproducts during drinking water treatment. 



richardson.susan@epa.gov 

Tel: 706.355.8304 

Fax: 706.355.8302 

76


Applying Surrogates and Indicators to Assess Removal 

Efficiency of Trace Organic Chemicals in Indirect Potable Reuse 

Systems: Oxidation Processes 

Eric Dickenson (presenting author) 1 , Jörg Drewes 1 , David Sedlak 2 , Shane Snyder 3 ; 1 Colorado 

School of Mines, Golden, Colorado; 2 University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California; 

3 Southern Nevada Water Authority, Henderson, Nevada 

Wastewater-derived chemical contaminants recently have received considerable attention from 

the research community, regulatory authorities, and the general public despite the fact that few 

compounds have been detected at concentrations that pose potential risks to drinking water 

supplies or aquatic ecosystems. For the majority of the compounds, it is difficult to assess human 

health or ecological risks because little information is available on their potential impacts at the 

relatively low concentrations encountered in wastewater effluents. In response to uncertainties 

associated with risk posed by these compounds, some scientists and regulators support the 

adoption of treatment technologies to minimize exposure of humans and aquatic ecosystems to 

wastewater-derived chemical contaminants until more data on potential risks are collected. 

Because a consensus on the risks posed by wastewater-derived contaminants is unlikely to be 

reached in the near future and it is difficult to quantify more than a few of the compounds at a 

time, water utilities and regulators need monitoring approaches to assess the ability of 

conventional and advanced treatment systems to remove hundreds of different contaminants 

potentially present using data on a limited subset of readily measurable compounds. 

To address the need for simplifying the analysis of wastewater-derived contaminant removal by 

engineered treatment systems, a suite of surrogate parameters and indicator compounds have 

been identified that can be used for assessing the removal of wastewater-derived contaminants in 

oxidation processes or other advanced water treatment systems commonly employed in indirect 

potable reuse systems. A surrogate (i.e., oxidant exposure, ultraviolet absorbance, oxidant 

byproducts) is a quantifiable parameter that can serve as a performance measure of treatment 

processes that relates to removal of specific contaminants. An indicator compound is an organic 

chemical that can be used to measure the effectiveness of a process for a family or group of 

compounds in the treatment process of interest. Sixty-six candidate indicator compounds were 

selected based on their occurrence in secondary or tertiary municipal wastewater effluents. 

Considering previously published treatment data and a given oxidation operational condition (i.e., 

ozone, AOP), indicator compounds were grouped into four removal categories: good (i.e., >90%), 

intermediate (i.e., 90-50% and 50-25%), and poor (i.e., < 25%). Within a particular removal 

category the compounds were further classified based on similar initial oxidant attack sites. 

In this study, potential surrogate parameters and indicator compounds were tested in pilot- and 

full-scale treatment systems representing oxidation processes (i.e., ozone, AOP) employed by 

treatment plants engaged in indirect potable water reuse programs. For the most part, the 

indicator removals observed during these tests supported the developed indicator removal master 

lists for ozone and AOP processes. Also, changes in surrogates (i.e., UV absorbance, oxidant 

exposure and oxidant byproducts) correlated with the removal of sensitive indicator compounds 

(i.e., dilantin, meprobamate, DEET, iopromide). Thus, a system failure could be indicated by poor 

removal of these indicator compounds that are normally removed or by insufficient change in the 

surrogate parameter. Findings from oxidation processes indicate that the proposed framework 

can serve as a conservative monitoring approach to assure proper removal of identified and 

unidentified wastewater derived organic contaminants, to detect failures in system performance, 

and is protective of public health. While other indicator compounds and surrogate parameters 

may be equally suitable, the proposed approach can serve as a framework for monitoring and 

performance validation programs for wastewater-derived contaminants and can ultimately lead to 

standardization within monitoring and assessment programs. 

77

Biosketches: 


Eric Dickenson is a Postdoctoral Research Associate of the Environmental Science and 

Engineering Division at the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. Dickenson received a B.S. in Chemical 

Engineering at the University of California at Davis and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental 

Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. 

Advanced Water Technology Center 

Environmental Science & Engineering Division 


1500 Illinois St. 


T: (303) 273-3767; F: (303) 273-3413 

E: edickens@mines.edu 

Jörg Drewes is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering and Director of 

the Advanced Water Technology Center (AQWATEC) at the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. 

Drewes received his M.S. and PhD in Environmental Engineering from the Technical University of 

Berlin, Germany. 






T: (303) 273-3401; F: (303) 273-3413 

E: jdrewes@mines.edu 

David Sedlak is a Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of California at 

Berkeley 

Civil and Environmental Engineering 


657 Davis Hall 

University of California 


T: (510) 643-0256; F: (510) 642-7483 

E: sedlak@ce.berkeley.edu 

Shane Snyder is the Water Quality Research and Development Project Manager for SNWA. Dr. 

Snyder received a BS in Chemistry with a minor medical biology, magna cum laude, at Thiel 

College in Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology and Zoology from Michigan 

State University. 


Water Quality Research and Development 

1350 Richard Bunker Ave. 

Henderson, Nevada 89015 

T: (702) 856-3668; F: (702) 856-3647 

E: shane.snyder@snwa.com 

78


Continued Development of Normal Human Colonocyte Cultures 

to Identify the Carcinogenic Potential of Priority Disinfection 

By-products 

Anthony DeAngelo, US Environmental Protection Agency, 108 TW Alexander Drive, Research 

Triangle Park, NC 27701USA, Tel: 919-5412568, Fax: 919-5410329, Email: 

deangelo.anthony@epa.gov. 

Epidemiological studies have linked the consumption of disinfected surface waters to an 

increased risk of colorectal cancer. Of the approximately 600 disinfection byproducts (DBPs) 

identified for the major disinfectants currently used, the US EPA regulates eleven for an 

increased risk of cancer. An in-depth mechanism-based structure activity analysis undertaken to 

rank the carcinogenic potential of the DBPs identified 50 unregulated DBPs with the highest riskpotential. 

We have continued work on the development of an in vitro/in vivo model system to 

identify unregulated DBPs (and other drinking water contaminants) with the ability to transform 

normal human colon cells to malignant cells. Bromochloroacetic (rat colon carcinogen), 

dichloroacetic acid (rodent liver carcinogen), two priority DBPs, dibromonitromethane and 

tribromonitromethane, and the classic colon carcinogen, azoxymethane, were tested. Human 

colon mucosal cells (NCM460) were exposed to 1E-06 M – 1E10-12 M (≥ 90% viability) of each 

test compound for 10 days. Following chemical removal, the cells (monolayer) were maintained 

in the growth medium for 14-21 days. Cells growing in suspension (S Fraction) were passaged 

into new flasks and grown for another 14-21 days. The process was repeated with the passage 

of suspended cells to generate S1 and S2 Fractions. These steps were necessary to deplete 

stem cells which have the capacity to grow in soft agar (Transformation Assay). Cells generated 

in the S1 and S2 Fractions from DBP-treated cultures formed colonies when grown in soft agar. 

Cells from untreated cultures showed no colony growth. Genomic analysis of cells from DBP 

treated cultures demonstrated alterations in the patterns of global gene expression. Significantly, 

altered expression of the Adherens Junction and Wnt signaling pathway genes which regulate 

cell adhesion and the cell cycle were observed. These pathways have been shown to be 

essential in the development of colon cancer. Immunohistochemical staining for β-cathenin and 

cyclin D, two critical proteins in the WNT signaling pathway, showed an increased staining 

intensity and altered cellular location consistent with those observed in the developmental stages 

of colon cancer in rats exposed to brominated trihalomethanes in the drinking water. For the 

Tumor Formation Assay, cells propagated from transformed colonies are being injected into 

immunoincompromised mice to test for neoplastic transformation in this model. (This is an 

abstract of a proposed presentation and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the USEPA). 

Biosketch: 

Dr Tony DeAngelo is a Research Toxicologist with the National Health and Environment Effects 

Research Laboratory, Office of Research & Development, US Environmental Protection Agency. 

His research has centered on identifying carcinogenic hazard and mechanisms of drinking water 

disinfection by-products. He received a PhD from the University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana. 

Tony DeAngelo, Ph.D 

Research Toxicologist 

US Environmental Protection Agency 

National Health & Environmental Effects Research Laboratory 

Environmental Carcinogenesis Division - MD: B143-06 

Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 

Telephone: 919-541-2568; Fax: 919-541-0329 

79


Diclofenac Removal with Biogenic Manganese Oxides 

Ilse Forrez (presenting author), Marta Carballa and Willy Verstraete; Laboratory of Microbial Ecology 

& Technology (LabMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium, Tel. +32(9)2645976, 

Ilse.Forrez@UGent.be 

Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, is consumed in considerable amounts 

throughout the world. Due to its low biodegradability, diclofenac is generally removed for only 

30% in conventional sewage treatment plants (STPs) and enters the environment through STPs 

discharges 1 . Sublethal effects were observed in rainbow trout for diclofenac with LOEC in the 

range of discharge levels (1 μg/L) 2 . In Europe, concentrations up to 4 μg/L are reported in STP 

effluents 3 , while lower levels have been detected in the United States (90 ng/L) 1 . In surface 

waters, the concentrations vary from 10 and 40 ng/L 4,5 . Advanced oxidation processes such as 

UV/H2O2 and O3 are effective techniques to polish effluents, but the formation of toxic products is 

not excluded 6 . Mineral manganese dioxide has been studied as an oxidative agent in soils and 

sediments 7 and Zhang and Huang 8 showed its potential to remove triclosan, an antiseptic agent. 

In this work, a novel technology, using biologically produced manganese oxides, has been 

investigated to remove diclofenac. 

Biogenic manganese oxides (BioMnOx) were produced by Pseudomonas putida MnB6 in growth 

medium described by Boogerd and de Vrind 9 and chemical manganese oxides were produced as 

described by Murray 10 . Diclofenac and Mn concentrations were measured with HPLC-DAD-UV 

and AAS, respectively. Sorbed amounts of diclofenac were determined by the addition of ascorbic 

acid to dissolve all Mn oxides and the sorbed fraction of Mn 2+ was determined by the addition of 

0.6 g/L Cu 2+ (10 mM). Since the reactivity of manganese oxides is pH-dependent, diclofenac 

removal was tested at different pH values in the range 5-9. 

High removal (97%) was obtained with both BioMnOx and chemical MnO2 (5.5 mg Mn/L) at pH 

4.7 after 24h. However, at pH 7.0 and 8.7, only the BioMnOx was effective. Diclofenac removal 

with BioMnOx at a dose of 5.5 mg Mn/L could be enhanced from 15% at pH 8.7 up to 50 and 

96% when the pH was 6.8 and 6.2, respectively. Moreover, complete removal (pH 6.8) was 

obtained with higher BioMnOx (46 mg Mn/L) after 24h. Removal efficiencies were independent of 

the initial concentrations of diclofenac and the Biomass/BioMnOx ratio. However, the levels of the 

reduced species, i.e. Mn 2+ , had a negative effect on the chemical oxidation of diclofenac. As a 

matter of fact, when the manganese reoxidation was inhibited with azide (20 mg/L) and dissolved 

Mn 2+ increased consequently to more than 1 mg/L, diclofenac removal decreased by a factor 3. 

Furthermore, it was observed that diclofenac removal only occurred when the ratio between 

sorbed Mn 2+ and BioMnOx was below 0.04 mg Mn 2+ /mg BioMnOx-Mn. Kinetic studies revealed 

that in the presence of diclofenac, Mn 2+ was exchanged from the sorbed to the liquid phase 

during the first few hours, thus indicating that diclofenac is adsorbed onto the Mn oxide surface. 

This is described as the surface-complex formation preceding the oxidation with Mn(IV) 11 . 

Interestingly, when BioMnOx was applied at concentrations ranging from 5.5 to 28 mg Mn/L, the 

dissolved Mn 2+ concentrations remained below the drinking water limit (0.05 mg/L), thus 

indicating that this approach could be of use for tap water production. 

The interaction of manganese oxides and manganese-oxidizing bacteria appears to be 

advantageous for diclofenac removal in two ways: (1) the biologically produced Mn oxides are 20 

times more reactive than chemical MnO2 at neutral pH and (2) Mn 2+ produced during the 

oxidation of diclofenac is regenerated within hours. A third benefit is the ability of the 

heterotrophic manganese oxidizers to remove the intermediates formed during diclofenac 

oxidation. The results of this work combined with previous studies on triclosan 8 , ciprofloxacin 11 

and 17α-ethinylestradiol 12 , suggest the applicability of BioMnOx as an effective polishing 

technique for STP effluent. 

1Yu 

et al. (2006) Agric Water Manage 86,72 

7 

Sunda & Kieber (1994) Nature 36,62 

2 

Triebskorn et al. (2007) Anal Bioanal Chem 387,1405 

8 

Zhang & Huang (2003) Environ Sci Technol 3,2421 

80


3 9 

Carballa et al. (2008) Chemosphere 72,1118 

Boogerd & de Vrind (1987) J Bacteriol 169,489 

4 10 

Vieno et al. (2007) Environ Sci Technol 41,5077 

Murray (1974) J Colloid Interface Sci 46,357 

5 11 

Sacher et al. (2008) J Environ Monit 10,664 


6 12 

Guzzella et al. (2002) Water Res 36,4307 

Sabirova et al. (2008) Microbiol Biotechnol 1,507 

The financial support from the European Commission (Neptune project, contract no 036845, FP6-2005- 

Global-4, SUSTDEV-2005-3.II.3.2) and the Xunta de Galicia (Angeles Alvariño program, contract AA-065) is 

acknowledged 

Biography: 

ir. Ilse Forrez (ilse.forrez@ugent.be) 

Studied bioscience engineering (graduated 2004) at Ghent University, Belgium. She worked at 

the Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET) on two projects: organic deicer 

removal in melting water (2004-2006) and anaerobic digestion of pig manure (2006-2007). In 

January 2007 she started her PhD on the removal of micropollutants with biometals within the 

Neptune project. 

Dr. ir. Marta Carballa (marta.carballa@ugent.be) 

Graduated in Chemical Engineering (January 2001) and PhD in Chemical and Environmental 

Engineering (December 2005) at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). She worked 

as a Young Researcher in the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (Chile) from March 

2006 and April 2007, and since May 2007, she is working in the Laboratory of Microbial Ecology 

and Technology (LabMET) at Ghent University (Belgium). 

Prof. Dr. ir. Willy Verstraete (willy.verstraete@ugent.be) 

Obtained a PhD degree in the field of microbiology at the Cornell University of Ithaca in 1971. 

Since 1979, he is working as professor and head of LabMET, Ghent University, Belgium. He has 

experience in design and operation of drinking water production plants, aerobic wastewater 

treatment, anaerobic digestion and bioremediation processes. 

Contact: 


Coupure Links 653 B-9000 Gent 

Belgium 

Tel. +32(9)2645976 

Fax. +32(9)2646248 

http://labmet.ugent.be 

81


Eliminating Solid Phase Extraction with Large-Volume Injection 

LC-MS/MS 

Jennifer A. Field (presenting author), a Aurea Chiaia, a and Carl Issacson b ; a Department of 

Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331 and 

b U.S. EPA, 960 College Station Dr, Athens, GA 30606 

Background. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) is commonly viewed as a requisite sample 

preparation step for concentrating trace levels of organic analytes from aqueous environmental 

matrices such as wastewater and surface waters prior to analysis by liquid chromatography (LC) 

with mass spectrometric (MS) detection. Off-line SPE typically involving the concentration of 50 

to 200 mLs of sample onto SPE sorbents. After additional processing, only a small fraction of the 

final extract is actually injected while the rest of the extract (and the labor and materials used to 

generate the extract) typically goes to waste. On-line SPE requires the purchase of SPE 

sorbents and specialized instrumentation. As an alternative to SPE, the direct injection of large 

volumes of aqueous samples was explored in the early 1980s. Large-volume injection (LVI) was 

recently demonstrated as a means for concentrating aqueous samples and soil extracts. The full 

potential of large-volume extraction has not yet been demonstrated because few applications 

incorporate stable-isotope internal standards, which are the ‘gold standard’ for quantifying 

analytes in complex environmental samples. In addition, matrix effects have not yet been 

addressed in order to overcome the long-held view that SPE is necessary to reduce matrix 

effects. 

Approach. Commercial instrumentation (an Agilent 1100 HPLC) was purchased together with a 

“Injection Upgrade Kit” that supplied a larger analytical head (900 μL) and a 900 μL stainless 

steel sample loop extension, and a 900 μL needle. In addition, a 1,400 μL stainless steel seat 

extension loop was installed before the analytical column and serves as a reservoir for large 

volumes of sample. Commercial C18 analytical columns (150 mm x 2-6 mm x 5 μm particle 

size) were used for separation and a Waters Quattro Micro tandem mass spectrometer (Milford, 

MA) with an electrospray ionization interface served as the detector. The basic approach 

consisted of optimizing the sample volume, the timing of the’ divert valve’, mobile phase 

composition and flow rates, and MS source and desolvation temperatures. 

Results & Demonstration. LVI is analogous to frontal chromatography in which the sample 

volume (900 - 1,800 μL) applied greatly exceeds the void volume of the sorbent (~ 250 μL for the 

analytical column). Illicit drugs (1,800m μl) in wastewater and fullerenes (900 μL) in 

toluene:methanol extracts exhibited strong apparent retention factors for the C18 columns as 

indicated by narrow, symmetrical chromatographic peaks. Excellent agreement between 

concentrations of illicit drugs and fullerenes obtained by standard addition experiments and from 

solvent-based calibration curves indicated that stable-isotope standards effectively controlled for 

matrix effects in complex sample matrices. Precision, as indicated by relative standard deviation, 

was < 12% within-a-day. Method detection limits ranged from 0.5 ng/L to 4 ng/L for illicit drugs in 

wastewater and 400 ng/L for fullerenes in zebrafish embryo and dosing-solution extracts. After 

optimization, LVI was then demonstrated for the analysis of illicit drugs in raw influents collected 

from wastewater treatment plants from several US locations and for fullerenes in zebrafish 

embryos and aqueous-dosing solutions. 

Conclusions. Large-volume injection (1,800 μL) is a simple and cost-effective approach for 

concentrating trace levels of organic analytes from complex aqueous environmental samples that 

eliminates the need for SPE. Large-volume injection does not require specialized or additional 

stand alone equipment and commercial modifications to existing instruments cost < $2,000. 

Standard addition experiments indicated that the stable-isotope labeled internal standards 

provide accurate and precise concentrations of analytes in the low ng/L range. In addition to 

82


eliminating the costs of SPE materials and the labor to perform SPE, large-volume injection 

extends LC/MS run times only by minutes so instrumentation time is used effectively. 

Biosketches: 

Dr. Jennifer A. Field holds a Ph.D. in Geochemistry from the Colorado School of Mines. She is a 

professor with the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at Oregon State. 

Address: Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, 

Corvallis, OR 97331; Jennifer.Field@Oregonstate.edu 

Ms. Aurea Chiaia holds a MS degree in Chemistry from Oregon State University. Her thesis was 

on the development and application of large-volume injection for the analysis of illicit drugs in 

municipal wastewaters. Address: Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, 

Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331; Aureachiaia@gmail.com 

Dr. Carl Isaacson received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Oregon State University in 2007. His 

thesis research focused on the development and application of novel analytical techniques for the 

analysis of 1,4-dioxane and fullerenes. Dr. Isaacson is now a post-doctoral fellow with the US 

EPA in Athens GA. Address: 960 College Station Dr, Athens, GA 30606 706-355-8307; 

Carl.Isaacson@epa.gov. 

83


Oxidative Treatment of Phenolic Micropollutants with 

Permanganate and Ferrate Salts 

Lanhua Hu (presenting author) 1,2 , Heather M. Martin 1,2 , Hyungkeun Roh 3 , Kung-Hui Chu 3 , 

Timothy J. Strathmann 1,2 ; 1 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of 

Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; 2 Center of Advanced Materials for the Purification of Water with 

Systems; 3 Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University 

There have been worldwide reports on the occurrence of pharmaceutically-active compounds 

(PhACs) and other wastewater-derived micropollutants in aquatic environments, which is raising 

increased public concerns about potential adverse effects on aquatic ecology and human health. 

Micropollutants containing phenolic moieties, including many steroid hormones, raise some of the 

greatest concerns because of their endocrine-disrupting properties. This study investigates the 

effectiveness and efficiency of treating phenolic micropollutants with two powerful, 

environmentally-friendly oxidizing agents: potassium permanganate (KMnO4) and potassium 

ferrate (K2FeO4). Results show that the five phenolic micropollutants studied (17αethynylestradiol, 

triclosan, bisphenol-A, acetaminophen, and chlortetracycline) are all highly 

reactive with both permanganate and ferrate, with apparent second order rate constants ranging 

from 70 M-1 s-1 to 1300 M-1 s-1 at pH 7 and 25 ºC. It was also found that reaction rates with both 

oxidants are highly dependent on solution pH and temperature. Kinetic models describing the 

effect of pH on reaction rates were developed that consider the changing speciation of both the 

oxidants and the phenolic micropollutants. In agreement with reports for other oxidizing agents, 

the ionized phenolate species are much more reactive than the corresponding protonated 

phenols. Experiments were also conducted to investigate the effects of individual non-target 

water constituents (e.g. NH4+, Mn2+, Fe2+, HS-, NOM) on the reaction kinetics, and the 

accuracy of kinetic models were validated during treatment of a 17α-ethynylestradiol in several 

utility source waters. Product studies indicate that treatment leads incomplete mineralization of 

phenolic micropollutants, so further studies were conducted to quantify the residual estrogenicity 

of 17α-ethynylestradiol solutions following treatment to assess the benefits of permanganate and 

ferrate treatment. 

Biographical Sketch: 

Lanhua Hu is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at 

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Ms. Hu got her Bachelor's Degree in 

Environmental Engineering at Tsinghua University (China) in 2004 and her Master's Degree in 

Environmental Engineering at UIUC in 2006. 

Contact information: 

Mailing Address: 205 N. Mathews Ave, Rm 4163, Urbana, IL, 61801 

Email: lhu2@illinois.edu 

Phone: 217-721-9631 

84


Elimination of Organic Micropollutants in a Municipal Nutrient 

Removal Plant Upgraded with a Full Scale Post-Ozonation 

Followed by Sand Filtration 

Hollender JP 

Gunten UP 

1 

1 

P, Gansner E 2 , Koch M 2 , Koepke SP P, Krauss MP P, McArdell CSP P, Ort CP P, Singer HP P, von 

1,2 

1,3 

1,3 

1 1 

P, Siegrist HP 

P 

, Zimmermann SGP 

P, Escher BIP ; Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of 

Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstr. 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland, 

juliane.hollender@eawag.ch; 2 Amt für Abfall, Wasser, Energie und Luft, AWEL, 8005 Zürich, 

Switzerland; 3 ETH, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland 

The aim of the project MicroPoll (www.umwelt-schweiz.ch/micropoll) is to compile bases for 

decisions and to develop a strategy for reducing the release of micropollutants from wastewater 

treatment plants (WWTPs) in Switzerland. Within the project the treatment plant of Regensdorf 

near Zürich (current load 25’000 population equivalents) was upgraded with a full-scale ozonation 

step after secondary treatment and prior to sand filtration. 

More than 50 biologically active and persistent pharmaceuticals and biocides with different 

second-order reaction rate constants with ozone were selected as suitable indicators for the 

evaluation of the elimination efficiency by ozone. They were measured by tandem mass 

spectrometry after offline or online solid phase extraction (Singer et al. 2008). HPLC combined 

with high resolution mass spectrometry were used for screening for further micropollutants as well 

as possible oxidation products such as N-nitrosodimethylamine (Krauss and Hollender, 

2008).The toxicity reduction of the oxidation process was determined by a battery of 

ecotoxicological bioassays which cover different mode of action such as the yeast estrogen 

screen, the algae test, the bioluminescence inhibition test, and the umu-test for genotoxicity 

(Escher et al., 2008). During the study 24 h- and 48 h-volume proportional composite samples 

were taken in the effluent of the primary and secondary clarifier, after the ozonation and in the 

final effluent after sand filtration. Within 10 sampling campaigns in 2007 and 2008 different ozone 

concentrations were adjusted ranging from 0–1200 g ozone/kg DOC (0–6 mg/L ozone). 

The results show that many of the compounds with aromatic moieties, amine functions or double 

bonds such as sulfamethoxazole, diclofenac or carbamazepine were eliminated to concentrations 

below the limit of detection using 600 g ozone/kg DOC. Compounds more resistant against 

oxidation by ozone such as atenolol and benzotriazole were increasingly eliminated with 

increasing ozone concentration. The screening by high resolution mass spectrometry revealed 

several further more resistant compounds such as sucralose. Only a few pollutants such as a few 

x-ray contrast media persisted almost completely against oxidation. The specific and unspecific 

toxicity tested was already reduced significantly by the activated sludge process which is in 

accordance with the good elimination efficiency of the nutrient removal plant for less persistent 

micropollutants such as diazinon or ibuprofen. Ozonation led to a further reduction of toxicity 

indicating that no toxic by-products are formed in higher concentrations. The secondary effluent 

still exceeded the proposed environmental quality standard EQS of 1 ng/L estradiol equivalent 

concentration, while final effluent is below this EQS for ozone concentrations above 470 g 

ozone/kg DOC. Low concentrations of about 5-10 ng/L of cancerogenic NDMA were produced as 

by-product from the oxidative transformation of organic amine precursors but were ca. 50 % 

removed during the following sand filtration. As an additional benefit, the number of total cells was 

slightly decreased and the number of the indicator organism E. coli was reduced significantly by 

ozonation. Detailed investigation and modeling of the kinetics in the ozone reactor as well as 

calculation of the energy consumption is described in the conference paper of Zimmermann et al. 

In conclusion, the full scale reactor proves ozonation to be an efficient technique for the 

elimination of micropollutants from secondary effluent as well as for disinfection at reasonable 

additional energy consumption. The specific and non-specific ecotoxicity is significantly reduced 

by ozonation indicating that no further toxic compounds are produced. Additional sand filtration is 

useful for elimination of N-nitrosodimethylamine and biodegradable compounds formed during 

ozonation. 

85 

1 

1 

1 

1


References 

Escher B.I., Bramaz N., Quayle P., Rutishauser, Vermeirssen, E.L.M. (2008) J. Environ. Monitor. 

612-621 

Krauss M., Hollender J. (2008) Anal. Chem. 80: 834-842. 

Singer H., Jaus S., Lück A., Hanke I., Hollender J., Alder A.C. (2008) submitted. 

Biosketch: 

� 1990: Diploma in Chemistry at the University of Freiburg, Germany 

� 1994: PhD in Environmental Engineering at the Technical University of Berlin, Germany 

� 2002: Habilitation in „Environmental Hygiene and Ecological Chemistry“ at the Technical 

University of Aachen, Germany 

� 2005: Head of Department Environmental Chemistry at Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of 

Aquatic Science and Technology 

� 2006: Adjunct Professor at the Technical University of Aachen 

� 2007: Lecturer at the ETH Zürich 

Juliane Hollender 

Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology 

Environmental Chemistry 

Überlandstr. 133 

8600 Dübendorf,Switzerland 

Phone: +41 44 823 54 93 

Fax: +41 44 823 5893 


Beate Escher - Senior Scientist, Environmental Toxicology, Eawag, beate.escher@eawag.ch 

Ewa Gansner - Amt für Abfall, Wasser, Energie und Luft, 8005 Zürich, Switzerland, 

ewa.gansner@bd.zh.ch 

Markus Koch - Amt für Abfall, Wasser, Energie und Luft, 8005 Zürich, Switzerland, 

markus.koch@bd.zh.ch 

Stephan Koepke - Research Assistant, Environmental Chemistry, Eawag, 

stephan.koepke@eawag.ch 

Martin Krauss - Postdoc, Environmental Chemistry, Eawag, martin.krauss@eawag.ch 

Christa McArdell - Senior Scientist, Environmental Chemistry, Eawag, 


Christoph Ort - Postdoc, Process Engineering, Eawag, christoph.ort@eawag.ch (valid until June 

2009) 

Heinz Singer - Senior Scientist, Environmental Chemistry, Eawag, heinz.singer@eawag.ch 

Urs von Gunten - Senior Scientist, Adjunct Professor at ETH Zürich, Water Resources and 

Drinking water, Eawag, urs.vongunten@eawag.ch 

Saskia Zimmermann - PhD student at ETH Zürich, Water Resources and Drinking water, Eawag, 


Hansruedi Siegrist - Head of department, Adjunct Professor at ETH Zürich, Process Engineering, 

Eawag, hansruedi.siegrist@eawag.ch 

86

Conjugated Estrogens: Still Unknown Threat to the 

Aquatic Environment 


Vimal Kumar Hatwal (presenting author), Research Center for Environmental Quality 

Management (RCEQM), Urban and Environmental Engineering, Kyoto University, 1-2 Yumihama, 

Otsu, Shiga, 520-0811, JAPAN; Tel:(+81)-077-527-6223, Fax:(+81)-77-524-9869, Emails: 

vimalk_hatwal@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp; vimalk.hatwal@gmail.com; Norihide Nakada, Naoyuki 

Yamashita, Makoto Yasojima, Hiroaki Tanaka (Kyoto University; Japan); Andrew Johnson 

(Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; UK) 

Background and Objectives 

Free estrogens discharged from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) into surface 

waters, are seen as a threat affecting aquatic life by their harmful estrogenic characters even at 

ng/L levels. These free estrogens are mainly excreted as conjugated form by the living being. 

However, we have very limited knowledge about the occurrence and the fate of the conjugated 

estrogens. Particularly, the fate of sulfate estrogens in wastewater is little known. Therefore, the 

objectives of this paper is first to develop novel analytical methods for free and conjugated 

estrogens in wastewater, and the second, to study the occurrence of free and conjugated 

estrogens in WWTPs. Finally, to conduct batch test of conjugated estrogens to understand their 

fate in wastewater system and receiving waters. 

Development of Analytical Methods for Free and Conjugated Estrogens 

Wastewater and receiving water samples both have high matrix (ion suppression) effect during 

the LC/MS/MS analysis. An improved analysis method with ultra-performance liquid 

chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS) was established for free 

[Estradiol (E2), Estriol (E3) 17α ethyl estradiol (EE2) and Estrone (E1)] and 6 conjugated 

[Sulfates and Glucuronides] estrogens in above mentioned water samples. Our results show the 

significance of UPLC/MS/MS during the free and conjugated estrogen analysis in terms of good 

recovery and high sensitivity. The developed method showed high recoveries of free (74~109%) 

and conjugated (91~127%) estrogens by changing gradient elusion pattern during the analysis. 

The matrix effect has been evaluated in order to improve the recovery of all the estrogens. 

Fate of Conjugated Estrogens in Batch Experiments 

In order to evaluate the fate of sulfate and glucuronide conjugates in the wastewater environment, 

laboratory batch experiments were performed with raw wastewater. All the batches were spiked 

with 4 conjugated estrogens [Estrone-3-sulfate (E1-3S), Estradiol-3-sulfate (E2-3S), Estrone-3glucuronide 

(E1-3G), Estradiol-3-glucuronide (E2-3G)] individually. The results of this experiment 

show that the behavior of sulfate estrogens was quite different than the glucuronide conjugates. 

Glucuronide conjugates were largely transformed into the free parent estrogen as the first 

byproduct, within 1 hour of experiment. However, sulfate conjugates were much stable than 

glucuronide conjugates in the raw wastewater for the first 5 hr and then gradually started 

degradation. Further, any free parent estrogens were not observed during degradation of sulfate 

conjugates in the batch experiment. This suggests different pathway of sulfate conjugates than 

deconjugation of glucuronide conjugated estrogens. However more experiments are needed to 

know the actual mechanism of the transformation. 

Occurrence of Free and Conjugated Estrogens in UK 

The developed analytical method was successfully applied for the analysis of different 

wastewater (includes influent; secondary effluent and effluent) and river water samples. Sampling 

surveys were conducted in 21st to 24th Jan. 2008. Grab samples effluents from 7 WWTPs were 

taken. The surveys were conducted at different locations in UK along with river Thames. E1 

which is a final metabolite in estrogen degradation series was detected frequently in the different 

samples. E2 an intermediate metabolite was detected in effluent at a concentration of 41.0 ng/L. 

87


Synthetic 17 α -ethyl estradiol (EE2) was also observed frequently in lower concentration from 1.0 

to 12.3 ng/L. Several researchers have been reported the presence of EE2 in the outlet and in the 

receiving water in UK. Surprisingly glucuronide conjugates, which supposed to be easily 

degradable in the wastewater treatment plant, were sometimes observed in the WWTP discharge 

ranges from 3.7 to 57.8 ng/L in UK. It may be possible due to the rainy season in UK during the 

survey, which caused combined sewer overflows (CSOs) from WWTP partially without biological 

treatment. Sulfate conjugates were frequently detected in various samples even in river water 

sample at concentration of 10.8 ng/L (E2-3S). Previously reported concentration for free and 

conjugated estrogen is from 9 to 58 ng/l in different wastewater treatment plants in UK. As such, 

due to the frequent rainy events in the UK survey, results from this study do not necessarily 

indicate the quality of the final effluent water as discharged into the Thames river. As detection of 

glucuronide conjugates has strong indication that water quality had been influenced by CSO 

effect. 

Acknowledgments 

The authors wish to thank the Ministry of Environment for research funding of this project with 

cooperative research between UK-Japan Endocrine Disruptors and Japan Society for Promoting 

Science. The authors also wish to thank the Monbukagakusho (Ministry of Education, Science, 

Sports and Culture, Government of Japan) for research scholarship. 


Mr. Vimal Kumar Hatwal is a doctoral candidate at Department of Urban and Environmental 

Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University with research interests in water 

and wastewater treatment. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Environment and 

Water Management. Further, he earned his Master’s degree at the GB Pant University of 

Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, India. Mr. Hatwal was a senior research fellow for 2 

years with the Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute, Dehradun, 

India, supported by a research grant from Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). 

The Project was based on quality and modeling based EIA of water resources in Himalayan 

reason. Currently, he is a Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholar and working with 

UK-Japan joint research project for endocrine disruptors in the aquatic environment. His area of 

research is “Occurrence and fate of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)”, especially natural 

estrogens and their metabolites in the aquatic system. Under the advisory of Professor Hiroaki 

TANAKA, he has conducted several surveys in Japan and UK. On the basis of several field 

surveys and laboratory studies, he would like to make clear the main sources of estrogens in the 

aquatic environment, fate and decisive factor of difference between two countries. The ultimate 

goal his research is to find out the occurrence, fate and behavior of the natural estrogens and 

their metabolites in aquatic environment. His concepts and findings based on proper laboratory 

experiments will be applicable in reducing estrogens pollution from point sources and river water 

as well. 

88


Water Reuse: Performance of a Membrane Bioreactor Prior to 

Nanofiltration with Concentrate Recycling 

Christa S. McArdell + , Adriano Joss + , Stephan Koepke + , Martin Krauss + , Yuansong Wei ++ , Paolo 

Foa +++ , Hansruedi Siegrist + ; + Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 

Ueberlandstr. 133, 8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland; ++ Research Centre for Eco-Environmental 

Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100085 Beijing, People's Republic of China; +++ DIIAR- 

Sezione ambientale, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy; 

mcardell@eawag.ch, phone +41 44 823 5483, fax +41 44 823 5311 

Over eleven months of continuous piloting municipal wastewater upgrading with a double 

membrane system (>1m 3 /d of product water produced) has demonstrated the feasibility of 

achieving high water quality with a water yield beyond 90%. The system is based on a anoxic 

compartment followed by a aerated membrane bioreactor (MBR) equipped with a submerged 

ultrafiltration membrane followed by a nanofiltration. The novelty of the proposed treatment 

scheme consists in appropriate conditioning of MBR effluent prior to nanofiltration and recycling 

of the concentrates from the nanofiltration back to the biological unit. 

The process scheme has been operated with a tight nanofiltration membrane (Dow Filmtec NF90) 

achieving product water salinity below 10 mM inorganic salts (e.g. Na + and Cl - concentrations in 

product water below 30% of the raw wastewater). A mass balance of all relevant inorganic ions 

confirms that the retained salts are being disposed either with the discharged concentrates or 

with the excess sludge drawn from the biological unit. 

25 pharmaceuticals (atenolol, bezafibrate, carbamazepine, clarithromycin, clindamycin, clofibric 

acid, diclofenac, erythromycin, ibuprofen, mefenamic acid, metoprolol, naproxen, paracetamol, 

phenazone, primidone, propranolol, roxithromycin, sulfadiazine, sulfadimethoxine, sulfamethazine, 

sulfamethoxazole, N4-acetyl-sulfamethoxazole, sotalol, sulfapyridine, trimethoprim), nitrosamines 

(N-nitrosodimethylamine, N-nitrosomorpholine, N-nitrosodiethylamine, N-nitrosopiperidine, Nnitrosodi-n-butylamine), 

the corrosion inhibitors benzotriazole (BT) and methylbenzotriazole 

(MeBT) were analyzed with LC/MS/MS after solid phase extraction. Most substances were 

detected at typical concentrations in the influent municipal sewage. Nevertheless a high quality 

permeate was achieved since most compounds are retained by the nanofiltration down to below 

the quantification limit (10-20 ng/L, 1-3 ng/L for nitrosamines). Only the following compounds 

where still present at quantifiable concentrations in the permeate: diclofenac (48±8 ng/l), 

propranolol (65±41 ng/L), BT (3200±400 ng/L), MeBT (1600±180 ng/L), N-nitrosodimethylamine 

(


The relevance of this work resides mainly in allowing reducing the amount of concentrates 

produced while upgrading municipal wastewater to reuse quality. With conventional double 

membrane schemes (i.e. without concentrate recycle to the biological step) at least 20% of the 

treated water volume has to be discarded as saline concentrate due to scaling on the dense 

membrane. Especially where it is not possible or not allowed to simply discharge the 

concentrates into the sea, solutions for concentrate disposal represent a major limiting factor for 

applying dense membranes. The present work shows, that concentrate recycling allows reducing 

the concentrate volume by more than 50%. Since many optimization options still need to be 

tested (e.g. comparing different type of membranes, optimizing recycle rates to the biological 

units, membrane operation parameters, conditioning before the dense membrane) it is not yet 

possible to assess the minimal concentrate discharge volume allowed for by the treatment 

scheme. 

The oral presentation will focus on the fate of micropollutants and inorganic ions, the 

experimental setup tested, give an outlook to its application potential compared to state of the art 

dual membrane systems and discuss further research steps required. First results of the setup 

with ozonation of the concentrate are shown. 

Biography: 

Education: MSc 1990, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland, in 

chemistry. PhD sc. nat. 1994, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, at the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology. 

Professional Experience: PostDoc 1994-1996 at the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA. 

Since 1996 at Eawag, Dübendorf, Switzerland, in the Department of Environmental Chemistry. 

Major Research Areas: Development of analytical methods for environmental micropollutants 

(mainly pharmaceuticals) and study of their behavior in the environment and during (advanced) 

sewage treatment. Partner in the European Union projects POSEIDON, RECLAIM WATER, 

NEPTUNE, PILLS. 

90


Anthropogenic Gadolinium and Pharmaceuticals as Tracers of 

Sewage Contamination in Groundwater 

Keisuke Kuroda (presenting author), Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of 

Engineering, The University of Tokyo. 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo ward, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan. Tel: 

+81-3-5841-6255. e-mail: k_kuroda@env.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Tetsuo Fukushi1, Michio Murakami2, 

Kumiko Oguma3, Hideshige Takada4, and Satoshi Takizawa3; 1 Water Supply Division, 

Yokohama Waterworks Bureau, Yokohama City Office; 2 "Wisdom of Water" (Suntory), 

Corporate Sponsored Research Program, Organization for Interdisciplinary Research Projects, 

The University of Tokyo; 3 Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, 

The University of Tokyo; 4 Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry (LOG), Institute of Symbiotic 

Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. 

Groundwater abstraction in Tokyo has been strictly regulated for more than thirty years to prevent 

land subsidence. Because of its usefulness in case of emergency such as earthquakes, 

groundwater in Tokyo has recently drawn attention of many citizens. Groundwater contamination, 

however, is a serious hindrance to the beneficial use of groundwaters. This study was conducted 

to assess the current status of groundwater contamination due to infiltration of domestic and 

hospital wastewaters, mainly by sewer leakage, using anthropogenic gadolinium and 

pharmaceuticals as tracers. Anthropogenic gadolinium arises from a stable gadolinium complex 

used as a MRI imaging agent in hospitals, and has been used as a tracer of domestic and 

hospital wastewaters in several water contamination studies. 

Out of 51 wells, 7 wells from unconfined aquifer and 1 well from confined aquifer showed positive 

gadolinium anomaly with the concentration of anthropogenic gadolinium between 1.4-9.9 ng/L. 

The concentration of anthropogenic gadolinium in groundwater corresponded to 2.4-17% of that 

of the effluent obtained from a wastewater treatment plant in Tokyo. Interestingly, among the 8 

wells where anthropogenic gadolinium was detected, sewage indicator bacteria E. coli was not 

detected and some of conservative pharmaceuticals (DEET, crotamiton and carbamazepine) 

were detected only at 3 wells. It suggested that anthropogenic gadolinium could be used to detect 

wastewater infiltration into groundwaters, even though neither E. coli nor pharmaceuticals were 

detected. On the other hand, anthropogenic gadolinium was not detected at some groundwater 

wells though E. coli and pharmaceuticals were detected in those wells. This could be because of 

no infiltration of wastewater from MRI-equipped hospitals or MRI patients or because of the high 

background geogenic gadolinium concentration (14 ng/L and 76 ng/L in unconfined and confined 

aquifers, respectively), which made it difficult to detect low levels of anthropogenic gadolinium. 

The results obtained in this study implied that anthropogenic gadolinium can be used to identify 

groundwater pollution by leakage of wastewaters from MRI-equipped hospitals or MRI patients’ 

houses in central Tokyo. It was also indicated that a combination of anthropogenic gadolinium 

with other sewage indicators or tracers (e.g. E. coli and pharmaceuticals) is complementary for 

better tracing groundwater pollution by domestic and hospital wastewaters. 

91

Biography: 

Keisuke Kuroda, Ph. D. candidate 


Education: 2001: Bachelor of Engineering, Department of Urban Engineering, Faculty of 

Engineering, the University of Tokyo. 2007: Master of Engineering, Department of Urban 

Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo. 

Occupation; 2001-2005: Designing Engineer, Department of Water Works, Nippon Jogesuido 

Sekkei Co., Limited, Japan 

Research interests: Mr. Kuroda’s research interests include groundwater quality and beneficial 

uses of groundwater in urban areas. He has been involved in monitoring groundwater quality in 

central Tokyo since 2005. He has analyzed sources and distributions of nitrogen, dissolved iron, 

and E.coli in groundwater in Tokyo. His research interests also extend to trace elements such as 

rare earth elements (REEs) and micropollutants such as PPCPs in water environment. 

Publications 

Kuroda, K., Fukushi, T., Takizawa, S., Murakami, M., Takada, H., Nakada, N., Aichi, M., Hayashi, 

T., Tokunaga, T., Sources of and factors influencing groundwater contamination in Tokyo 

metropolitan area, Groundwater Quality: Securing Groundwater Quality in Urban and Industrial 

Environments, IAHS Publ. 324, 16-23, 2008. 

Nakada, N., Kiri, K., Shinohara, H., Harada, A., Kuroda, K., Takizawa, S., Takada, H., Evaluation 

of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products as Water-soluble Molecular Markers of Sewage. 

Environmental Science & Technology. Vol. 42, pp. 6347-6353, 2008. 

Kuroda, K., Fukushi, T., Takizawa, Aichi, M., Hayashi, T., Tokunaga, T., Source Estimation of 

Nitrogen Contamination in Groundwaters in Tokyo Metropolitan Area, Environmental Engineering 

Research, Vol. 45, pp. 31-38, 2007 (in Japanese, with English abstract). 

92


Transformation Ratios of Organophosphorous Pesticides to 

Oxons in Chlorination 

Koji Kosaka (presenting author)†,*, Masahiro Kamoshita‡, Mari Asami† and Takako Aizawa§; 

†Department of Water Supply Engineering, National Institute of Public Health, JAPAN; ‡ IDEA 

Consultants, Inc., JAPAN; § Yokohama City Waterworks Bureau, JAPAN 

Introduction 

Organophosphorous pesticides (OPs) are widely used pesticides even in water sources. In 

Japan, 102 pesticides are listed in management items in drinking water regulation and 25 of 102 

pesticides are OPs. It is known that OPs with P=S bond are rapidly transformed to the 

compounds with P=O bond which are called oxons in chlorination. As for toxicity, OPs are known 

as acetylcholine esterase inhibitors and the inhibition activities of their oxons are much higher 

than those of original OPs. So far, chlorination of some OPs has been investigated; however, 

information on the transformation ratios of OPs to oxon has been limited. Therefore, in this 

study, we investigated the transformation ratios of OPs to oxons in chlorination from the points of 

their fundamental structural elements while classifying their structures with P=S bond. The results 

were compared with theoretical analysis of the molecule structures using ab initio molecular 

orbital method. 

Methods 

Ten OPs with P=S bond whose oxons are commercially available were selected as target 

compounds. Batch type experiments of chlorination were conducted at pH 5.8-8.2 (5 mM 

phosphate buffer) at 22±2 oC. Sampling was conducted at selected time intervals, and the 

samples were quenched by Na2S2O3. OPs and their decomposition products were determined 

by LC/MS. Gaussian, a computer chemistry program using ab initio molecular orbital method, 

was applied to calculate the structure of the target chemicals. 

Results and discussion 

Transformation ratios of eight out of ten OPs to their oxons in chlorination at pH 7.2 were high 

(about 0.7-1), especially in phosphonothioate, phosphonodithioate and phosphorothioate 

structure groups. For diazinon, one of the phosphonothioates, the transformation ratios to oxon in 

chlorination were not affected by diazinon and chlorine concentrations and pH although 

concentration profiles of diazinon were dependent on these parameters. However, the 

transformation ratios of the remaining two OPs (butamifos and isofenphos) at pH 7.2 were about 

0.5-0.55 and both of them were phosphonoamidates. Also, in case of the reactivities of OPs with 

chlorine, the apparent reaction rate constants of butamifos and isofenphos at pH 7.2 were 

1.4x104 and 5.2x104 M-1 s-1, respectively and were one to three orders of magnitude higher 

than those of other OPs. 

From the mass balance of butamifos and its decomposition products in chlorination, it was shown 

that a phenolic compound (i.e., 5-methyl-2-nitrophenol) was another decomposition product and 

was rapidly further transformed to its chlorinated derivatives. However, butamifos oxon was 

stable in chlorination. Similarly, a phenolic compound and its chlorinated derivatives were 

determined in chlorination of isofenphos. 

Moreover, the reactions of OPs in chlorination were theoretically investigated. For all OPs 

investigated, electron densities of S atom of P=S bond were highest in highest occupied 

molecular orbital (HOMO), thus, the reaction sites of OPs with P=S bond by HOCl were 

considered to be the S atom. As for phosphonoamidates, it was thus considered that the 

transformation to P=O bond and the breakage of P-O-aryl bond occurred at similar probabilities 

when HOCl attacked the S atom during chlorination. 

93

Biosketch: 

Koji Kosaka, Dr. Eng. 

Department of Water Supply Engineering, National Institute of Public Health, 

2-3-6 Minami, Wako, Saitama 351-0197, Japan 

E-mail: kosaka@niph.go.jp; phone: +81-48-458-6306; fax: +81-48-458-6305. 

94 

Oral Abstract - #94


Occurrence and Fate of Estrogenic Compounds in Australian 

Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants and Riverine 

Environment 

Rai Kookana (presenting author), GG Ying # , Anu Kumar, Mike Williams, Ali Shareef, Marianne 

Woods, Michael Karkkainen; Centre for Environmental Contaminants Research, CSIRO Land 

and Water, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, 5064, Australia; # Current address: Guangzhou Institute of 

Geochemistry, Guangzhou, PR China. 

We have recently completed a three year pilot project to assess the environmental occurrence, 

fate and ecological impact due to exposure of organic contaminants including endocrine 

disrupting chemicals (EDCs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in Australian 

riverine environment. Based on their environmental levels and estrogenic potencies, the 

compounds studied were natural hormones including the 17β-estradiol (E2) and its major 

metabolite estrone (E1), and the synthetic estrogen ethynylestradiol (EE2), and xenoestrogens 

such as the non-ionic surfactants alkylphenol and their ethoxylates including octylphenol (OP), 

nonylphenol (NP), NP mono- and di- ethoxylates (NP1-2EO), and bisphenol A (BPA). 

Surveys for concentration of selected compounds in effluents from treatment plants (WWTPs) 

were undertaken during wet and dry seasons in three states of Australia, namely Queensland 

(Qld), Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and South Australia (SA), to represent and different 

climatic conditions. Both chemical and bioanalytical techniques were used in the project, including 

GC/MS and LC/MS for chemical identifications as well as screening bioassays for estrogenic and 

androgenic activities (YES and YAS). Commercially available ELISA and CALUX were also 

utilised. 

Findings mainly from environmental occurrence and fate studies from the project are discussed 

here. The alkylphenolic xenoestrogens were typically measured at high part per trillion to low part 

per billion (high ng L -1 to low μg L -1 ) concentrations in the WWTP effluent samples. Among the 

xenoestrogens, BPA and OP had the lowest concentrations with median concentrations of 21.5 

and 39.5 ng L -1 , respectively. On the other hand, NP, NP1EO and NP2EO were detected at 

concentrations up to two orders of magnitude higher than OP or BPA. For example, the 

concentration of NP ranged from 514 to 2991 ngL -1 with a median value of 1113 ngL -1 while the 

median concentrations of NP1EO and NP2EO were 1484 and 782 ng L -1, respectively. The 

concentration of estrogens were found to be at low ngL -1 concentrations, with E1 consistently 

occurring at the highest level ranging from 3.1-39.3 ngL -1 (median concentration of E1 at 

23.9 ngL -1 ). The natural hormones E2 concentration typically ranged from 0.05-6.3 ngL -1 with a 

median concentration of 3.8 ngL -1 while and the synthetic contraceptive estrogen EE2 was 

detected at a range of concentrations from 0.01-1.30 ngL -1 with a median concentration of 

0.45 ngL -1 . These concnetrations were generally in the range reported from other countries. 

The WWTPs studied represented a range of different treatment technologies, including activated 

sludge, oxidation ditches and a series of lagoons. Assessment of concentrations of the selected 

EDCs and associated estrogenic activity was undertaken at a number of different stages of the 

treatment process to determine the treatment efficiency of WWTPs to remove the selected 

compounds. Removal of the phenolic xenoestrogens was highly efficient, except where a series 

of parallel anaerobic and aerobic lagoons was used. However, removal of the steroidal estrogens 

was much more variable and none of the treatment technologies used had a clear advantage 

over another for all steroidal hormones. For all STPs the removal efficiencies of estrogenic 

activity was > 92 %, while the measured estrogenicity was again lower than the predicted 

estrogenic activity. 

95


The study highlighted the need to investigate the effects of estrogenic compounds on Australian 

native species and its unique fauna in-vivo. The studies on effects of trace organics in sewage 

effluents on Australian aquatic organisms are currently being undertaken in collaboration with US 

Geological Survey (USGS) and Brunel University, UK. 

Biosketch: 

Dr Rai Kookana is Principal Research Scientist and Research Leader of the team working on 

Waste and Contaminants Risk Assessment in the Centre for Environmental Contaminants 

Research (CECR) laboratories in Adelaide. Dr Kookana has been working on environmental fate 

and effects of organic contaminants for more than 20 years now. 

96


Toxicity Identification Evaluations for Fish Feminization in the 

Central Valley of California 

Ramon Lavado 1 , Jorge E. Loyo-Rosales 2 , Edward P. Kolodziej 3 , Emily Y. Floyd 1 , David L. Sedlak 

(presenting author) 2 , Shane Snyder 4 and Daniel Schlenk 1 ; 1 Department of Environmental 

Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA USA; 2 Department of Civil and Environmental 

Engineering, University of California, Berkeley CA USA; 3 Department of Civil and Environmental 

Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV USA; 4 Reserach and Development, Southern 

Nevada Water Authority, Henderson, NV USA 

Studies conducted in surface waters that receive a large fraction of their overall flow from sewage 

treatment plants have established that steroid hormones and alkylphenols are present in sewage 

effluent at concentrations high enough to feminize sensitive species of fish. To assess the 

possible presence of estrogenic compounds from sources unrelated to municipal wastewater 

estrogenic activity of water samples from waterways in the Central Valley of California that do not 

receive significant effluent discharges in were evaluated by combining chemical analyses with in 

vitro expression of vitellogenin (Vtg) in primary hepatocytes of juvenile Rainbow trout 

(Oncorhynchus mykiss) as well as in vivo expression of Vtg in Rainbow trout injected with 

extracts. Water samples were analyzed every two months from July 2006 to April 2007 from 15 

sites throughout the watershed. The highest 17β-estradiol equivalents (EEQs) detected by both 

bioassays were detected consistently throughout the year at a site in the Sacramento River in the 

Delta, and at a site in the Napa River. At these sites, the estrogenic activity was comparable to or 

higher than the levels typically detected in wastewater effluent. Results from chemical analysis of 

the water samples indicated that the concentrations of steroid hormones, alkylphenol 

polyethoxylates and alkylphenols were below the threshold values for feminization of sensitive 

species such as the rainbow trout and could not explain the observed estrogenic activity. Solid 

phase extraction (C-18) of the water from the two sites with subsequent elution with 20, 40, 60, 

80 and 100% methanol indicated that the greatest estrogenic activity was present in the 80-100% 

methanol fraction (Napa) and 60% methanol fraction (Delta) indicating site-specificity for 

compounds responsible for estrogenic activity. Studies are currently underway to isolate 

unknown compounds in the fractions displaying bioactivity. 

97


Fate of Disinfection By-Products in Secondary and Tertiary 

Treated Wastewater 

Kathryn L Linge (presenting author) 1 , Justin Blythe 2 , Francesco Busetti 1 , and Anna Heitz 1 ; 1 Curtin 

Water Quality Research Centre, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, 6845, Australia; 

2 Kellogg Brown & Root Pty Ltd, PO Box 7779, Cloister Square, Perth, 6850, Australia 

A key initiative of the Western Australian State Water Strategy is 30% wastewater reuse by 2030. 

A major component of meeting this goal will be recharge to aquifers beneath the Swan Coastal 

Plain, specifically the Gnangara Mound, Perth’s major drinking water aquifer. The Groundwater 

Replenishment Trial will inject wastewater treated by microfiltration (MF) and reverse osmosis 

(RO) into the Gnangara Mound, with re-extraction for drinking water planned for the future. 

Health and environmental impacts of trace chemical contaminants, or chemicals of concern 

(COCs), is a key emerging issue in using treated wastewater for indirect potable reuse. As part of 

a three-year monitoring project, we have developed methods and monitored over 200 COCs at 

ng to µg L -1 levels. These COCs were selected on the basis of literature reviews of chemicals 

detected in secondary treated effluents. Seasonal sampling was undertaken during 2007 and 

2008 at Perth’s three major metropolitan wastewater treatment plants and two MF/RO treatment 

plants, one specifically built for the aquifer recharge trial. 

We will discuss trends for several classes of disinfection by-products (DBPs), including HAAs, 

HANs, HALs, HAKs and nine N-nitrosamine compounds. DBP concentrations in secondary 

wastewater were typically low and MF/RO treatment removed most to below the current analytical 

limits of detection, and more importantly, to below drinking water guidelines or health benchmark 

values developed for the project. However, N-nitrosaminedimethylamine (NDMA), in particular, as 

well as other N-nitrosamine compounds in particular were present in secondary treated 

wastewater in concentrations up to two orders of magnitude greater than health benchmark 

values and were poorly removed during MF/RO. In addition to poor RO rejection, N-nitrosamine 

formation within the MF/RO plant was attributed to addition of monochloramine (NH2Cl) to the 

wastewater stream to minimise membrane fouling. A number of novel approaches, including 

treatment of the MF/RO permeate with advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), pre-treatment 

before MF/RO and modifications to the existing MF/RO treatment process are now being 

considered for optimal N-nitrosamine removal. 

98

Biosketches: 


Dr Justin Blythe is a Water Chemist with Kellogg Brown & Root Pty Ltd. He worked as a CWQRC 

Research Fellow from 2005-2008 developing GC-MS methods to characterize chemicals of 

concern (COCs) in raw and treated wastewaters. His PhD (2007) investigated the chemistry of a 

bromophenol taste in drinking water. 

Mailing address: Kellogg Brown & Root Pty Ltd 

PO Box 7779 Cloister Square 

Perth 6850 

Australia 

Email: Justin.blythe@kbr.com 

Dr Francesco Busetti has been a CWQRC Research Fellow since March 2005. His research 

interests include occurrence and removal of chemicals of concern in raw and treated 

wastewaters, water reuse and development of LC-MS/MS and LC-TOF-MS analytical methods 

for pharmaceuticals and personal care products in indirect potable reuse systems. 

Mailing address: Curtin Water Quality Research Centre 

Department of Applied Chemistry 

Curtin University 

GPO Box U1987 

Perth 6845 

Australia 

Email: f.busetti@exchange.curtin.edu.au 

A/Prof Anna Heitz is the Director of the CWQRC, with career in water science spanning 25 years. 

Her research studies the behaviour of organic chemicals in potable water and wastewaters (i.e. 

taste-and-odour compounds, chemicals of concern, NOM, disinfection by-products). She has 

substantial experience in trace analytical chemistry and NOM characterisation. 




GPO Box U1987 

Perth 6845 

Australia 

Email: a.heitz@curtin.edu.au 

Dr Kathryn Linge has been a CWQRC Research Fellow since 2007 characterising chemicals of 

concern in treated wastewater for indirect potable reuse. She has extensive expertise in ICP-MS 

instrumentation, and both environmental and analytical chemistry. Her PhD (2002) investigated 

arsenic and phosphorus remobilisation in Lake Yangebup, a shallow wetland. 




GPO Box U1987 

Perth 6845 

Australia 

Email: k.linge@curtin.edu.au 

99


Occurrence of Old and Emergent Polyfluorinated Chemicals in 

Ambient Waters and in Drinking Water Resources 

F. T. Lange, H.-J. Brauch; DVGW Water Technology Center (TZW), Karlsruhe, Germany, 

lange@tzw.de 

Perfluorinated compounds (PFC) enter the aquatic environment through industrial and municipal 

wastewaters, accidental spills, e.g. by fire-fighting activities, leaching of contaminated solid 

wastes, and airborne deposition. Therefore, they are found ubiquitously in ground and surface 

waters, which are used for drinking water production. Due to the bioaccumulation potential and 

the toxic properties of some PFC combined with their outstanding recalcitrance and high polarity, 

they are of extraordinary relevance for the water works. 

Both, perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCA) and perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFASs), have been 

detected in the raw waters of waterworks using groundwater or bank filtrate as raw water and 

also in drinking water. Especially low molecular PFC with four to eight carbon atoms in the alkyl 

chain can be detected in the raw and drinking waters of waterworks. Typically, even after the 

phasing-out of the perfluorooctyl chemistry by the 3M company in 2002, the C8 compounds 

PFOA and PFOS occur in the highest levels among the homologues. In a monitoring program in 

Germany in a PFOS/PFOA mass concentration ratio of approximately 3 was observed 

widespread, e.g in the rivers Rhine, Danube, Elbe, and Neckar and in Lake Constance and its 

tributaries. 

In general, concentrations of PFC in drinking waters are not detectable or in the low ng/L range, 

e.g. well below the recommended German target value at a level of 0.1 µg/L for PFOA, PFOS 

and additional PFC. High PFC concentrations up to the µg/L range occur only locally or 

temporarily. 

Due to the PFOS restriction in the EU and the global 2010/2015 PFOA stewardship program low 

molecular PFC substitutes, like perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), are expected to occur more 

frequently and in increasing levels in the raw waters of waterworks. PFBS concentrations up to 

about 3 µg/L have been detected in the Rhine river. Fluorotelomer compounds are a second 

class of substitutes for the older PFOS chemistry. The partially hydrogenated fluorotelomer 

compound 6:2-fluorotelomersulfonate (6:2-FtS), which has even been proposed in the literature 

as an internal standard for PFC analysis and which is a building block of surfactants for firefighting, 

is found quite frequently in wastewaters and sludges and in low concentrations also in 

surfaces waters and bank filtrates. 

The shorter the chain lengths of the PFCA or PFAS homologues, the more difficult they are to 

remove during water treatment. Natural processes like bank filtration or percolation into the 

groundwater aquifer do not effectively withhold PFC from drinking water sources. Also oxidation 

by ozone, typically applied in surface water works, is ineffective for PFCA and PFAS. Water 

treatment by adsorption onto activated carbon is an adequate tool for eliminating most of the PFC 

in the raw waters of the water works. However, the most polar homologues cannot be removed 

using feasible and cost effective running times of GAC filters. 

The example of PFC residues in drinking water teach that in the future, prior to the release of a 

new chemical onto the global markets, the concerns of the water works regarding the removal 

efficiency of chemicals by natural processes should play a more important role than in the past. 

Acknowledgement 

The financial support of the DVGW, the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and 

Water within the project W 7/01/04 “Investigations of perfluorinated alkyl compounds in German 

drinking water sources” is gratefully acknowledged. 

100

References: 


F. T. Lange, M. Wenz, C. K. Schmidt, H.-J. Brauch, Water Science & Technology 56 (11), 151- 

158 (2007) 

F. T. Lange, C. K. Schmidt, H.-J. Brauch, GWF Wasser Abwasser 148 (7/8), 510-516 (2007) 

Biosketches: 

Dr. Frank Thomas Lange (presenter) 



D-76139 Karlsruhe 

Germany 

Phone: +49 721 9678-157 

Fax: +49 721 9678-104 

E-Mail: lange@tzw.de 

Dr. Lange is a senior research chemist at TZW, the research institute of the German Gas and 

Waterworks Association. Since 1992 he is responsible for various projects on water quality, and 

treatment. His current interests comprise occurrence and behaviour of polar organic pollutants 

like perfluorinated chemicals, aromatic sulfonates, and polar pesticides including their metabolites 

in the aquatic environment. 

Prof. Dr. Heinz-Jürgen Brauch 



D-76139 Karlsruhe 

Germany 

Phone: +49 721 9678-150 

Fax: +49 721 9678-104 

E-Mail: brauch@tzw.de 

Prof. Dr. Heinz-Jürgen Brauch is the head of the chemical analysis department of TZW, the 

research institute of the German Gas and Waterworks association. Since 1984 he is an 

internationally accepted expert in the field of water chemistry with special focus on the analysis of 

inorganic and organic trace-pollutants, their occurrence in the aquatic environment and their fate 

during drinking water treatment. Since 2005 Heinz-Jürgen Brauch is honorary professor at the 

Technical University in Dresden. 

101


Quantification of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents 

using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry – A 

Geochemical Perspective of Micropollutant Occurrence 

Michael Lawrence 1 , Yvan Poussade 2 , Jurg Keller 1 ; 1 The University of Queensland, Advanced 

Water Management Centre (AWMC), QLD 4072, Australia; 2 Veolia Water Australia, 20 Wharf 

Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia 

Gadolinium (Gd) is a naturally occurring rare earth element (REE) that is present in all geological 

samples. In natural samples, the concentration of any REE is intimately, and predictably related 

to the remaining elements in the series. By geochemical convention, the method for presenting 

REE data is via a shale-normalised pattern; in natural samples, the REEs should have a coherent 

relative abundance, resulting in a smooth REE pattern. However, the shale-normalised REE 

pattern for wastewater has a distinct spike, or anomaly, at Gd. This anomaly has been attributed 

to the presence of Gd-containing organometallic magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents 

(1). The excess Gd above the natural concentration is therefore defined as “anthropogenic Gd”. 

Gadolinium has seven unpaired electrons, and as a result, is an efficient paramagnetic shift 

reagent in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The average adult dose requires that 

approximately 3 g of Gd is injected into the patient as a highly stable organometallic complex. As 

the use of MRI has expanded, the functional groups on the contrast agents have been amended 

to attain better selectivity for imaging different organs, with the result that today 14 such 

complexes are registered for use in medical imaging in Australia. These complexes are excreted 

by the patient within 6-12 hours of administration, and thus enter the urban water cycle. For 

freshwater sources, natural dissolved Gd concentrations are coherent with the remaining REE, 

and typically in the range of 10 – 200 pM. The addition of Gd from MRI contrast agents to 

wastewater is sufficient to noticeably alter the natural REE pattern. For example, for a treatment 

plant with 150 000 m 3 /day capacity, the application of a single medical dose theoretically 

increases the Gd concentration by 127 pM, and altering the measured abundance by up to an 

order of magnitude. 

We describe an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) method capable of 

direct measurement of the REE concentrations in filtered environmental water and wastewater 

samples. This method can quantify low pM concentrations of Gd (method detection limit 0.5 pM). 

To our knowledge, this is the first technique that is capable of measuring process relevant 

concentrations of a pharmaceutical-type micropollutant without the need for any preconcentration 

step. 

Our results, from South East Queensland (SEQ), Australia, indicate that Gd is present in fresh 

and wastewater sources at concentrations from 10 – 1800 pM. The fresh water samples from the 

drinking water supply all have smooth shale-normalised REE patterns; the effluents from 8 

wastewater treatment plants each have a distinct Gd anomaly, which we attribute to the addition 

of MRI contrast agents to the waste stream. In each example the Gd concentration is 10-100 

times higher than expected from the natural REE abundance. 

Our study demonstrates that MRI contrast agents are readily found as ubiquitous micropollutants 

in the effluent of wastewater treatment plants. Further, we demonstrate that drinking water supply 

reservoirs, and tap water, currently shows no evidence of contamination with human derived 

treated wastewater. 

References: 

(1) Bau and Dulski, 1996, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 143 (1-4), 245-255. 

102

Biosketch: 

Dr Michael Lawrence. 


The University of Queensland 


Brisbane QLD 4072, AUSTRALIA 

+617 33466252 (telephone) 

+617 33654726 (fax) 



Michael spent much of the past decade as a marine chemist researching trace element 

distribution and speciation. He has recently applied this knowledge to the burgeoning field of 

micropollutants, using a combination of ICP-MS and LC-MSMS to better describe the occurrence 

of organometallic micropollutants in manufactured and natural water supplies. 

103


Evaluation of the Removal of Organic Priority and Emerging 

Substances in the Activated Sludge Process Through 7 On-site 

Campaigns 

Martin Ruel S. (presenting author)1; Choubert, J.M.2; Esperanza, M.1; Burchet, A1; Coquery, M2; 

1CIRSEE, Suez Environnement, 38 rue du President Wilson, 78230 Le Pecq - France; 

2Cemagref, Water Quality and Pollution Prevention Research Unit, F-69336 Lyon cedex 09, 

France 

Keywords: Activated Sludge; Priority Pollutants: Removal efficiency; Organic Compounds 

A series of priority substances has been listed in the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), 

for which the emissions into the environment have to be reduced or stopped by 2015 in order to 

reach the good status of the water bodies. In this work, the activated sludge (AS) process, which 

is the most widespread technology in Europe used for municipal wastewater treatment, was 

evaluated with respect to its efficiency for the removal of organic priority substances and other 

relevant emerging pollutants through on-site mass balances over 7 French municipal WWTPs. 

Mass balances were performed based on measurements on the influent, effluent, waste activated 

sludge and return of sludge dewatering during 3 successive 24h-periods under dry weather flow 

conditions, with refrigerated samplers equipped with Teflon pipes and glass containers. Strict 

procedures of cleaning, sampling, and field blanks were carried out. Seven methods were 

developed for the analysis of priority and emerging organic compounds : 8 PAHs, 2 plasticisers 

(DEHP, bisphenol A), 7 volatile organics (VOC), 8 chlorophenols, 7 flame retardants (PBDEs), 9 

specialized chemicals (including C10-C13 chloroalkanes, 17 pesticides belonging to different 

classes and 2 antibiotics. Soluble and particulate phases were analysed in wastewater, except for 

VOCs (only raw samples). Particulate phases were analysed in sludge. The WWTPs studied 

were representative of various sizes (from 3 000 to 300 000 population equivalents), various 

types of sewers (combined/separate, rural/urban) and of various types of AS lines (low/medium 

load noted LL/ML, with/without primary settling noted PS), operating at different sludge ages 

(from 4.5 to 27 days) and temperatures (from 9 to 23°C). 

Results for representative compounds are discussed. For volatile compounds like 

dichloromethane, wastewater removal yields were about 30% for low temperature AS and ML AS, 

but increased to 70% for LL at 15°C and reached 90% when AS was prec eded by PS or was 

operating at 20°C. The DEHP was the compound most efficiently removed from wastewater, with 

yields ranging from 75% to 99%, essentially through adsorption onto sludge considering its very 

low biodegradability. The importance of adsorption processes was evidenced when global 

process removals were calculated, including the outlet load of micro-pollutants through extracted 

sludge and the inlet through the returns from the sludge line. A significant reduction of removal 

efficiency was then obtained when micro-pollutants were detected in sludge (example : DEHP 

removal decreased from 90% to 30%). Chemical additives decaBDE and C10-C13 chloroalkanes 

were removed to about 70% in all processes, except when PS allowed to reach more than 90% 

removal for chloroalkanes in relation to their high adsorption potential. Similar efficiencies were 

obtained for PAH fluoranthene in LL AS processes, but lower removals obtained for ML and lower 

sludge age processes tend to reveal some biodegradation processes. The same comment 

applies for benzothiazole and for chlorophenols, but with lower removal efficiencies (50 – 70% 

range). Antibiotic sulphamethoxazole was generally removed at the same efficiency range, but 

with a decrease of efficiency at low temperature and high mass load. The fate of pesticides in AS 

was very variable depending on the compound, but also on the site investigated. 

Hexachlorocyclohexane and diuron were generally removed to less than 50%. These compounds 

and others presented sometimes negative yields due to operational reasons (discontinuous 

sludge extraction) and to analytical reasons (high uncertainties in wastewater and sludge 

104


matrices). In the case of glyphosate, removal yields were always negative, probably meaning that 

it arrives to the plants in a conjugated form. 

The present work helped to assess the efficiency of the activated sludge process for the removal 

of organic micro-pollutants, pointing out fundamental criteria to improve the reliability of data. It 

showed the importance of taking into account the adsorption on sludge to assess real removal 

efficiency of wastewater treatment processes. It will be helpful to get support from general fate 

models to propose the most adapted solutions for micro-pollutants removal. 

This study was supported by the French National Research Agency, in the framework of the 

AMPERES project. 

Biosketch: 

Samuel Martin Ruel, chemical engineer from National Chemistry School of Paris and Ph. D. in 

Environmental Sciences. Since 2003, he has been working at Cirsee, the research and technical 

centre of Suez Environment, where he manages research projects related to wastewater 

treatment, and more specifically to biological nutrient removal (dynamic modelling, aeration, 

nitrogen removal) and micro-pollutants removal. 

Contact information: 38 rue du président Wilson. 78230 Le Pecq, France 

Email : samuel.martin@suez-env.com 

Tel : +33 (0)1.34.80.23.51 

Fax : +33(0)1.30.53.62.11 

105


The Distribution of Antidepressants and Their Metabolites in an 

Urban Watershed 

Chris D. Metcalfe (presenting author) and Hongxia Li, Worsfold Water Quality Centre, Trent 

University, Peterborough, ON, Canada 

Anti-depressants are a widely prescribed group of pharmaceuticals that include drugs from the 

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor class, as well as serotonin-noradrenergic reuptake inhibitors 

and noradrenergic-dopaminergic reuptake inhibitors. These anti-depressants are biotransformed 

in humans to products that may retain biological activity. In this study, we evaluated the 

distribution of 6 anti-depressants (venlafaxine, bupropion, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram and 

paroxetine) and 5 of their metabolites in municipal wastewater and in receiving waters 

downstream of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Grand River watershed in southern 

Ontario, Canada. In municipal wastewater and in river water immediately below WWTP 

discharges, the target compounds present in the highest concentrations (i.e. >0.5 μg/L) were 

venlafaxine and its two demethylation products, O- and N-desmethylvenlafaxine. Also detected at 

relatively high concentrations were citalopram and its metabolite, desmethyl citalopram, as well 

as bupropion. Removal rates of the target analytes in a WWTP were approximately 40%. The 

relative concentrations of the anti-depressants were correlated with the drug prescription patterns 

and the amounts of unconjugated metabolites that are excreted in human urine. These 

compounds persisted in river water samples collected at a site several km downstream of a 

WWTP that is the intake location for a drinking water treatment plant. Although two antidepressants 

(i.e. citalopram, bupropion) were detected in raw drinking water, these compounds 

were not detected in the treated drinking water. This study illustrates that data are needed on the 

distribution in the aquatic environment of both the parent compound and the biologically active 

metabolites of pharmaceuticals. 


Chris Metcalfe, PhD 

Professor, Environmental and Resource Studies Program 

Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada 

Dr. Metcalfe has been a Professor at Trent University for over 20 years, and he has a wide range 

of experience in determining the environmental fate and effects of both persistent and nonpersistent 

contaminants, including PCBs, organochlorine pesticides, PAHs, surfactants, natural 

and synthetic estrogens, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, and nanomaterials. He 

has utilized a wide range of analytical instrumentation to evaluate the distribution of contaminants 

in water, soils, sediments, industrial and domestic effluents, fish, birds and marine mammals. Dr. 

Metcalfe has also used in vitro and in vivo techniques to evaluate the biological and toxicological 

effects of contaminants to fish and amphibians. Dr. Metcalfe also has extensive experience in 

water quality issues in developing countries, including Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, Cuba and 

Indonesia. Since July, 2006, Dr. Metcalfe has been the Director of the Institute for Watershed 

Science at Trent University. This multi-disciplinary research centre is currently involved in 

research on watershed management, including “Source Water Protection” of drinking water 

resources. 

106


Activity-Directed Analytical Tools Based on Hormone Receptor- 

Affinity Extraction for Isolating Dissolved EDCs from Complex 

Mixtures 

P. Lee Ferguson and Lauren K. Shaw 

We report the development of a new method, hormone receptor-affinity extraction, for isolating 

xenoestrogenic environmental contaminants from complex water and wastewater samples prior 

to analysis by HPLC-MS/MS and HPLC-QTOF MS. This technique utilizes the specificity of 

hexahistidine-tagged, recombinant human estrogen receptor (alpha isoform) ligand binding 

domain (ERα-LBD) to bind trace estrogenic compounds in solution prior to co-purification of the 

ERα-LBD-xenoestrogen complex using immobilized metal-affinity chromatography. This method 

reduces sample complexity and enriches for estrogen receptor-relevant endocrine disruptors. 

Xenoestrogens in municipal wastewater effluent and in surface waters impacted by irrigation 

runoff from land-application of wastewater effluent were isolated by receptor-affinity extraction 

and quantified by HPLC coupled to triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry using stable-isotope 

dilution. Synthetic xenoestrogens (nonylphenol, bisphenol A, and octylphenol) were detected in 

water and wastewater at concentrations up to approximately 350 ng·L -1 , while biogenic estrogens 

(17β-estradiol, estrone, and estriol) were present in these samples at lower concentrations 

(typically below 10 ng·L -1 ). The pharmaceutical contraceptive estrogen 17α-ethynylestradiol was 

not measured in water or wastewater samples above detection limits (< 1 ng·L -1 ). Qualitative 

analysis of non-target xenoestrogens in wastewater receptor-affinity extracts was performed by 

HPLC-QTOF MS/MS, and the weak xenoestrogen 2-(2-(4-nonylphenoxy)ethoxy)acetic acid 

(NP2EC) was identified by accurate mass measurement and high resolution MS/MS. 

Identification of this compound (an oxidative degradation product of nonylphenol polyethoxylate 

surfactants) in estrogen-receptor affinity isolates of wastewater effluent demonstrates the utility of 

this method for characterizing trace xenoestrogens in complex mixtures without prior knowledge 

of their identities. 

107


Identifying Persistent Tracers of Wastewater - Pharmaceuticals 

in Switzerland 

Dr. Christoph Ort (presenting author), Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and 

Technology, CH-8600 Dubendorf, Switzerland; Advanced Water Management Center, Level 4 

Gehrmann Building (60), University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia, phone: +61 

(0)7 334 66252, e-mail: c.ort@awmc.uq.edu.au; Juliane Hollender, Eawag, Head of 

Environmental Chemistry Department; Michael Schaerer, Federal Office for the Environment, Scientific 

officer Water Division; Hansruedi Siegrist, Eawag, Head of Environmental 

Engineering Department 

Up to now, no systematic monitoring scheme for micropollutants in Swiss surface waters exist, 

hence, only few reliable measured values are reported. To formulate a national strategy for the 

reduction of micropollutants from urban drainage, the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment 

launched the large interdisciplinary research project “MicroPoll”. To efficiently identify critical river 

sections in a complex river network, a flexible geo-referenced model was developed. Drawing 

conclusions from this extensive modeling study, twelve compounds - mainly pharmaceuticals - 

revealed a good agreement between model prediction and actual measurements. 

The required model input information consists in the first place of the annual sales data for pharmaceuticals 

in 2000 and 2004, assumed to be equivalent to the consumption (obtained from IMS 

Health Ltd.). An important parameter is the “fraction of parent compound excreted unchanged”. 

Data for this was obtained from an extensive literature study on pharmacokinetics. No processes 

are considered to be relevant in sewers due to comparable small and steep catchments in Switzerland. 

Average removal efficiencies for micropollutants in conventional activated sludge wastewater 

treatment plants (WWTP) were also taken from literature. Given the half lives of many 

compounds under consideration being significantly higher than one day and the fairly short residence 

times in Swiss rivers, all smaller than one day, no degradation processes were considered 

in the natural water bodies. However, due to considerably longer residence times in lakes, full 

elimination in lakes can be considered conceptually for compounds known to be prone to photodegradation. 

This still implies that loads discharged from WWTPs will be summed up downstream 

of rivers but set to 0 at the outlet of a lake. 

With this conservative approach and average(!) input data, the eight compounds benzotriazole, 

carbamazepine, clarithromycin, diazinon, diclofenac, naproxen (only effluent WWTP), sotalol and 

sulfapyridine revealed mean predictive accuracy factors (MPAF) for pollutant loads between 0.9 

and 1.2 for WWTP effluents and 0.9 to 1.5 for river sections, respectively (no parameter fitting!). 

The MPAF is obtained by dividing predicted by observed values and averaging them. The number 

of samples range from 9 to 27 in this study. The R 2 from linear regressions were between 

0.95 and 0.73 for WWTP effluents, 0.98 and 0.59 for river samples. These indicate that daily micropollutant 

loads are directly proportional to the population size in the corresponding catchments. 

Four other compounds, namely atenolol, primidone, sulfamethoxazole (including its main 

metabolite acetyl-sulfamethoxazole) and trimethoprim show comparable R 2 (0.88 to 0.69) indicating 

the same correlation. In contrast, the MPAF for these four compounds range from 1.8 to 6.5 

for WWTP effluents. To assess if too high sales data or too high excretion ratios lead to this overestimation, 

further investigations would have to be carried out. Either way, bringing the MPAF for 

WWTP effluents closer to 1 would also improve the MPAF for the river sections (currently 1.6 to 

3.1). 

This modeling study supports that i) the compounds under investigation are widely applied and ii) 

the knowledge on their behavior is sufficiently understood to make a reliable prediction of daily 

loads. With hydrological data a realistic exposure (concentrations) can be calculated. Considering 

108


current consumption data in Switzerland, average removal in conventional biological WWTPs and 

the most recent recommendations for water quality criteria, diclofenac leads to the largest need 

for action. In river sections downstream of 124 WWTPs diclofenac concentrations exceed 0.1 g 

L -1 at base flow conditions. If diclofenac cannot be eliminated at the source, the model suggests a 

directed upgrade of 173 WWTPs to meet the condition that concentrations are never to exceed 

this water quality criterion - an upgrade of a WWTP upstream has a positive effect on the water 

quality downstream and hence a smaller number of WWTPs needs to be upgraded as initially 

river sections were counted where the water quality criterion was exceeded. The corresponding 

numbers including metabolites with the same eco-toxicity potential as the parent compound are 

224 river sections downstream of WWTPs requiring an upgrade of 109 WWTPs. For the future 

allocation of resources and investment in advanced wastewater treatment steps, this model is a 

highly valuable tool for decision support allowing to test for different upgrading strategies (costbenefit 

analysis). 

Outlook: The application of water quality criteria must be clearly defined: should they apply to 

mean concentrations, concentrations at mean annual flow, or even base flow conditions? Such 

choices will influence decisively the need for action and investment. However, the model already 

answers many “what if” questions arising in cost-benefit analyses and the long-term planning 

process of prospective environmental protection agencies and WWTP operators. Once the water 

quality criteria are determined, the model will be further applied for setting up sensitive monitoring 

campaigns, including chemical analyses and bioassays, at identified hotspots. These shall confirm 

the successful reduction of micropollutant loads, and inherent enhanced water quality. The 

substances identified in this study may serve as suitable tracers to set up effective monitoring 

schemes. 

Biography: 

� Masters in civil and rural engineer (1999, ETH Zurich) 

� PhD in environmental engineering (2006, Eawag and ETH) 

Short-term dynamics of micropollutants in sewer systems: 

http://e-collection.ethbib.ethz.ch/eserv/eth:28988/eth-28988-02.pdf 

� Awarded for the best urban drainage paper by a young author (2005) 

� Leader of expert group “Modeling micropollutant mass fluxes from urban drainage in Swiss 

surface waters” within the large national research project “MicroPoll” (2006-2008, Eawag) 

� Swiss National Science Foundation Grant (12 months) 

� Postdoctoral Research Fellow (AWMC, University of Queensland) 

Current project: Hospital wastewater characterization and quantification within recycled water 

schemes. 

109


A Novel Approach to Reduce the Emission of Pharmaceutical 

and X-Ray Diagnostic Agents into the Aquatic Environment 

Anke Putschew Dr., Michael Stieber, Martin Jekel; Technische Universität Berlin, Institute of 

Environmental Engineering, Chair of Water Quality Control, KF4 , Strasse des 17. Juni 135, 

10623 Berlin, Germany; Phone: +40 30 314 25480, anke.putschew@tu-berlin.de 

Introduction 

Since the last decade pharmaceuticals und diagnostic agents for X-ray examinations of organs 

and vessels are detected in all anthropogenic influenced waters. In some cases such compounds 

could also be detected in ground and drinking water. Pharmaceuticals are produced with a 

special biological activity. Antimicrobials are applied to humans and animals in case of bacterial 

infections or as a growing promotion agent, in case of animals. There is a big concern about the 

occurrence of antimicrobials in the aquatic environment due to the possibility that bacteria might 

become resistant to the compounds and thus, the medical benefit of antimicrobials is ineffective. 

Cytostatic drugs are used for cancer treatment, inhibiting cell growth and division, and are thus in 

general toxic. In contrast to antimicrobials and cytostatic drugs contrast media like iodinated 

benzene derivatives are harmless. The application of the iodinated compounds requires that the 

compounds have no biological activity, that they are stable and very polar. The mentioned 

characteristics guaranty that the diagnostic agents are extracted rapidly after application and 

waste water treatment plant are not able to remove the compounds. The contamination of surface 

and ground water with pharmaceuticals and contrast media could be reduced if loaded urine of 

hospital waste water is collected separately followed by a specific treatment. As a possible 

treatment step the reductive treatment with zero-valent iron is studied. 

Experimental 

As pharmaceuticals and contrast media piperacilline, cefuroxime, ciprofloxacine, ifosfamide, 

methotrexate, iopromide and diatrizoate were chosen and as zero-valent iron granular iron (size: 

0.3–3mm, surface area: 0.5m2/g). All experiments were carried out in Plexiglas batch reactors 

which were kept in dark. Experiments were done in ultra pure water as well as in urine. Before 

adding a defined amount of iron the pH of the solution was adjusted and was kept constant for 

kinetic experiments with hydrochloric acid. The pH was controlled by titro-processors from 

Metrohm (Switzerland). Experiments were done at different constant pH values, temperatures, 

iron surface areas and stirring speeds. The dissolved oxygen and the pH were monitored. The 

batch tests were sampled regularly and the concentration of the selected compounds, iodide and 

dissolved iron were determined after filtration (0.45 µm). 

Results 

Preliminary experiments performed in ultra pure water and urine showed that the concentration of 

all selected compounds can be reduced by the treatment with zero-valent iron (initial pH 2). In 

case of the iodinated X-ray contrast media a complete deiodination could be verified. The 

observed reaction rate was determined for all compounds for different pH values, temperatures, 

stirring speeds and iron surface concentrations. The observed reaction rate has a maximum for 

all compounds at pH ≤ 3, except for methotrexate. The reaction rate for methotrexate is in general 

one magnitude higher and has a maximum at pH 2. The observed reaction rate increases with 

increasing temperature and stirring speed for all compounds. In case of experiments done in ultra 

pure water the mother compounds are not detectable by LC-MS/MS after 8 hours at pH ≤ 3, 

except diatrizoate and ifosfamide where the initial concentration is reduced by 60 %, respectively 

85%. In the matrix urine the reaction is much slower. In time further experiments concerning 

kinetic and mechanisms expects are performed and the biodegradability of the transformation 

products is under investigation. 

110


The treatment of separated urine with zero-valent iron seems to be a promising process to reduce 

the emission of pharmaceuticals and iodinated diagnostic agents into the aquatic environment. To 

perform the process a pH adjustment, stirring and iron is a necessary, thus the process is not 

expensive. Due to the low volume of urine in comparison to waste water the process must not be 

very fast. 

Biosketch: 

Dr. Anke Putschew, studied Chemistry at the University Oldenburg, Diploma thesis in technical 

chemistry, PhD in Organic Geochemistry at the Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine 

Environment (University Oldenburg), PostDoc at the University Bristol (GB), Environmental and 

Analytical Chemistry, since 1998 research assistant at the Technical University Berlin, 

Department of Water Quality Control. 

111


Dynamic Modelling of Formation, Sorption and Biodegradation 

Processes for Hormones and Antibiotics in Activated Sludge 

Systems 

Dr. Benedek Gy. Plósz 1 ; 1 Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalléen 21, NO- 

0349 Oslo, Norway; Title: Research scientist; Telephone: +4722185100; benedek.plosz@niva.no; 

Henriette Leknes 2 ; 2 Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), 2027 Kjeller, Norway; Kevin V. 

Thomas 1 

Removal of most hormone and antibiotic micro-pollutants (HAMPs) from municipal sewage can 

only partly be achieved through biological treatment, with complete elimination, requiring 

advanced oxidation treatment. Whether the apparent complexity of the HAMPs’ occurrence in the 

influent sewage and their fate in the secondary treatment process will permit engineers to 

develop control strategies for the tertiary chemical step is a pressing research question. An 

assessment of the influent diurnal variation and fate of HAMPs in the Bekkelaget activated sludge 

wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), Oslo, Norway was presented in a former study. Two 

different diurnal influent HAMP concentration patterns are identified that correlate well with daily 

drug administration patterns and with the expected maximum human hormone release. The 

HAMPs removal efficiency of biological treatment is shown to be limited. Increased 

concentrations of trimethoprim, sulfomethoxazole, cefuroxime, ciprofloxacin and, under high 

loading, estrone are observed at the effluent of the biological treatment, compared to the values 

obtained in the influent, mainly, as a result of deconjugation processes. Models in biological 

wastewater treatment play an important role in the process design and in the determination of 

optimal operating conditions. 

In this study, we present a dynamic model of the Bekkelaget WWTP, and the driver for model 

development and evaluation is discussed using results obtained with eight-hour flow-proportional 

samples taken in a three-day measuring campaign under dry-weather conditions. Estrone, a 

natural estrogen, and sulfomethoxazole, a sulphonamide synthetic antimicrobial, are used as 

candidates for this study. Concentration profiles, measured in batch experiments, spiked with preclarified 

influent, served to evaluate the kinetic model developed for sorption and biodegradation. 

We investigate the factors that may influence the removal of the selected HAMPs through the 

pre-anoxic and aerobic biological treatment. Optimisation of the fate model is proposed by using 

a pseudo first-order kinetic description of the deconjugation process, i.e. the formation of parent 

compounds as a result of the microbial activity in activated sludge. In order to assess the total 

parent compound concentrations, the conjugated HAMP fractions contained in the WWTP influent 

were additionally calculated by fitting the model developed to the data measured in the batch 

experiments. Ratios of the influent parent to the conjugated compounds (Fpc) were subsequently 

calculated. The model developed shows limited efficiency to describe concentration values for 

both micro-pollutants studied in the batch experiments, when growth substrate removal occurs. 

Further optimisation of the micro-pollutant model is proposed by accounting for competitive 

inhibition by readily biodegradable substrates on parent compound formation and biodegradation 

processes. 

In the dynamic model, values of the Fpc conversion factor are used to estimate the conjugated 

fractions based on the parent compounds measured in the influent to account for the conjugated 

part of HAMPs, Fpc, The goodness of such an approximation is assessed contrasting dynamic 

simulation results with data measured. Results obtained show an effective simulation 

performance using this novel model structure, and the model developed allows to assess WWTP 

process control schemes on xenobiotic removal. 

112

Biography: 


Dr. ing. Benedek Gy. Plósz, PhD in Environmental Engineering and Science, MSc in 

Bioengineering, is a process modeller, research scientist at the environmental engineering group 

of the Norwegian Institute for Water Research, NIVA. He has 11 years of experience of scientific 

and administrative work. He was a Marie-Curie post-doctoral research fellow (EU-FP5) at Anjou 

Recherche, VEOLIA Environnement, Maisons-Laffitte, France, between 2004 and 2006 

(Supervisor: Dr. Jens Meinhold). In university settings, he has studied at the Budapest University 

of Technology and Economics, Hungary (Supervisor: Prof. Andrea Jobbágy), and was a visiting 

PhD-student at the Clemson University, SC, USA (Supervisor: Prof. C.P.L. Grady Jr.). He also 

has two years of experience in engineering consulting (wastewater and drinking water) in the 

private sector (UTB-Envirotech). His research areas cover biological nutrient removal processes, 

optimisation of bioreactor design, and solids-liquid separation processes. His current research 

interest is directed to the assessment of climate change impacts on sewage treatment processes, 

to modelling of the fate of hormones and selected pharmaceuticals micro-pollutants in sewage 

treatment works and to landfill leachate treatment. With regard to his current major assignments, 

he is project leader of the partnership in the INNOWATECH project (EU-FP7–270 000 €), the 

Strategic Institute Program on fate, risk and management of pharmaceuticals and personal care 

products (PPCPs) in the Norwegian sewage system (PHARMATREAT–900 000 €), and was 

project leader of the initiative on assessing and climate change impacts on wastewater treatment 

processes (30 000 €). He is a member of the International Water Association (IWA), and is active 

in EU scientific networks and expert groups on municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, as 

well as a member of the IWA Task Group on Climate Change. He has published numerous 

papers in high ISI-impact factored journals, most of them as first author. 

113


Indirect Photolysis of Perfluorochemicals: Hydroxyl Radical- 

Initiated Oxidation of N-Ethyl Perfluorooctane Sulfonamido 

Acetate (N-EtFOSAA) and Other Perfluoroalkanesulfonamides 

Dr. Megan H. Plumlee (presenting author), Exponent, Senior Scientist, 149 Commonwealth Drive, 

Menlo Park, California 94025, USA, Tel. (650) 688-717, Email: mplumlee@exponent.com; Dr. 

Kristopher McNeill, Department of Chemistry, 207 Pleasant Street SE, University of Minnesota, 

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA; Dr. Martin Reinhard, Department of Civil and Environmental 

Engineering, Yang and Yamasaki Environment and Energy Building, 473 Via Ortega, Stanford 

University, Stanford, California 94305-4020, USA. 

Selected perfluorinated surfactants were irradiated in aqueous hydrogen peroxide solutions using 

artificial sunlight to study transformation under aquatic environmental conditions. Indirect 

photolysis mediated by hydroxyl radical was observed for N-ethyl perfluorooctane 

sulfonamidoethanol (N-EtFOSE), N-ethyl perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetate (N-EtFOSAA), Nethyl 

perfluorooctane sulfonamide (N-EtFOSA), and perfluorooctane sulfonamide acetate 

(FOSAA). An upper limit for the bimolecular reaction rate constant for reaction of ·OH and N- 

EtFOSAA was determined to be (1.7 ± 0.7) x 10 9 M -1 s -1 . A proposed reaction pathway for 

degradation of the parent perfluorochemical, N-EtFOSE, to the other 

perfluoroalkanesulfonamides and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) was developed and includes 

oxidation and N-dealkylation steps. As they did not undergo additional degradation, 

perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA) and PFOA were the final degradation products of hydroxyl 

radical-initiated oxidation. UV-visible absorption spectra for the perfluorochemicals, showing 

absorbance in the UV region below the range of natural sunlight, are also reported. In sunlit 

environments, indirect photolysis of perfluorochemicals is likely to be important in the 

determination of their environmental fate given the slow rates expected for biotransformation and 

weak sorption. Photolytic conversion of perfluorochemicals into refractory perfluorinated acids, 

mainly PFOA, could mean that a significant fraction of these compounds will accumulate in the 

world’s oceans. 

Biography: 

Megan H. Plumlee received her B.S. in Chemistry (2003) from Pacific University and her M.S. 

(2004) and Ph.D. (2008) in Environmental Engineering and Science from Stanford University. 

Her dissertation focused on the photochemical fate of emerging contaminants, specifically 

nitrosamines and perfluorochemicals, in the aquatic environment as well as their occurrence in 

reclaimed wastewater. She has also worked on projects involving method development for trace 

organics analysis of water and wastewater, reverse osmosis for water reuse applications, and 

bioaccumulation of mercury and PCBs in aquatic organisms. Her other interests include 

environmental toxicology, green chemistry, and chemicals regulation. Currently, Dr. Plumlee is a 

Senior Scientist in the Environmental Sciences practice at Exponent, a scientific and engineering 

consulting firm. 

114


Kinetics of Perchlorate Ion Formation in Bleach Solutions: 

Reaction Pathways and Co-Contaminant Effects 

Aleks Pisarenko 1,2 , Benjamin D. Stanford 1 , Oscar Quinones 1 , Gilbert Pacey 2 , Gilbert Gordon 2 , 

Shane A. Snyder 1 ; 1 Sothern Nevada Water Authority, Research & Development, Henderson, NV 

89012; 2 Miami University, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Oxford, OH 45056 

In light of recent homeland security concerns, many drinking water utilities may be required to 

move away from gaseous chlorine and switch to calcium or sodium hypochlorite for disinfection. 

While such a move may improve security, such a change in disinfection processes may introduce 

other contaminants associated with hypochlorite ion (liquid bleach) such as bromate, chlorate, 

chlorite, and perchlorate. Furthermore, perchlorate may be on a fast track to become an EPAregulated 

substance in drinking water. Perchlorate has been recognized as an endocrine 

disrupting compound, acting through interaction with the thyroid, and it may have potential 

adverse effects on human health. As such, our research team was commissioned to study the 

formation of perchlorate in bleach solutions, to understand what factors may impact perchlorate 

and other contaminants of concern in drinking water. The Project will utilize chemical kinetics to 

make predictive models that can guide utilities towards minimizing the formation of perchlorate 

and other contaminants in bleach. Early results indicate that the formation of perchlorate is 

strongly dependent upon the presence of hypochlorite and chlorate and that the reaction is first 

order in each. Additionally, the presence of transition metals (e.g., nickel, copper, zinc) appears 

to enhance the degradation of hypochlorite, concomitantly reducing the amount of perchlorate 

formed in solution. As such, a careful balance must be struck between preserving hypochlorite 

concentrations for disinfection purposes while also minimizing the amount of chlorate, 

perchlorate, and bromate that may be formed during the manufacturing, transport, and storage of 

bleach solutions. This presentation will include an empirical model for the formation of 

perchlorate in bleach solutions in addition to a detailed description of at the effects of pH, ionic 

strength, temperature, and concentrations of mentioned contaminants on the rate of formation of 

perchlorate ion. An in-depth analysis of the rate law and rate constants for perchlorate formation 

in bleach solutions will also be discussed. 

115


Integrated Disinfection By-Products Mixtures Research: Results 

from the Four Lab Study 

Susan D. Richardson (presenter) 1 , Jane Ellen Simmons 2 , Michael G. Narotsky 2 , Larry D. 

Claxton 2 , E. Sidney Hunter III 2 , Richard J. Miltner 3 , Jonathan G. Pressman 3 , Thomas F. Speth 3 , 

Glenn Rice 4 , Linda K. Teuschler 4 , Stuart W. Krasner 5 , and Howard S. Weinberg 6 ; 1 National 

Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Athens, GA; 2 National 

Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 

Research Triangle Park, NC; 3 National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH; 4 National Center for Exposure Assessment, 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH; 5 Metropolitan Water District of Southern 

California, LaVerne, CA; 6 Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of 

North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 

This study involves the collaboration of the four national laboratories of the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA), as well as other scientists from universities and water utilities, and is 

termed the ‘Four Lab Study’. The purpose of this study is to address concerns related to potential 

health effects from exposure to complex mixtures of drinking water disinfection by-products 

(DBPs) that cannot be addressed directly from toxicological studies of individual DBPs or simple 

DBP mixtures. Adverse health effects evaluated in this study include the reproductive and 

developmental effects observed in some recent human epidemiologic studies of drinking water, 

as well as several other toxicological endpoints. 

Along with extensive toxicity testing on these complex drinking water mixtures, DBPs were 

comprehensively identified using gas chromatography (GC) with low and high resolution electron 

ionization (EI) and chemical ionization (CI) mass spectrometry (MS). In addition, 75 priority DBPs 

were quantified, using GC/MS or GC with electron capture detection. For the animal studies, a 

novel way of concentrating drinking water was developed, such that a water matrix was 

maintained (rather than concentrating in an organic solvent). For this, reverse osmosis was used 

to (1) concentrate DBPs in finished water or (2) concentrate the natural organic matter (NOM) 

precursors in the source water, and disinfect/treat that NOM concentrate. The latter method was 

evaluated in a multigenerational reproductive toxicity study with rats. 

Many DBPs were identified, including trihalomethanes (THMs), iodo-THMs, haloacetic and other 

halo-acids, haloamides, halonitromethanes, haloaldehydes, haloketones, halonitriles, 

nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and other nitrosamines, MX (3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone), 

and MX analogues. Several DBPs, including bromochloroacetamide, 

bromodichloroacetamide, dibromochloroacetamide, brominated tins, and chloro-, bromo-, and 

iodo-phenols, have not been previously reported in the literature. Due to the preconcentration 

achieved through the use of reverse osmosis (>100 fold) prior to further concentration by solid 

phase extraction, liquid-liquid extraction, or other extraction techniques, a greater variety of DBPs 

were identified in these drinking water concentrates than typically identified in drinking water. 

Many DBPs identified were not present in either the NIST or Wiley mass spectra library 

databases. Toxicological endpoints investigated included reproductive and developmental effects 

for parental (P0), first generation (F1), and second generation (F2) rats. Toxicological effects 

included a slight, but significant delay in puberty for F1 female rats. Other toxicological effects 

included mutagenicity, which supports earlier findings of mutagenicity for chlorinated drinking 

water. 

Although this work was reviewed by EPA and approved for publication, it may not necessarily 

reflect official Agency policy. 

116

Bio-sketches: 


Susan D. Richardson: Dr. Richardson is a research chemist with the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency’s National Exposure Research Laboratory in Athens, GA. Her research 

includes the identification and occurrence of emerging disinfection byproducts in drinking water 

treatment. 

United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 960 

College Station Rd., Athens, GA 30605; e-mail: richardson.susan@epa.gov; Tel: 706-355-8304; 

Fax: 706-355-8302 

Jane Ellen Simmons: Dr. Simmons is a toxicologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency’s National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory in RTP, NC. Her 

research includes understanding the toxic effects of simple and complex chemical mixtures. 

United States Environmental Protection Agency, Health and Environmental Effects Research 

Laboratory, 109 T.W. Alexander Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; e-mail: 

simmons.jane@epa.gov; Tel: 919-541-7829; Fax: 919-541-4284 

Michael G. Narotsky: Dr. Narotsky is a research toxicologist with the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency’s National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory in RTP, NC. 

His research includes reproductive and developmental toxicology of environmental pollutants. 



narotsky.michael@epa.gov; Tel: 919-541-0591; Fax: 919-541-4284 

Larry D. Claxton: Dr. Claxton is a research biologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency’s National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory in RTP, NC. His 

research includes genotoxicity of complex environmental mixtures. 



claxton.larry@epa.gov; Tel: 919-541-2329; Fax: 919-685-3281 

E. Sidney Hunter, III: Dr. Hunter is Acting Division Director of the Reproductive Toxicology 

Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Health and Environmental 

Effects Research Laboratory. His research includes mechanisms and effects of environmental 

pollutants on developing embryos. 


Laboratory, 109 T.W. Alexander Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 

e-mail: hunter.sid@epa.gov; Tel: 919-541-3490; Fax: 919-541-4284 

Richard J. Miltner: Mr. Miltner is an environmental engineer at the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory in Cincinnati, OH. His research 

includes the removal of contaminants in drinking water. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 26 

West Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268; e-mail: miltner.richard@epa.gov; Tel: 513- 

569-7403; Fax: 513-487-2543 

Jonathan G. Pressman: Dr. Pressman is an environmental engineer at the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory in Cincinnati, OH. His 

research includes natural organic matter concentration and drinking water distribution system 

nitrification. 


West Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268; e-mail: pressman.jonathan@epa.gov; Tel: 

513-569-7625; Fax: 513-487-2543 

117


Thomas F. Speth: Dr. Speth is a supervisory environmental engineer at the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory in Cincinnati, OH. His 

research includes natural organic matter concentration and removal of contaminants in drinking 

water. 


West Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268; e-mail: speth.thomas@epa.gov; Tel: 513- 

569-7208; Fax: 513-487-2543 

Glenn Rice: Mr. Rice is an environmental health scientist with the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency’s National Center for Environmental Assessment in Cincinnati, OH. His research focuses 

on chemical mixtures risk assessment methods. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Environmental Assessment, 26 West 

Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268; e-mail: rice.glenn@epa.gov; Tel: 513-569-7813; 

Fax: 513-487-2539 

Linda K. Teuschler: Mrs. Teuschler is a statistician with the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency’s National Center for Environmental Assessment in Cincinnati, OH. Her research 

includes cumulative risk assessment methods and chemical mixtures risk assessment methods. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Environmental Assessment, 26 West 

Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268; e-mail: teuschler.linda@epa.gov; Tel: 513-569- 

7573; Fax: 513-487-2539 

Stuart W. Krasner: Mr. Krasner is a principal environmental specialist. His research includes 

occurrence, formation, and control of emerging disinfection by-products of health concern. 

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California; 700 Moreno Ave., LaVerne, CA 91750; e-mail: 

skrasner@mwdh2o.com; Tel: 909-392-5083; Fax: 909-392-5246 

Howard S. Weinberg: Dr. Weinberg is an Associate Professor in the Department of 

Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina. His research 

includes the chemistry and analysis of micropollutants and disinfection by-products in drinking 

water. 

Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, 1303 Michael Hooker Research Center, 

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599; e-mail: weinberg@email.unc.edu; Tel: 919- 

966-3859; Fax: 919-966-7911 

118


Comparison of Activated Carbon Adsorption and Biological 

Filtration for the Removal of Micropollutants and Reduction of 

Biological Adverse Effects from Treated Wastewater 

Julien Reungoat (presenting author) a , Chris Pipe-Martin b , Miroslava Macova c , Stewart Carswell c , 

Jochen F. Mueller c , Wolfgang Gernjak a , Jurg Keller a ; a The University of Queensland, Advanced 

Water Management Centre (AWMC), Qld 4072, Australia; b Ecowise Environmental, Yeerongpilly, 

Qld 4105, Australia; c The University of Queensland, National Research Centre for Environmental 

Toxicology (EnTox), Qld 4108, Australia; j.reungoat@awmc.uq.edu.au 

Activated carbon adsorption as proven to be an effective way to remove various micropollutants 

from water but once it is saturated, it has to be renewed or regenerated at great costs. In 

biological activated carbon (BAC) filters, a biofilm is allowed to grow on the filtering media. BACs 

are typically used as an ozonation post-treatment in drinking water production. They showed to 

have a longer lifetime than adsorptive activated carbon filters. Filtration treatment processes are 

typically robust systems that are simple to construct and have low energy requirements. So far, 

little has been published about the micropollutant removal performances of these processes. The 

present study evaluates BAC filtration as a possible novel technology for advanced treatment of 

wastewaters and compares its performance to activated carbon adsorption. 

Investigations were carried out in a reclamation plant treating water from a nutrient removal 

activated sludge plant. The main reclamation treatment train consists of: denitrification, preozonation, 

coagulation-flocculation-dissolved air flotation-filtration (DAFF), main ozonation, 

activated carbon filtration (18 min contact time) and post-ozonation. A pilot-scale BAC filter was 

set up in parallel of the main stream, fed by water coming from the main ozonation. Aeration was 

provided at the top of the filter to ensure high dissolved oxygen amount in the water and empty 

bed contact time was set to approximately 2 hours. The BAC filter has been operating for 15 

months and a previous study confirmed that it was biologically active and that its adsorption 

capacity was exhausted. Four composite samples (24 h) were collected on non-consecutive days 

(over a one month period) from the main ozonation effluent and from the activated carbon and 

BAC filters effluents allowing to assess their performances. They were concentrated within 24 

hours using solid phase extraction, and later analysed by HPLC/MS-MS to measure the 

concentration of 56 pharmaceuticals and 28 pesticides, limit of quantification (LOQ) was 

0.01 μg/L in most cases. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was also measured. Moreover, 

bioanalytical tools were used to evaluate acute toxicity, estrogenicity, carcinogenicity, 

phytotoxicity, neurotoxicity and dioxin-like effects. 

After the main ozonation, 27 compounds were quantified; gabapentin had the highest median 

concentration with 1.30 μg.L -1 . The DOC was 10.3 mg.L -1 . Biological adverse effects were 

significantly higher than the blank levels (MilliQ water), e.g., for estrogenicity, estradiol equivalent 

concentration (EEC) was 0.43 ng.L -1 . Activated carbon adsorption removed all compounds but 3 

below LOQ; gabapentin median concentration decreased to 0.70 μg.L -1 (59.4% removal) and the 

two other compounds were close to LOQ. The DOC was removed by 36% to 6.6 mg.L -1 . 

Estrogenicity, genotoxicity and dioxin-like effects were reduced to levels not significantly different 

from the blank, e.g., EEC was 95% removal). Acute toxicity, neurotoxicity and 

phytotoxicity were still significantly higher than the blank levels but were reduced by 49%, 85% 

and 22% respectively. In the BAC filter, 25 compounds were removed below LOQ and the 

gabapentin median concentration was reduced by 93% to 0.10 μg.L -1 . The remaining DOC was 

4.1 mg.L -1 , showing 60% degradation in the filter. Moreover, all the biological adverse effects, 

except phytotoxicity, were reduced to levels not significantly different from the blank. 

These results show that slow filtration trough BAC after ozonation can achieve a very good 

removal of remaining micropollutants and decrease biological adverse effects to blank levels. The 

119


filtration through BAC performed slightly better than adsorption onto simple activated carbon. 

Moreover, the lifetime of the BAC filter is expected to be longer, thus, this is a good option for 

post-treatment of wastewaters. Further investigations are needed to evaluate the performances of 

the BAC filter with shorter empty bed contact time. 

Biosketch: 

Julien Reungoat, Advanced Water Management Centre, Level 4 Gehrmann Building (60), 

University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia. 

Phone : +61 (0)7 3346 6251 - Fax : +61 (0)7 3365 4726 

He completed his PhD at the University of Toulouse (France) in 2007 on the treatment of 

industrial watewaters by the combination of adsorption onto zeolites and ozonation. He is now a 

postdoctoral research fellow working on the removal of micropollutants by advanced water 

treatments for indirect potable water reuse. 

120


Mass Fluxes of Urban Micropollutants and Integrated Modelling 

of the River – Groundwater – Interaction in the City of 

Halle/Germany 

Frido Reinstorf (presenting author) 1 , Segastian Leschik 2 , Andreas Musolff 2 , Gerhard Strauch 2 , 

Karsten Osenbrück 3 & Mario Schirmer 4 ; 1 University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal, 

Department of Water and Waste Management, Breitscheidstrasse 2, 39114 Magdeburg, 

Germany, frido.reinstorf@hs-magdeburg.de; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – 

UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany, 2 Department of Hydrogeology, 3 Department 

of Isotope Hydrology; 4 EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 

Department Environmental Toxicology, Ueberlandstrasse 133, 8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland 

Abstract The urban aquatic environment is increasingly polluted by low concentrated but high 

eco-toxic compounds as pharmaceuticals, fragrances and endocrine disruptors. These so-called 

xenobiotics are emitted into the surface and subsurface waters by outlets of waste water 

treatment plants and/or by seeping processes of waste water. This contamination could have a 

long-time impact on the urban ecosystem and on human health. 

Within an interdisciplinary project on risk assessment of water pollution, we work on the 

identification of water and substance fluxes in urban areas. The objective is an integrated 

modelling tool for the description of transport of substances in the urban environment. Transport 

processes of interest are related to surface water, groundwater and the groundwater – surface 

water interaction zone. 

In a first attempt we used a flow model concept with in- and output and surface water transport 

represented by the city of Halle, Germany, and the river Saale. The river Saale acts as surface 

water system collecting lateral inputs along the city traverse. Using indicators for xenobiotic 

impacts on water resources such as Bisphenol A and t-Nonylphenol, Carbamacepine, Galaxolide 

and Tonalide, and the isotopes 34S-sulphate and 15N-nitrate investigations of the pathways and 

the behaviour of the substances in the environment have been carried out. In the city of 

Halle/Saale, concentrations of the indicators at a magnitude of ng/L to g/L were found in rivers 

and in groundwater. A balance of water and substance fluxes in the rivers was built up for the city 

as a whole. The calculation of the loads shows increasing values of the investigated indicators 

over the distance of the city passage. Carbamacepine and t-Nonylphenol increase significantly at 

some tens of percents and Galaxolide and Tonalide at some hundreds. Solely Bisphenol A 

stagnates along the passage through the city. 

The understanding of the interaction between groundwater and surface water is important to 

quantify the exchange of substances between the two hydrological compartments. In order to 

investigate this, a transient hydrodynamic river reach model of the Saale River and a groundwater 

flow model of the area connected to the reach were built up and coupled. Using this model, the 

inter-compartmental transport of the indicator Carbamacepine that exfiltrated from the Saale 

River into the groundwater was simulated. The parametrization of the substance transport was 

performed using isotopic methods. The attenuation efficiency of the indicator Carbamacepine was 

estimated by that to 0.3. Using this, the model was calibrated and the simulation of the mass 

fluxes of the fluid and the substance through the interaction zone was performed over a time 

period of one year. 

Key words urban mass fluxes; pharmaceuticals; fragrances; endocrine disruptors; mass balance; 

integrated modeling 

121


Presence, Fate, and Treatability of Estro- and Androgenic 

Contaminants in Wastewater and Biosolids 

Peter Ruiz-Haas 1 , Ki Don Cho 2 , Seth W. Kullman 3 and Karl G. Linden (presenting author) 4* ; 

1 Department of Chemistry, Mary Baldwin College, Staunton, VA 24401; 2 Environmental 

Engineer, Planning and Enforcement Branch, Water Quality Division, District Department of the 

Environment, Washington D.C., 20002; 3 Dept of Environmental & Molecular Toxicology, North 

Carolina State University, Box 7633, Raleigh, NC 27695-7633; 4* Department of Civil, 

Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 

80309 

The majority of conventional wastewater treatment plants that are currently in operation were 

designed to treat large loads of nutrients (e.g., phosphorus and nitrogen) and organic matter and 

as such were not specifically designed to remove trace organic pollutants. Research has revealed 

however that with several organic contaminant classes, concentrations are significantly reduced 

or the contaminants transformed through the treatment process. Despite these findings, 

significant data gaps remain regarding the efficacy of treatment trains for the reduction and 

degradation of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) during the wastewater treatment 

processes. Specifically, questions pertaining to the operational design, sequences of processes 

employed, seasonal variation and partitioning of EDCs into the biosolids fraction are paramount 

to filling these data gaps and developing a comprehensive understanding of the ability of these 

systems to remove EDC contaminants. 

The purpose of this project was to compare and evaluate the removal of estrogenic and 

androgenic EDCs in three advanced wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in both solids and 

liquids treatment processes and effectively evaluate each process as to the efficacy of EDC 

removal. The study used yeast estrogen screen (YES) bioassays and gas chromatography - 

mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for chemical analysis. A total of three full-scale wastewater facilities 

that employ different water and solids treatment operations were examined approximately 8 times 

each over the period of one year. In all facilities, concentrations of EDCs and estrogenic activity 

were determined at all major unit operations and in both liquid and solid fractions (sludge). 

Results from this study revealed that removal efficiency of estrogenic activity in the liquid stream 

was high in all facilities (95%-98%), but a detectable level remained persistent in the effluent. The 

EDC removal was strongly related to the removal of total organic carbon. No seasonal changes 

were observed in concentration or distribution of EDCs. Analysis of biosolids revealed 

significantly higher concentrations of EDCs in the solids fraction, likely due to partitioning 

behavior. Higher concentrations of EDCs were observed during anaerobic digestion due to 

reduced oxidation of estradiol. Thermally dried sludge had the lowest detected concentrations of 

EDCs (

Biosketches: 


Peter Ruiz-Haas, PhD 

Peter Ruiz-Haas is an Assistant Professor at Mary Baldwin College in the Chemistry Department. 

He teaches classes in environmental chemistry and advanced analytical methods. At the time of 

this research he was a post-doctoral researcher at Duke University with Professor Linden. 

Assistant Professor of Chemistry; Mary Baldwin College; 304 Pearce Science Center; Staunton, 

VA 24401 (P) 540-887-7103; 540-887-7121 (fax); E: pruiz-haas@mbc.edu 

Ki Don Cho, PhD 

Ki Don Cho is an Inspection and Enforcement agent for the NPDES in Washington DC. At the 

time of this research, he was a post-doctoral researcher at Duke University working with Drs. 

Kullman and Linden on bioanalytical assays for EDC analysis. 

Environmental Engineer, Planning and Enforcement Branch, Water Quality Division, District 

Department of the Environment; 51N Street, NE, 5th Floor; Washington D.C., 20002 (Tel) 202- 

535-1936; (Fax) 202-535-1363; e: kidon.cho@dc.gov 

Seth W. Kullman, PhD 

Seth Kullman is an assistant professor in molecular toxicology at NC State University. His work 

incorporates molecular, computational, and comparative/functional genomic approaches to 

examine gene environmental interactions and laboratory-based methods to identify evolutionarily 

conserved mechanisms of xenobiotic-induced stress response. 

Assistant Professor; Dept of Environmental & Molecular Toxicology; Box 7633; North Carolina 

State University; Raleigh, NC 27695-7633 

Phone: (919) 515-4378; Fax: (919) 515-7169; e: swkullma@ncsu.edu 

Karl G. Linden, PhD 

Karl Linden is a professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. 

His research focuses on ultraviolet light, oxidation processes, and advanced treatment 

technologies for disinfection, destruction of organic contaminants in water, and water reuse. 

Professor; Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering; University of Colorado at Boulder; 

Boulder, CO 80309 Phone: (303) 492-4798, Fax: (303) 492-7317; E-mail: 

karl.linden@colorado.edu 

123


Modeling Trace-Organic Micropollutant Rejection in NF/RO 

Membranes for Reuse Applications: Developmental Methods 

Matthew Sonnenberg; Dr. Christopher Bellona; Dr. Jörg Drewes (presenting author); Colorado 

School of Mines, Environmental Science and Engineering Division, Golden, CO 

High-pressure reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes implemented for 

wastewater reuse applications are a viable solution for supplementing areas lacking conventional 

freshwater sources. One concern with the utilization of these membrane treatment technologies 

is the incomplete removal of certain organic solutes present in wastewater effluent, such as 

disinfection by-products, pharmaceutically active compounds, chlorinated flame retardants, and 

pesticides. Unfortunately, the removal behavior of many of these organic solutes is not 

completely understood and the development of models to predict the removal of contaminants by 

RO and NF membranes would be extremely beneficial to municipalities utilizing RO and NF for 

reuse applications. 

There are a number of possible approaches for describing mass transfer through RO and NF 

membranes and therefore a strong need to summarize the current knowledge base regarding 

organic solute removal and the mathematical description of organic micropollutant removal. The 

majority of modeling strategies rely exclusively upon one of two modeling approaches: 1) 

mechanistic transport equations; or 2) empirical correlations between solute properties and 

rejection. Approaches utilizing transport (mechanistic) equations take into account operating 

conditions such as flux, pressure, and feed concentration while describing mass transfer based 

on the extended Nernst-Planck equation, solution diffusion theory, and irreversible 

thermodynamics. Empirical approaches utilize solute properties and statistical methods to create 

correlations to predict rejection. While both have been used successfully to describe inorganic 

ion mass transfer across membranes, there are fundamental limitations for using either technique 

to describe the rejection of organic solutes. 

The objectives of this project were: (a) to evaluate various membrane modeling approaches for 

their appropriateness for describing the removal of a wide variety of organic solutes, by RO and 

NF membranes, (b) to identify, develop and optimize membrane modeling strategies by 

developing quantitative structure property relationship (QSPR) models, mechanistic membrane 

transport models, and hybrid predictive models that employ aspects of mechanistic and empirical 

modeling approaches, and (c) evaluate the efficiency that membranes employed on full-scale 

remove organic micropollutants and to successfully predict the removal rates with the developed 

model(s). 

Two mechanistic transport models, the Spiegler-Kedem approach and hydrodynamic model, were 

developed to describe the transport of neutral organic solutes across various NF membranes. 

While these approaches were found to be viable for neutral solutes with little membrane 

interactions, the models were found to greatly over-predict rejection of solutes with certain 

functional groups that interact with membrane materials. Because these models rely primarily on 

solute size to describe rejection, QSPR and hybrid (i.e., combining empirical and transport 

models) modeling approaches were evaluated and developed that included solute descriptors 

that strongly influence rejection. Empirical QSPR models were found to be useful to qualitatively 

predict the rejection of organic solutes, but do not include operating conditions that can affect 

removal including pressure, flux, and fouling. Hybrid models that utilized solute properties to 

predict transport parameters within mechanistic transport models were observed to be effective 

tools for describing removal because both solute properties and operational conditions could be 

included. 

124

Biosketches: 

Matthew Sonnenberg 


Division of Environmental Science and Engineering 



Email: msonnenb@mines.edu 

Phone: (303) 273-3871 


Matthew Sonnenberg is a 1 st year Doctoral student at Colorado School of Mines. His research 

interests use molecular modeling to assist in defining rejection trends of organic micropollutants 

in nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membrane systems. Matthew holds a B.S. in biochemistry. 

Dr. Christopher Bellona 





Email: cbellona@mines.edu 

Phone: (303) 384-2521 

Dr. Christopher Bellona, Postdoctoral Research Associate. Ph.D. Colorado School of Mines. His 

research interest focuses on the role physical-chemical properties of membranes and solutes 

play in the rejection of organic micropollutants to qualitatively and quantitatively describe mass 

transport in nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes. 

Dr.-Ing Jörg Drewes 





Email: jdrewes@mines.edu 

Phone: (303) 273-3401 

Dr.-Ing Jörg Drewes is an Associate Professor. His research interests include water and 

wastewater treatment engineering, potable and non-potable water reuse, state-of-the-art 

characterization of natural and effluent organic matter, contaminant transfer among 

environmental media, and fate of endocrine disrupting compounds and pharmaceuticals in natural 

and engineered systems. 

125


Risk Assessment of Biosolids-Borne Triclocarban (TCC) 

Elizabeth Hodges Snyder (UF), George O’Connor (UF), and Drew McAvoy (P&G) 

Triclocarban (TCC) is an active ingredient in antibacterial bar soaps, a common constituent of 

domestic wastewater, and the subject of recent criticism by consumer advocate groups and 

academic researchers alike. Activated sludge treatment readily removes TCC from the liquid 

waste stream and concentrates the antimicrobial in the solid fraction, which is often processed to 

produce biosolids intended for land-application. Greater than half of the biosolids generated in 

the US are land-applied, resulting in a systematic release of biosolids-borne TCC into the 

terrestrial and, potentially, the aquatic environment. Despite widespread use of antimicrobial 

personal care products, the propensity of TCC to partition into biosolids at parts-per-million 

concentrations, and potential endocrine effects of TCC (Chen et al., 2008), quantitative 

human/environmental health risk assessments for TCC in land-applied biosolids has not been 

conducted. In a collaborative project funded by USEPA, the Soil and Water Science Department 

at the Univ. of Fl. and the Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) are working to fill multiple TCC data 

gaps, including biosolids-borne concentrations, conclusive solubility and partitioning values, 

environmental fate and transport, and soil organism impacts. 

Prior to our work, one biosolids-borne TCC concentration (51 ppm) had been published in the 

peer-reviewed literature (Heidler et al., 2006). We have now quantified TCC concentrations (6-43 

mg kg -1 ; mean: 20+11 mg kg -1 ) in 24 biosolids representing various treatment processes. Our 

findings are in agreement with unpublished values (6-51 mg kg -1 ; mean: 22 mg kg -1 ; n = 19) 

reported by Halden (2007) at the Northeast Water Science Forum. 

Solubility, partitioning, and persistence of TCC in biosolids-amended soils are expected to be 

important factors influencing exposure. The characteristics affect lability and the extent to which 

the antimicrobial compound will migrate through multiple environmental compartments, alter soil 

organism communities, and degrade. The literature contains numerous conflicting measured and 

estimated values for TCC water solubility and octanol-water partitioning coefficients (Kow), which 

were determined using a variety of test methods. We utilized the USEPA Office of Prevention, 

Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) harmonized test guidelines to measure TCC solubility 

and log Kow values of 0.045 mg L -1 and 3.5, respectively. The low water solubility and preferential 

octanol-phase partitioning of TCC suggests limited potential for leaching and plant uptake of landapplied 

biosolids-borne TCC. Triclocarban is not expected to migrate off-site in the aqueous 

phase of surface runoff, but could be lost as a sorbed component of suspended sediment or 

dissolved organic matter. Hydrophobic compounds such as TCC are often strongly associated 

with other hydrophobic components in the soil, resulting in limited bioavailability and inhibited 

biodegradation rates (Singh and Ward, 2004). Hydrophobic compounds that are ingested or 

absorbed by terrestrial organisms are more likely to bioaccumulate, resulting in increasing 

concentrations in the organism with time. 

We addressed leachability by amending a Florida sand with 11 biosolids and analyzing TCC 

concentrations in biweekly leachates. Concentrations in all leachates were


In Summer 2008, we began bench-top earthworm and soil microbial community studies, as 

prescribed by the OPPTS guidelines, to assess biosolids-borne TCC toxicity and bioavailability. 

Preliminary results indicate no biosolids-borne TCC effect on earthworm mortality up to 1000 mg 

kg -1 (sandy soil) or 10,000 mg kg -1 (clayey soil) in biosolids amended at a 10 t ac -1 rate. EcoPlate 

analyses will also be used to characterize TCC effects on soil microbial community substrate 

utilization and pollution-induced-community tolerance (PICT). Study results will be integrated with 

existing TCC information, biosolids utilization data, human exposure behavior data, and organic 

contaminant fate and transport models to contribute to an improved biosolids-borne TCC risk 

assessment and to prioritize future research needs. 

Biosketches: 

Ms. Elizabeth H. Snyder earned her MPH at Emory University and is now a PhD candidate in the 

Soil and Water Science Department at the University of Florida. Her research focuses on the 

fate, transport, and human/environmental health risk of biosolids-borne Triclocarban. Ms. Snyder 

recently co-developed a new course entitled “Soil, Water, and Public Health”. 

Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida 

106 Newell Hall 

Gainesville, Florida 32611 

Phone: 352-392-1804 ext. 327 

Fax: 352-392-3399 

lizah@ufl.edu 

George A. O’Connor, PhD is a Professor of Environmental Soil Chemistry in the Soil and Water 

Science Department at the University of Florida. He served as Chair of the department from 1990 

to 1994. His research focuses on the fate, transport, and bioavailability of contaminants in soils. 

Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida 

106 Newell Hall 

Gainesville, Florida 32611 

Phone: 352-392-1804 ext. 329 

Fax: 352-392-3399 

gao@ufl.edu 

Drew McAvoy, PhD is a Principal Research Scientist in the Environmental Safety Department at 

The Procter & Gamble Company. His research addresses fate of organic contaminants 

during/following wastewater treatment, degradation of flushable consumer products, and 

human/environmental risk assessment. 

The Procter & Gamble Co 

PO Box 538707 

Cincinnati OH 45253 

Phone: 513-634-7603 

Fax: 513-634-7364 

mcavoy.dc@pg.com 

127


Powdered Activated Carbon Dosage to Flocculation Filtration to 

Reduce Micropollutant Removal 

Siegrist H.1, Boehler M.1, Zwickenpflug B.1, Miladinovic N.1, Escher B.1, Bramaz N.1, Ternes 

T.2, Fink G.2, Schluesener M. 2, Liebi C.3 and Wullschleger W.3; 1Eawag, Swiss Federal 

Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, CH-8600 Duebendorf; 2BfG, Federal Institut of 

Hydrology, D-56068 Koblenz, Germany; 3Kläranlage Kloten-Opfikon, CH-8152 Opfikon, 

Switzerland; siegrist@eawag.ch 

Ozonation or powdered activated carbon (PAC) addition after biological treatment are promising 

technologies for complementing nutrient removal plants to strongly reduce micropollutants and 

ecotoxicity in the receiving water (Ternes et al., 2004). Ozonation also achieves the disinfection 

goal for bathing water whereas PAC addition has the advantage of not producing oxidation byproducts 

but the disadvantage of additional sludge production (5-10%). 

PAC addition to a contact and flocculation tank followed by a clarifier was successfully operated 

in pilot scale with a dosage of 10-20 g m-3 reaching pharmaceutical and ecotoxicity removal of 70 

to 90% (Metzger et al. 2005). To prevent significant PAC loss in the clarifier effluent a sand 

filtration step was added. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the contact reactor is less than 

one hour, which is too short to reach sorption equilibrium. The settled sludge is therefore recycled 

from the clarifier to the contact tank obtaining a solids retention time of a few days. This system is 

costly because an additional clarifier and a sand filter are needed. Recycling waste PAC to 

biologically treatment increases overall micropollutant removal of the plant by another 10-20% 

due to the long sludge age in the activated sludge system and higher micropollutant 

concentration (counter current of PAC). 

Due to stringent P removal conditions a lot of treatment plants in Switzerland are already 

equipped with a flocculation filtration step. The aim of this project is to evaluate the significance of 

PAC addition directly to the filtration step using the flocculation tank in front of the filter as contact 

and flocculation tank for PAC addition. The filter is normally back flushed every 24 hours giving a 

few hours contact time for the accumulated PAC in the filter. To compensate for not reaching the 

sorption equilibrium in the filtration step the filter back flush water can also be recycled to the 

activated sludge system to have an additional sorption effect. 

Since sorption data for emerging micropollutants are very scarce (Nowothy et al., 2007) the 

sorption isotherms and kinetics of 6 antibiotics, 5 contrast medias and 7 morphiates were 

determined with batch experiments with biologically treated wastewater. From this data a sorption 

model was developed. 

Additionally a pilot filter was operated to optimize PAC and flocculant addition, flow regime and 

hydraulic retention time in the contact tank and back flush interval of the filter. In a third step PAC 

addition is tested in full scale on a treatment plant lane for 10’000 pe. 

From the micropollutant removal data of the pilot filter the sorption model was calibrated and 

finally validated with experimental data from the full scale plant. 

Parallel to the fate of micropollutant the reduction of the specific and non specific toxicity of in 

vitro tests was investigated in the full scale experiments. 

References 

Metzger S., Kapp H., Seitz W., Weber W., Hiller G. und Süßmuth W. (2005) Entfernung von 

iodierten Röntgenkontrastmitteln bei der kommunalen Abwasserbehandlung durch den Einsatz 

von Pulveraktivkohle, GWF Wasser/Abwasser, 9, 638-654. Nowothy N., von Sonntag B. and 

128


Fahlenkamp H. (2007) Quantification and Modeling of the Elimination Behavior of Ecologically 

Problematic Wastewater Micropollutants by Adsorption on Powdered and Granulated Activated, 

ES&T, 41, 2050-2055. Ternes T., Joss A. and Siegrist H. (2004) Pharmaceuticals and personal 

care products: wastewater practice under close scrutiny, Env. Sci. & Techn., 38, 393A-399A. 

Biosketch: 

Hansruedi Siegrist, Eawag CH-8600 Duebendorf Switzerland phone: +41 44 823 50 54 fax: +41 

44 823 53 89; hansruedi.siegrist@eawag.ch 

-Bachelor in civil engineering (1972), University of Applied Science, Winterthur 

-Master in organic chemistry (1980), ETH Zürich 

-PhD in environmental science (1985, Eawag and ETH) 

-Post doc (1986-1986, Stanford University, P.M. Carty) 

-Head of Engineering Department Eawag, 1997 

-Professor, ETH Zürich, 2002 

Marc Böhler Eawag CH-8600 Duebendorf Switzerland phone: +41 44 823 53 79 fax: +41 44 823 

53 89; marc.boehler@eawag.ch 

Thomas Ternes BfG D-56068 Koblenz, Germany phone: +49 261 1306 5560 fax: +49 261 1306 

5363; ternes@bafg.de 

Michael Schluesener BfG D-56068 Koblenz, Germany phone: +49 261 1306 5930 fax: +49 261 

1306 5363; schluesener@bafg.de 

129


Oxidative Treatment of Trace Organic Contaminants Diclofenac, 

Iopamidol, Tributyltin Chloride, TCPP and TnBP in Wastewater Effluents 

with O3 and O3/H2O2 

Myint Myint Sein (presenting author)*, Torsten C. Schmidt*, Alfred Golloch* and Clemens von 

Sonntag**; *University of Duisburg-Essen, Instrumental Analytical Chemistry, Lotharstr. 1, 47048 

Duisburg, Germany; **Max Planck Institute for Bioinorganic Chemistry, Stiftstr. 34-36, 45413 

Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany; E-mail: myint.sein@uni-due.de 

The presence of trace organic contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products 

in water cycle which can have negative impacts on humans and the environment has been 

reported. During the conventional wastewater treatments, most of these organic trace substances 

are removed only incompletely and therefore several attempts have been made to eliminate 

these pollutants by using advanced treatment processes. The use of O3 has now been introduced 

to eliminate ozone reactive micropollutants by direct oxidation. The main aims of this study were 

to investigate the oxidative elimination of frequently found problematic organic contaminants from 

secondary wastewater effluents (DOC0 in the range of 9 – 11 mg/L) by use of O3 and the 

combination of O3 with H2O2 at elevated O3 dose in pilot plant scale. The compounds of choice 

were from different classes such as diclofenac, iopamidol, tributyltin chloride, tris-(2chloroisopropyl) 

phosphate (TCPP) and tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP). The oxidation studies 

involved spiking of 25 – 100 µg/L substance, high enough above the detection limits of individual 

analytical methods for the determinations, to better evaluate the elimination efficiencies. The 

applied ozone concentration was controlled till the dissolved ozone concentration reached up to 2 

mg O3/mg DOC0 in the presence and absence of H2O2 in the range of H2O2/O3 0.5 – 2 mg/mg at 

different O3 doses. The specific O3 consumption was monitored and the elimination of 

investigated substances was determined by respective analytical methods. The changes in DOC 

and SUVA at 254 nm of the effluents before and after the oxidation treatments were also 

measured in order to follow the efficient elimination of the organic substance containing 

wastewaters. Generally, the elimination of these probe organic contaminants is increased by 

increasing O3 dose, which corresponds directly to the specific O3 consumption. Apparently, the 

elimination efficiency differs among the substances under the experimental conditions. Diclofenac 

molecule contains an amine group in addition to an activated aromatic ring which could lead to a 

successful elimination by O3 (> 70%) even at a low O3 dose of 0.5 mg/mg DOC0 and increased to 

90% at 1 mg/mg DOC0 and completely diminished at higher O3 dose (2 mg O3/mg DOC0). Attack 

at the aromatic ring and an attack at the amino group will certainly favour the elimination of target 

compound, whereas iopamidol which possesses an aromatic ring with electron withdrawing 

iodine substituents in the molecule is less efficiently degraded by O3 (60 - 70%) at the applied O3 

dose of 1 mg/mg DOC0, but increased to ~90% at 2 mg O3/mg DOC0. Both TCPP and TnBP were 

significantly less reduced by the ozone oxidation. Nevertheless, up to 50 – 65% of TnBP was 

found to degrade compared to 10% of TCPP at 1 mg O3/DOC0 which could be explained by the 

presence of electron withdrawing Cl atom in TCPP for O3 reaction. The removal efficiency was 

increased to >98% for TnBP and ~70% for TCPP when O3 dose is increased to 2 mg/DOC0. It 

follows the same trend to tributyltin chloride, which also has fewer tendencies to be degraded to 

any major extent at lower O3 dose. But, the degradability of tributyltin chloride increased from 

70% to 90% when the O3 dose is increased from 1 to 2 mg/DOC0. Both tributyltin chloride and 

TCPP which have Cl substituents in their molecules, high dosages of O3 are needed to enhance 

the elimination of these substances. 

This study also showed that ozonation effectively decreases the DOC of effluents. The influence 

of ozone dose is also correlated to the subsequent loss in specific UV absorbance (SUVA). On 

the other hand, the degradation of some of these organic trace compounds, e.g., iopamidol and 

tributyltin chloride in wastewater effluent did not markedly enhance upon the addition of H2O2 

which proves that ozone-refractory micropollutants are eliminated via ozone-generated OH 

radicals, but to a much lesser extent. No effect of H2O2 was also observed for the reductions of 

130


DOC and UV absorption. More O3 is consumed by – HO2, a reactive species of H2O2 in 

wastewater at pH ~8, and hence the elimination of these organic substances does not improve 

significantly by the addition of H2O2, but is increased by increasing O3 concentration. 

131


Rejection of PFOS/PFOA by Membrane in Water Reclamation 

System 

Dr. Jiangyong Hu, Associate Professor, Division of Environmental Science and Engineering 

Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 

117576, Tel: 65-65164540, Email: esehujy@nus.edu.sg; Dr Junhong Shan, Division of 

Environmental Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore 

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have been manufactured for over 50 years and, due to their 

unique properties of repelling both water and oil, have been used as surfactants and surface 

protectors in carpets, leather, paper, food containers, fabric, and upholstery and as performance 

chemicals in products such as fire-fighting foams, floor polishes, and shampoos. Widespread use 

of PFCs has led to ubiquitous presence of these chemicals in biological tissues, water, air, 

- 

sludge, sediment, and soil, particularly perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS, C8F17SO3 ) and 

perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, C7F15COO - ). 

Due to the small molecules and persistence of PFOS/PFOA, it is difficult to remove them in 

conventional wastewater treatment plant. Water reclamation systems, using advanced 

technologies like membrane processes, become more popular in recent decades, especially for 

removing emerging contaminants. However, there is little literature available for PFOS/PFOA 

studies by membrane systems, especially in such diluted solutions similar to the concentration 

levels in real water samples. 

The objective of this project is to study the rejection of PFOS/PFOA in water reclamation 

processes. The removal of PFOS/PFOA by various membranes, including 2 reverse osmosis, 2 

nanofiltration and 1 ultrafiltration, was studied. 24-hr operation was applied for every membrane 

studied to find out the impact for adsorption of PFOS and PFOA on membrane on the removal 

performance. The pH effect on the rejection was also explored, to investigate the rejection 

mechanism due to electronic interaction. Static adsorption experiments were also conducted to 

collect the information for adsorption isotherms of PFOS and PFOA on membrane. This helped 

further understand the rejection mechanism due to adsorption of perfluorinated organic 

compounds on membrane surface. Other operation parameters, such as trans-membrane 

pressure (TMP), permeate flux, the presence of natural organic matters (NOM), were also studied 

to fully understand the rejection mechanisms. PFOS and PFOA were also mixed into real water 

samples to compare with the results obtained from synthetic water. 

Results for the rejection of PFOS/PFOA in a lab-scale water reclamation system were obtained 

for feed water containing 10ppb of PFOA/PFOS. RO membranes can reject more than 95% of 

PFOA/PFOS in the feed solution. NF and UF membranes can reject approximately 90% of 

PFOA/PFOS under neutral condition. Decrease of removal along the time was observed for NF 

and UF membranes, but not for RO, which was agreeable with the adsorption capacity obtained 

from static experiments. Due to the small molecular size of PFOS/PFOA, they could not only be 

absorbed on NF/UF membrane surface but also inside the pores. Considering the surface 

roughness together the pore surfaces, NF/UF has a much bigger effective surface than RO 

membranes where only surface roughness contributed. Because PFOA and PFOS were both 

fully dissociated at neutral pH, the electrostatic force prevented adsorption of PFOA/PFOS to 

membrane surface. Only at pH 3, PFOA (pKa=2.8) was not fully dissociated; the adsorption 

became dominant factor influencing rejection rate. As a result, when compared membrane 

rejections under different pH, the rejection rate under pH 3 decreased more as time passed. 

With the increased TMP, or recovery rate (increasing permeate flux while maintaining same 

TMP), an improvement in membrane rejection was achieved. This is due to the diluting effect 

when permeate water increased indirectly due to the TMP increase or directly due to the recovery 

132


rate increase. However, once the TMP exceed the typical pressure for the particular membrane, 

the increase of removal could be very little, which is not cost effective. 

With the presence of NOM (humic acid, HA), rejection of PFOS/PFOA decreased with increased 

HA concentration. This is because of the competition between HA and PFOS/PFOA for binding 

sites on membrane surface. When a more complex matrix presented in real water sample 

(treated sewage), there is no decrease of rejection rate for PFOS/PFOA along the time, which 

suggested that the adsorption sites are unavailable for PFOS/PFOA with low concentrations. The 

average removal also dropped to 68.1% for PFOS and 64.8% for PFOA. 

In most cases, size exclusion was the dominant rejection mechanism as more PFOS 

(MW=538.2) was rejected than PFOA (MW=414.06). Electrostatic repulsive force also played a 

role, especially under pH 3. From the experimental results, removal performances were stable for 

various membranes, which suggested the water reclamation system is a possible choice for 

removing perfluorinated compounds. 

Biography: 

Dr Hu Jiangyong is currently an Association Professor in Division of Environmental Science and 

Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, at the National University of Singapore specializing in the 

field of water treatment and reclamation. Dr Hu Jiangyong graduated from Department of 

Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, China with BEng in Environmental 

Engineering in 1991. She continued her education in the same Department and received her PhD 

degree in Environmental Engineering in 1996. Dr Hu has more than twelve years research 

experience on water treatment technology enhancement and water quality control. Her main 

research interests include emerging contaminants detection and removal, water disinfection and 

biofilm control, organic compounds characterization and treatability, water quality and health effect, 

water innovative treatment technology. 

133


Photolysis of Hydroxylated Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers 

Dr. William A. Arnold, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of 

Minnesota, 500 Pillsbury Dr. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455; 612-625-8582; arnol032@umn.edu; 

Peter O. Steen, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota; Matthew Grandbois, 

Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota; Dr. Kristopher McNeill, Department of 

Chemistry, University of Minnesota 

Hydroxylated analogues of the ubiquitous polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants (OH- 

PBDEs) have recently been found in surface waters, snow, rain, and wastewater/sewage 

treatment plant effluent. Such compounds are produced naturally, and are also known 

metabolites of PBDEs. OH-PBDEs are potentially produced and chlorinated during the 

wastewater treatment process. Studying the aquatic photochemistry of these compounds will lead 

to a more complete understanding of their environmental fate. This work focused on determining 

the direct photolysis quantum yields and on identifying reaction products. The target compounds 

were 6-OH-BDE47, the hydroxylated analogue of BDE47, one of the most abundant PBDE 

congeners, and three chlorinated derivatives, 3-Cl-6-OH-BDE47, 5-Cl-6-OH-BDE47 and 3,5-Cl-6- 

OH-BDE47. 

The four compounds investigated were photolyzed under both acidic and basic conditions in 

quartz test tubes to determine the quantum yields for both phenolic and phenolate species. 

Photolysis experiments were performed using sunlight and a solar simulator. Quantum yields of 

direct photolysis were calculated with the use of chemical actinonmetry. 

The photolysis of the OH-PBDEs was much slower under acidic conditions than under basic 

conditions. This is attributable to the phenolic species having minimal light absorption above 300 

nm whereas the phenolate species absorb significantly above 300 nm. pKa values for the four 

compounds were determined to be between 6.3 and 8.6. Thus, under most environmentally 

relevant conditions significant percentages of all compounds will be in the more reactive 

phenolate form. Direct photolysis quantum yield values for the four compounds varied between 

0.01-0.18. Photolysis products include dihydroxy-PBDEs and bromo(chloro)dibenzo-p-dioxins. 

The yields of the dioxins ranged from 1-4%. 

Biography: 

William Arnold is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University 

of Minnesota. His B.S. and M.S. are in Chemical Engineering from MIT (1994) and Yale (1995). 

His Ph.D. (Environmental Engineering) was completed at Johns Hopkins (1999). His research 

focuses on the transformations of organic contaminants in aquatic systems and the development 

of remediation technologies. Specific research interests include: oxidation/reduction reactions 

mediated by metal and mineral surface; direct and indirect photolysis; chemical partitioning, mass 

transfer, and diffusion and coupling of these processes with reaction; and environmental 

applications of computational chemistry. He was a visiting scientist at Eawag in 2006-2007 and is 

an Associate Fellow of both the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute and the Institute on the 

Environment. 

134


Rejection of Trace Organic Contaminants by NF Membranes: 

Effects of Sorption 

Dr. Eva Steinle-Darling 1,2 , 1 Erler & Kalinowski, Inc., 1870 Ogden Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010, 

Tel 650-292-9100, Fax 650-552-9012, esteinledarling@ekiconsult.com; Dr. Martin Reinhard 2 , 

2 Stanford University, Stanford, CA 

In a world where high-quality water resources are becoming increasingly scarce, developing safe 

new measures for keeping up with soaring water demand is of paramount importance. One option 

is to recycle wastewater by treating it to an acceptable standard using membrane technology, 

such as nanofiltration (NF). NF is an increasingly interesting option for treating recycled waters to 

the necessary standards due to its efficiency in removing a broad range of dissolved organic 

contaminants at a vastly lower energy cost than reverse osmosis. Recent results have shown that 

NF membranes are permeable to some extent for certain relatively small trace organic 

contaminants, including some pharmaceuticals and personal care products, as well as a group of 

emerging contaminants known as perfluorochemicals. However, the rejection mechanisms for 

trace organics, particularly those relating to their sorption behavior, are poorly understood. 

The objective of this study was to use a diverse group of trace organic contaminants to show that 

the extent of sorption to the membrane has a significant effect on rejection performance. This 

hypothesis is justified by the reasoning that a greater extent of sorption in or on the membrane is 

due to a higher affinity of the solute for the membrane material, and thus sorbing compounds will 

attach to, dissolve into and diffuse within it more easily than compounds which do not sorb. 

In order to fulfill this objective, a group of trace organic contaminants was studied in week-long 

rejection experiments with NF270 membranes (Dow/FilmTec, Minneapolis, MN) followed by 

methanol extraction of the membrane coupons. The tested compounds, which include 

pharmaceuticals, personal care products, perfluorochemicals, pesticides and a flame retardant, 

are all of environmental relevance and have been found in natural waters and in the outfall of 

wastewater treatment plants. Experiments were run at bench scale in a flat-sheet, cross-flow 

configuration with three membrane cells in parallel to obtain triplicate measurements. Each 

rejection experiment consisted of the following steps: membrane soaking, membrane 

preconditioning under operating conditions, spiking the feed, measuring feed and permeate 

concentrations over time, extracting the membrane coupons in methanol post-experiment. 

Concentrations in feed and permeate, as well as in the membrane extracts were quantified via 

two liquid chromatography - tandem mass-spectrometry methods. 

Results from the rejection experiments show two distinct trends supporting the original hypothesis 

that sorption plays an important role in the rejection of trace organic contaminants: First, we 

observed that contaminant sorption often results in a delayed attainment of steady-state rejection, 

over the course of up to a week for FOSA, one of the perfluorochemicals investigated. Rejection 

is initially higher and then drops over time until a steady-state rejection value is reached. 

Secondly, the tendency of a compound to sorb results in a lower steady-state rejection compared 

to that of non-sorbing compounds of the same size. This trend can be quantified by looking at the 

90% size cutoff value for the group of compounds which sorb compared to those which do not. 

While the results should be considered only semi-quantitative, the 90% size cutoff for those 

compounds is more than twice that of those compounds which do not sorb. The effect of a 

tendency to sorb is thus equivalent to doubling the molecular weight cut-off of the membrane. 

The implications of these results are twofold: First, sorption can play a large role in the efficiency 

of NF membranes with respect to trace contaminant removal, causing a significant decrease in 

rejection compared to non-sorbing compounds of similar size. Secondly, sorption can be a slow 

process to equilibrate and therefore shorter-term studies often seen in the literature might vastly 

135


overestimate the rejection efficiency of membranes for sorbing compounds. Thus pilot testing 

should include different membrane types as well as an analysis of trace contaminant rejection 

over time to ensure that the membrane type is optimized for steady-state removal of these 

substances. 

Biography: 

Eva Steinle-Darling earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton 

University in 2003 and went on to earn a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering at 

Stanford University in 2004. Eva earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Stanford in 

2008. Her research, advised by Professor Martin Reinhard, focused on the removal of trace 

organic contaminants, including nitrosamines, perfluorochemicals, and pharmaceuticals, from 

recycled waters using nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes. While earning her 

Master’s degree, Eva studied the natural attenuation of gasoline constituents (“BTEX” 

compounds) under methanogenic conditions. Eva has been involved in teaching several courses 

at Stanford University, including co-developing a curriculum and co-teaching an introductory class 

on membrane technology for water and wastewater applications. She has also helped teach an 

introductory environmental microbiology class, and an environmental analytical methods class 

taught both at Stanford University and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Eva now 

works for Erler & Kalinowski, Inc., Consulting Engineers and Scientists (“EKI”), in Burlingame, 

California. At EKI, Eva has evaluated the membrane process selection and preliminary design 

parameters for planned water and wastewater membrane installations at a large-scale residential 

development project and is currently evaluating the lateral and vertical extent of chlorinated 

volatile organic compound (“CVOC”) contamination and designing remediation efforts at a 

number of sites. 

136


The Formation and Occurrence of Biological Transformation 

Products and Ozonation Products of Iodinated Contrast Media 

and Betablockers in the Urban Water Cycle 

Ternes, T., Kormos, J., Benner, J. Schulz, M., Schlüsener M.; 1 Federal Institute of Hydrology 

(BfG), Am Mainzer Tor 1, D-56068 Koblenz, Germany, ternes@bafg.de 

In recent years several studies in Europe and North America reported the identification of 

emerging compounds in wastewater, surface water, ground water and final drinking water (e.g. 

Barcelo, 2003; Kolpin et al., 2000; Ternes and Joss, 2006). Emerging pollutants are 

pharmaceuticals, hormones, cosmetic ingredients and biocides which enter the environment 

mainly via regular domestic use. Numerous analytical methods have been developed to 

determine the presence of different classes of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in 

wastewater, environmental matrices and drinking water. However, limited research has focused 

on the characterization and identification of potential transformation products and ozonation 

products. 

Ozonation: Water batch experiments were conducted for the identification of oxidation products 

by the ozonation. Water at pH 3 and 8 containing phosphate buffer (50 mM) and betablockers 

(e.g. metoprolol, propranolol) as well as tert-butanol (t-BuOH) as a radical scavenger was 

ozonated by adding ozone stock solutions to obtain a betablocker:ozone ratios of 5:1, 2:1, 1:1, 

1:5, 1:10, 1:20. In addition, the formation of betablocker ozonation products was investigated in 

WWTP effluent at pH 7.4, in order to investigate the transference of the batch experiments to a 

real water matrix. 

Biological transformation: In aerobic water-soil batch systems target compounds (iodinated 

contrast media and atenolol) were transformed under defined conditions into transformation 

products. Samples were collected from the batch systems over an experimental period of up to 

150 days. Finally the transformation products were isolated and their occurrence were measured 

in environmental samples. 

Identification of transformation products: An approach was developed, using LC/UV, LC tandem 

mass spectrometry and NMR, to determine the chemical structures and possible transformation 

and oxidation pathways of selected emerging contaminants. All samples from the batch 

experiments (ozonation and biological transformation) were fractionated and degradation 

products were isolated by HPLC-UV instrumentation. The isolated fractions were measured by a 

hybrid triple quadrupole/linear ion trap mass spectrometer. Q1 scanning and product ion scans 

(MS 2 spectra) provided the molecular mass and the potential fragmentation pattern of the 

transformation products. The MS 3 scans delivered sufficient data to elucidate a complete 

fragmentation pathway of the isolated transformation products. 

LC tandem MS measurements exhibited that several oxidation products are formed during 

ozonation. At pH 3 other oxidation products were found than at pH8, which could be explained by 

the different reactivity of the protonated and non-protonated amines as well as differences in the 

reactivity of primary ozonation products which are further oxidized. Structures for all major OPs of 

propranolol and metoprolol (pH 3 and 8) were proposed by combining information from product 

ion scans and MS 3 scans. An ozonation of WWTP effluents with an economical relevant ozone 

dose of ~ 10 mg O3/L spiked with metoprolol or propranolol (10 µM) showed the same OPs as 

observed in the laboratory studies. 

A variety of biological transformation products were identified from iodinated contrast media. In 

total more than 30 TPs were identified, enabling the proposal of transformation pathways under 

137


aerobic conditions. Due to the elevated stability certain TPs are found in ground water and even 

drinking water. Atenolol is converted to only one polar product which was already know from the 

human metabolism of metoprolol. 

This research is being funded and supported by the European Commission within the 6th 

Framework Programme, KEYBIOEFFECTS (MRTN-CT-2006-035695), Reclaimwater (Project 

No. 018309) and Neptune (036845). 

References 

Barcelo, D. (ed.) Emerging organic pollutants in wastewater and sludge. Trends Anal. Chem. 22 (1), 

2003. 

Kolpin, D.W., Furlong, E.T., Meyer, M., Thurman, E.M., Zaugg, S.D., Barber, L.B., Buxton, H.A.T. 

(2002) Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, 

1999-2000: A national reconnaissance. Environ. Sci. Technol. 36, 1202-1211. 

Ternes T.A, Joss A. Removal of PPCP during drinking water treatment Human pharmaceuticals, 

hormones and fragrances: a challenge for urban water management, IWA Publishing, London 

2006, ISBN: 1843390930. 

Biosketch: 

Thomas Ternes 

BfG 

D-56068 Koblenz, Germany 

phone: +49 261 1306 5560 

fax: +49 261 1306 5363 

e-mail: ternes@bafg.de 

• graduated with an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of Mainz (Germany) 

(1989) 

• Ph.D. at the University of Mainz in Analytical Chemistry (1993) 

• project leader of research projects at ESWE institute for Water Research and Water 

Technology (1994-2003) 

• habilitation and became an official lecturer at the University of Mainz (2001) 

• head of the analytical organic group (2003) and head of the Water Chemistry Department 

(2006) at the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) 

• coordination of the EU project POSEIDON (http://poseidon.bafg.de)3/1994-4/2003 (2001- 

2004) 

Kormos, Jennifer 

BfG 


phone: +49 261 1306 5386; fax: +49 261 1306 5363 

Benner, Jessica 

BfG 


phone: +49 261 1306 5928; fax: +49 261 1306 5363 

138

Schulz, Manoj 

BfG 


phone: +49 261 1306 5463; fax: +49 261 1306 5363 

Schlüsener Michael 

BfG 


phone: +49 261 1306 5930; fax: +49 261 1306 5363 

139 

Oral Abstract - #209


Removal of Trace Organic Contaminants in Onsite Soil 

Absorption Systems: Impact of Loading Rates and Dissolved 

Organic Carbon Make-up 

Jennifer Teerlink (presenting author), Environmental Science and Engineering, Colorado School 

of Mines, 1500 Illinois Street Golden, CO 80401, jteerlin@mines.edu, Phone: 303-273-3871, Fax: 

303-273-3413 and Jörg E. Drewes 

The discharge of onsite wastewater treatment system effluent to the environment presents a 

potential source of trace organic chemical contamination to the underlying groundwater and 

surface waters that they eventually recharge. Much is known about the performance of onsite 

wastewater systems with respect to removal of conventional pollutants. Much less is known 

regarding the occurrence and fate of trace organic chemicals in onsite wastewater treatment 

systems and the potential for adverse impacts to receiving waters. Soil column experiments were 

conducted to quantify the removal of trace organic contaminants in the infiltrative step of onsite 

wastewater treatment. Specifically the role of 1) loading rate and 2) dissolved organic carbon 

(DOC) character of infiltrating water. 

Centralized treatment systems, such as activated sludge, are not designed to remove trace 

organic contaminants. However, they are quite effective due to long hydraulic and solid retention 

times. There is ample evidence that soil treatment systems, such as soil-aquifer treatment (SAT) 

and riverbank filtration (RBF) can reliably remove trace organic chemicals through long hydraulic 

travel times and natural diverse biocommunities. High effluent loading rates in soil absorption 

systems result in high loading of organic matter in the form of DOC. As a consequence of 

enhanced microbial activity an anaerobic redox zone can develop providing potentially less 

favorable conditions for a diverse biocommunity to develop. Drip dispersion systems, however, 

can result in a more distributed load maintaining conditions more similar to SAT and RBF 

operations. Above ground treatment steps such as a membrane bioreactor can further enhance 

feed water quality to favor a diverse biocommunity. Describing the interactions between loading 

rate, predominant redox conditions in the subsurface, and DOC character is key to fully 

understanding the removal mechanisms of trace organic chemicals in onsite systems. 

The concentrations of trace organics in treated sewage effluent have been measured from 

greater than 1000 ng/L down to detection limits of 10 ng/L or less. These concentrations are not 

sufficient to support microbial biomass growth. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and 3-D 

fluorescence spectroscopy are relatively new techniques used to characterize DOC based on 

molecular size and the presence of key organic matter fractions. Soil microbial biomass growth is 

supported by the polysaccharide and humic substance building blocks fractions of bulk DOC. 

Sustaining suitable microbial diversity relies on DOC of infiltrating water. Findings of this 

research improved the understanding of the fundamental mechanisms responsible for 

biodegradation of a select suite of trace organic contaminants and identified favorable system 

boundary conditions to facilitate contaminant degradation during soil infiltration in onsite 

wastewater treatment. 

140

Biography: 

Jennifer Teerlink 


Jennifer Teerlink is a 2 nd year Doctoral Student at Colorado School of Mines. She is using 

advanced dissolved organic carbon (DOC) characterization tools to identify the role of DOC in 

natural media filtration systems on micropollutant removal. Jennifer holds a B.S. and an M.S. in 

Geology. Prior to returning to school, she worked as a field geologist for Kleinfelder and as a 

geochemist at Los Alamos National Laboratory. 

141


N-Nitrosodimethylamin Formation During Ozonation of Waters 

Containing N,N-Dimethylsulfamide: Role of Bromide 

Urs von Gunten (presenting author) 1,2 , Elisabeth Salhi 1 , Carsten Schmidt 3 and William Arnold 1,4 ; 

1 Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, P.O. Box 611, CH-8600 

Dübendorf, Switzerland; 2 Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, 8092 

Zürich, Switzerland; 3 Chemical Analysis Department, DVGW-Water Technology Center (TZW), 

76139 Karlsruhe, Germany; 4 Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota, 

Minneapolis, MN 55455; vongunten@eawag.ch 

In a recent study in full-scale ozonation plants, a direct formation of N-nitrosodimethylamin 

(NDMA) was found during ozonation (1). This is in contradiction to the previously observed 

reduction in the NDMA formation potential during chloramination after a pre-ozonation (2). Further 

investigations showed that a degradation product of the fungicide tolylfluanide, namely 

dimethylsulfamide (DMS), is responsible for this finding (1). It could be shown that NDMA could 

only be formed from DMS in natural waters via a direct ozone based pathway (3). This could be 

shown by a significantly enhanced NDMA formation in presence of the OH-radical scavenger t- 

BuOH. OH radicals, which are always formed during ozonation, lead to different products and 

therefore a reduced NDMA formation. Since only traces of NDMA were formed from the 

ozonation of DMS in pure water, several constituents of natural waters, such as natural organic 

matter, trace metals (Fe(II), Cu(II), Mn(II)) and bromide were tested for their promotion of the 

DMS-NDMA conversion. It could be shown that NDMA is only formed in presence of bromide and 

that bromide acts as a catalyst. Already traces of bromide lead to a 10-fold conversion of DMS to 

NDMA. It is hypothesized, that bromide is first oxidized to HOBr by ozone, which then reacts with 

DMS. The brominated product subsequently reacts with ozone and releases bromide again. The 

reaction was also tested in a combined HOBr/ozone system resulting in the same conversion 

factor. NDMA can also be formed in pure water containing DMS, HOCl and ozone. This further 

strengthens the hypothesis, that HOX is involved in the DMS-NDMA conversion. Furthermore, 

experiments with HOBr, ozone and Ag(I) were conducted to scavenge bromide which is reformed 

upon ozonation. In this case the yield of NDMA could be reduced significantly by reducing the 

catalytic activity of bromide. This study presents one of the few cases for which a more toxic 

compound is formed during oxidation of a harmless metabolite of a fungicide. Furthermore, it 

elucidates a new bromide-catalyzed process, which has not been observed before. Kinetic and 

mechanistic investigations are ongoing and the corresponding results will presented at the 

conference. 

References 

1. Schmidt, C.K.; Brauch, H.-J. (2008) N,N-Dimethylsulfamide as precursor for Nnitrosodimethylamine 

formation upon ozonation and its fate during drinking water treatment. 

Environ. Sci. Technol., 42, 6340-6346. 

2. Lee, C., Yoon, J. and von Gunten, U.* (2007) Oxidation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) 

precursors with ozone and chlorine dioxide: kinetics and effect on NDMA formation potential. 

Environ. Sci. Technol., 41, 2056-2063. 

3. Arnold, W.A., Schmidt, C. K., Salhi, E., von Gunten, U. Kinetics and mechanisms N- 

Nitrosodimethyl formation upon ozonation of dimethylsulfamide. Environ. Sci. Technol., in 

preparation. 

142


Fate of Psycho-Active Drugs in Biological Wastewater 

Treatment: Examining Removal Processes and Formation 

of Transformation Products 

Arne Wick a* , Manoj Schulz a , Adriano Joss b , Hansruedi Siegrist b , Thomas A. Ternes a ; 

a Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG), Koblenz, Germany); b Swiss Federal Institute of 

Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Duebendorf, Switzerland) 

Psycho-active drugs such as analgesics, tranquilizers and antidepressants are highly 

consumed pharmaceuticals. Since an appreciable quantity is excreted unchanged, they 

are known to be discharged via treated wastewater into rivers and streams after passing 

wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Ecotoxicological studies indicate a hazard for 

aquatic ecosystems due to a continuous discharge of psychoactive drugs such as the 

antidepressant carbamazepine (Oetken et al., 2005) and the opium alkaloid morphine 

(Gagné et al., 2006). Information regarding the removal processes in conventional biological 

wastewater treatment are very scarce. Especially the formation of biological 

transformation products which might be even more important in terms of quantity, persistence 

and its ecotoxicological potential than the parent compound is still unknown. 

In this study, the removal of 14 psycho-active drugs of different therapeutic classes was 

assessed by long-term measurement campaigns along the different biological treatment 

processes of a state of the art WWTP. Loads of several psycho-active drugs such as the 

tranquilizer oxazepam and the analgesic tramadol were found to be not significantly reduced 

while the opium alkaloids codeine and morphine load was reduced by more than 

80%. The removal was restricted to the activated sludge treatment with an elevated 

sludge retention time (SRT) of 18 d. 

In parallel, biological transformation constants (kbiol) and sludge-water partition coefficients 

(Kd,sec) were determined in lab-scale batch experiments. Implementing these data 

into a modified model according to Joss et al. (2006), the fate of psycho-active drugs 

could be predicted quite well. The results showed that removal in the full-scale WWTP 

was due to biological transformation while sorption onto activated sludge was negligible 

(

References 


Gagné, F., Blaise, C., Fournier, M., Hansen, P.D., 2006. Effects of selected pharmaceutical 

products on phagocytic activity in Elliptio complanata mussels. Comp. Biochem. 

Physiol. C 143, 179-186. 

Joss, A., Zabczynski, S., Göbel, A., Hoffmann, B., Löffler, D., McArdell, C.S., Ternes, 

T.A., Thomsen, A., Siegrist, H., 2006. Biological degradation of pharmaceuticals in 

municipal wastewater treatment: Proposing a classification scheme. Wat. Res. 40, 

1686-1696. 

Oetken, M., Nentwig, G., Löffler, D., Ternes, T.A., Oehlmann, J., 2005. Effects of pharmaceuticals 

on aquatic invertebrates. Part I. The antiepileptic drug Carbamazepine. 

Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 49, 353-361. 

Biography 

Arne Wick graduated with an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science 

from the University of Oldenburg (Germany) in 2005. After working in the group 

of “Ecological Chemistry” at the University of Oldenburg, he started his Ph.D. at 

the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) in Koblenz (Germany) in 2007. His Ph.D. 

is part of the EU-project Neptune dealing with the up-date of conventional 

wastewater treatment plants in order to reduce the emission of micropollutants 

into aqueous ecosystems. His research within the project is focused on the fate 

of emerging pollutants such as biocides and pharmaceuticals in biological 

wastewater treatment. 

144


Macro vs. Micropollutants in Impaired Waters: What Really 

Matters? 

Spencer S. Walse and William A. Mitch (presenting author)*; Department of Chemical 

Engineering, Yale University 

The presence of micropollutants within impaired waters has raised concerns for a variety of 

toxicity endpoints, including endocrine disruption. Although significant impairments from these 

compounds to human health have not yet been demonstrated, further research has targeted 

whether treatment processes, such as disinfection, convert these micropollutants to more potent 

toxicants. However, there is no a priori reason to suspect that an endocrine disruptor would 

convert to a potent carcinogen during disinfection. In addition, the low concentrations of the 

micropollutant precursors reduce the likelihood that any carcinogenic products would form in high 

concentrations. 

We turned our attention to transformation products of the more prevalent matrix components. 

Such research has been inhibited in pristine waters due to the lack of definition of humic 

substance precursors. However, the known structures of the biomolecular matrix associated with 

impaired waters enables the prediction of products likely to form in high concentrations. We 

developed an analytical method to examine transformation products of polypeptides. Appling 

these methods to disinfected impaired waters, we have demonstrated the occurrence of our 

predicted byproducts. To our knowledge, this is the first instance in which significant byproduct 

formation has been successfully predicted. 


Spencer S. Walse 

Department of Chemical Engineering, Yale University 

Mason Lab 313b 

9 Hillhouse Avenue 

New Haven, Connecticut 06520 

telephone (203) 432-4386; fax (203) 432-4387; e-mail: spencer.walse@ARS.USDA.GOV 

Dr. Walse received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and 

his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of South Carolina in 2003. After working at the USDA 

in Gainsville, Florida, he moved to Yale as a Post-Doctoral Associate. 

William A. Mitch 

Department of Chemical Engineering, Yale University 

Mason Lab 313b 

9 Hillhouse Avenue 

New Haven, Connecticut 06520 

telephone (203) 432-4386; fax (203) 432-4387; e-mail: william.mitch@yale.edu 

Dr. Mitch received his A.B. degree in Anthropology from Harvard University in 1993, and a M.S. 

degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 

1995. After working in environmental consulting, he returned to Berkeley to obtain a Ph.D. in Civil 

and Environmental Engineering in 2003. He moved to Yale University where he is currently an 

Associated Professor in the Chemical Engineering Department. 

145


Assessment and Modeling of a Full Scale Ozonation Step of 

Municipal Secondary Wastewater Effluent 

S.G. Zimmermann 1,2 , M. Wittenwiler 1,2 , J. Hollender 1 , S. Koepke 1 , E. Salhi 1 , J. Traber 1 , F. 

Hammes 1 , E. Gansner 3 , M. Koch 3 , C. Ort 1 , H.R. Siegrist 1,4 , U. von Gunten 1,2 ; 1 Eawag, Swiss 

Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland; 2 Institute of 

Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland; 3 Amt für Abfall, 

Wasser, Energie und Luft, AWEL, 8005 Zürich, Switzerland; 4 Institute of Environmental 

Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland 

Ozonation has been shown to be an efficient treatment process for the transformation of 

micropollutants in drinking water and wastewater in laboratory- and pilot-scale studies [Huber et 

al. 2005 and references therein]. We present now results from a full-scale ozone reactor treating 

the secondary effluent of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) Regensdorf/CH (25.000 P.E.). A 

rapid sand filter acts as biological polishing step after ozonation. An online DOC measurement 

based on UV absorption was installed in the influent to the ozone reactor to dose the ozone DOC 

load proportional. Kinetic investigations of several processes connected to ozonation could hence 

be carried out for seven ozone doses in the range 200 - 1240 g O3/kg DOC. These processes 

included the ozone and hydroxyl radical exposure determined from on site and laboratory 

measurements, micropollutants transformation, by-product formation, disinfection, assimilable 

organic carbon (AOC) formation and changes in the organic wastewater matrix. Kinetics of these 

processes were assessed from grab samples taken along the ozonation step. The investigated 

micropollutants were analyzed by an online SPE-LC-MS/MS method according to their 

occurrence and not spiked to the wastewater. This study complements results from composite 

samples that determined the overall elimination of micropollutants and the reduction in ecotoxicity 

along the different treatment steps of WWTP Regensdorf (Hollender et al.). 

The relative elimination of micropollutants clearly increased along the ozonation step with 

increasing ozone exposure and higher second-order reaction rate constants of micropollutants 

with ozone (k”O3 app at pH 7). The concentrations of micropollutants with low k”O3 app at pH 7 such 

as ibuprofen or bezafibrate were below the limit of quantification at the influent to the ozone 

reactor. Hence, oxidation efficiency by hydroxyl radicals could not be evaluated full-scale. 

Concerning oxidation by-products, up to 3.3 μg L -1 bromate were formed for 1240 g O3/kg DOC 

from the wastewater containing 30 μg L -1 bromide. Disinfection efficiency of the ozonation step 

was 2-3 orders of magnitude in terms of intact cell counts measured by flow cytometry for ozone 

doses > 400 g O3/kg DOC. Regrowth of 1-2 orders of magnitude was observed during sand 

filtration. E.coli was eliminated by 2-3 orders of magnitude for > 400 g O3/kg DOC, and no 

regrowth during sand filtration was determined. AOC increased by a factor of 6 for 

1240 g O3/kg DOC. Changes in fractions of the organic wastewater matrix during ozonation were 

determined by size exclusion chromatography-UV-organic carbon detector (SEC-UV-OCD). 

Ozonation clearly decreased the UV absorption of all fractions with increasing ozone dose. 

Furthermore, ozonation shifted fractions of the organic wastewater matrix from bigger to smaller 

fractions. Energy consumption of the ozonation step was optimized during the study and 

3 

accounts at an ozone dose of ~800 g O3/kg DOC P with approx. 0.06 - 0.08 kWh/mP P for 20-30% of 

the total energy consumption of a conventional nutrient removal plant. 

Ongoing work focuses on modeling the full-scale ozone reactor by coupling reactor hydraulics 

with ozonation chemistry. The hydraulic behavior was characterized by the conservative tracer 

uranine and the mean hydraulic retention time was calculated to vary between 3 to 15 min 

depending on weather conditions. Ozone decomposition kinetics and the ratio of hydroxyl radical 

to ozone concentrations determined in laboratory experiments will be included in the model as 

well as second-order reaction rate constants for the investigated micropollutants. Results for the 

elimination of micropollutants in Regensdorf wastewater from laboratory experiments and the 

146


model will be compared to results from the full scale assessment. This may provide an effective 

tool to predict the oxidative behavior of a full-scale ozone reactor in wastewater treatment. 

References 

Huber, M.M.; Goebel, A.; Joss, A.; Hermann, N.; Loffler, D.; McArdell, C. S.; Ried, A.; Siegrist, H.; 

Ternes, T. A.; von Gunten, U. (2005) Oxidation of pharmaceuticals during ozonation of 

municipal wastewater effluents: a pilot study. Environ. Sci. Technol. 39 (11), 4290–4299. 

Biosketches: 

Saskia Zimmermann studied Environmental Sciences at the University of Trier/Germany and the 

University of Lund/Sweden and received her diploma in 2006. Since 2007, she is working on her 

PhD thesis “Enhanced treatment of wastewater by ozone and ferrate” at Eawag in the group of 

Urs von Gunten. 

Saskia Zimmermann 

Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) 

Department of Water Resources and Drinking Water 


CH-8600 Dübendorf 

Switzerland 

Tel. +41 (0)44 823 5083 

Fax. +41 (0)44 823 5210 


147


Nationwide Assessment of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care 

Products in U.S. Biosolids 

K. McClellan 1, 2 , R. U. Halden 1, 2 *; 1 Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, Arizona State University, 

PO Box 879309, Tempe, AZ 85287-9309; 2 The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, 

PO Box 875701, Tempe, AZ 85287-5701; Rolf U. Halden, Halden@asu.edu 

According to the National Research Council, the United States annually produces 5.6 million tons 

of sewage sludge of which more than 60% is applied on land. While pharmaceuticals and 

personal care products (PPCPs) in surface waters are constantly scrutinized, their occurrence in 

sewage sludge is less well understood. 

In this study, we analyzed sewage sludge (biosolids) from 100+ wastewater treatment plants from 

across the United States for concentrations of 50+ PPCPs using liquid chromatography tandem 

mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in conjunction with the isotope dilution technique. 

Concentrations of PPCPs typically were found to be in the parts-per-billion range. However, 

mean concentrations of some contaminants exceeded 10 mg/kg dry weight of biosolids. 

Additionally, several contaminants were observed in biosolids for the first time. 

This study served to increase the current understanding of PPCPs in municipal sludge destined 

for land application. The here observed frequent detection of some of these compounds at 

significant levels in biosolids from 30+ states warrants further investigations, risk assessments, 

and an examination of procedural and regulatory opportunities for controlling the transfer of these 

chemicals from the wastewater environment to agricultural soils. 

148


Batch Tests on the Biodegradation of Emerging Organic 

Micropollutants 

Manuela Barbieri (presenting author) 1 , Jesús Carrera 2 , Xavier Sànchez-Vila 1 , Carlos Ayora 2 , Jordi 

Cama 2 , Miren Lopez de Alda 3 , Damià Barceló 3 , Marianne Köck 3 , Joana Tobella Brunet 4 , Tobias 

Licha 5 , Karsten Nödler 5 

The continuous improvement of analytical techniques has allowed to detect the presence of the 

so-called “emerging organic micropollutants” in water and soil, which may have effects on the 

living organisms even at ng/L or µL concentration. In wastewater and drinking water plants, a 

remarkable removal of these chemicals from water can be obtained only using advanced and 

costly treatments. Nevertheless, a number of studies are demonstrating that the physical, 

chemical and biochemical processes associated with water flow path within the subsoil represent 

a natural alternative way to reduce the presence of these contaminants. 

In this context and within the european project GABARDINE and the WR0801 project financed by 

R+I Alliance both on artificial recharge of groundwater, a study on the biodegradation of emerging 

organic micropollutants is being performed. Recent literature suggests that the removal of such 

kind of substances can be affected to great extent by the redox state of the system. Then, a set of 

laboratory batch experiments have been assembled in order to investigate the behaviour of 

selected pesticides, drugs, estrogens, surfactant degradation products, biocides and plasticizers 

under different redox conditions. The setup of the experiments consists of glass bottles containing 

120g of soil and 240 ml of synthetic water spiked with the mix of micropollutants. A source of 

easily degradable organic carbon and, depending on the type of test, a quantity of adequate 

electron acceptor is added in order to yield aerobic respiration and 

nitrate/iron/manganese/sulphate reduction conditions. The evolution of the processes is 

monitored by sacrificing duplicate bottles according to a defined schedule and analysing water for 

major and minor components as well as for micropollutants. Results from biotic tests are 

compared with abiotic ones in order to discern biodegradation from other chemical processes. 

The soil, the synthetic water and the micropollutants selected for the experiments are 

representative of a test site in the nearby of Barcelona (Spain) where artificial recharge of 

groundwater through ponds is going to be performed using river water or tertiary effluent from a 

waste water treatment plant. 

The results of the experiments allow to improve the knowledge on the behaviour of the selected 

micropollutants under different redox conditions as well as to gather useful information about 

what is expected to develop at the test site during artificial recharge. 

The data collected during the laboratory experiments and in the test site will be used to build and 

calibrate a numerical model of the physical-chemical-biochemical processes developing in the 

batches and of multicomponent reactive transport in the unsaturated/saturated zone in the test 

site area. 

149

Biosketches: 


Manuela Barbieri 1 : Master in Environmental Engineering at the University of Cagliari (Italy), PhD 

student in the Technical University of Catalonia – Hydrogeology Group. 

Email: manuela.barbieri@upc.edu 

Phone number: 0034-93-4017247 

Jesús Carrera 2 : jcarrera@ija.csic.es 

Xavier Sànchez-Vila 1 : Xavier.Sanchez-Vila@upc.edu 

Carlos Ayora 2 : cayora@ija.csic.es 

Jordi Cama 2 : jcama@ija.csic.es 

Miren Lopez de Alda 3 : mlaqam@cid.csic.es 

Damià Barceló 3 : dbcqam@nunki.cid.csic.es 

Marianne Köck 3 : mkoqam@iiqab.csic.es 

Joana Tobella Brunet 4 : jtobella@cetaqua.com 

Tobias Licha 5 : tobias.licha@geo.uni-goettingen.de 

Karsten Nödler 5 : knoedle@gwdg.de 

1 

Technical University of Catalonia - Department of Geotechnical Engineering and Geo-Sciences 

(UPC-ETCG). Gran Capita s/n, 08034 Barcelona, Spain. 

2 

Instituto de Diagnóstico Ambiental y Estudios del Agua (IDAEA-CSIC). Jordi Girona 18, 08034 

Barcelona, Spain. 

3 

Chemical and Environmental Research Institute of Barcelona - Department of Environmental 

Chemistry (IIQAB-CSIC). Jordi Girona 18–26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain. 

4 

Centro tecnológico del Agua (CETaqua). Passeig dels Til·lers 3, 08034 Barcelona, Spain. 

5 

Geowissenschaftliches Zentrum der Universität Göttingen, Abt. Angewandte Geologie. 

Goldschmidtstrasse 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. 

150


Measuring the Effect of Pharmaceuticals on Microbial Antibiotic 

Resistance in Waste Water with Nanoparticle-DNA Probes 

Krassimira Hristova (presenting author) 1 , Ahjeong Son 1 , Kate Scow 1 , Ian Kennedy 2 ; Department 

of Land, Air, and Water Resources 1 , and Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical 

Engineering 2 , University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616, USA 

Due to the widespread use of antibiotics and personal care products in our human activities 

these compounds are often found in abundance in wastewater treatment plants. The effect of 

pharmaceutical products (i.e., triclosan (TCS) and triclorocarban (TCC)), commonly added to 

many personal care products, on the antibiotic resistance dynamics of microbial populations was 

investigated in waste water. Possible risk of increased bacterial antibiotic resistance in 

wastewater was tested by quantitative monitoring of antibiotic resistance genes with a newly 

developed DNA assay based on nanoparticle (NP)-hybridization. 

The objective of this study was to develop a rapid NP-DNA quantification method to monitor 

antibiotic resistance in the environment. The quantity of antibiotic resistance tetQ and ermC 

genes in activated sludge microcosms, with and without addition of tetracycline, TCS, or TCC 

was determined. Magnetic/luminescent (Fe3O4/Eu:Gd2O3) core-shell nanoparticles were 

designed to offer multi-functional advantage: the magnetic property of NPs provides an efficient 

separation of NP-DNA hybrids from a solution, which speeds up the assay time; the stable and 

long-lasting fluorescence from the lanthanide shell serves as an internal calibration of the assay. 

Since hybridization is achieved on the surface of the NPs instead of that on a chip in DNA 

microarrays, the hybridization-in-solution format has the advantages of assay simplicity and 

flexibility. Fe3O4/Eu:Gd2O3 NPs were synthesized by spray pyrolysis and biofunctionalized by 

neutravidin. After immobilization of biotinylated probe DNA on the particles’ surfaces, target 

(environmental gDNA or cDNA) and signaling probe DNA (labeled with Cy3) were hybridized in 

a 96-well platform. Linear standard curves (R 2 = 0.99) of target tetQ and ermC genes were 

achieved based on the normalized fluorescence (Cy3/Eu NPs) of DNA-NP hybrids. 

The abundance of tetQ and ermC genes in activated sludge microcosms after four weekincubation 

showed 1) a significant increase of tetQ gene copies with the addition of TCS or TCC 

and 2) an increase of ermC gene copies with the addition of tetracycline. Results suggest that 

TCS or TCC may play a role in triggering tetracycline-resistance while tetracycline may trigger 

MLS-resistance in mixed microbial communities. We have demonstrated a simple, highthroughput, 

and non-PCR based DNA assay using NPs with potential applications in the 

monitoring of antibiotic resistance and cross-resistance effects in wastewater. 

151



Krassimira R. Hristova (presenting author) is a Research Associate Professor of 

Environmental Microbiology with the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources at the 

University of California, Davis, CA. Dr. Hristova received her Ph.D. degree in Microbiology from 

Sofia University St. Kliment Ochridski in 1994. She obtained a postdoctoral training in Microbial 

Ecology from University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana and University of California at Davis. 

Dr. Hristova’s research interests include biosensors development for environmental monitoring, 

biodegradation of MTBE and gasoline contaminants; genome analyses of pollutant-degrading 

organisms, biofuels, environmental impact of nanomateals and emerging contaminants. Phone: 

530-752-2412, fax: 530-752-1552, e-mail: krhristova@ucdavis.edu; 3240 PES Building, One 

Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616. 

Ahjeong Son is currently an Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering in the 

Department of Civil Engineering at Auburn University, Alabama. Dr. Son received her Ph.D 

degree in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Delaware on 

2005. She had worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Land, Air, and Water 

Resources at University of California, Davis from 2005 to 2008. Dr. Son research interests 

include DNA monitoring technology for environmental sensing, microbial reduction of perchlorate 

using zero-valent iron, metagenomic analysis to understand microbial population dynamics, and 

sustainability in energy and water resources system. Phone: 334-844-6260, fax: 334-844-6290, 

e-mail: ason@auburn.edu, 204 Harbert Engineering Center, Auburn, AL 36849. 

Kate M. Scow is a Professor of Soil Microbial Ecology in the Department of Land, Air and Water 

Resources and a Deputy Director of the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at University of 

California at Davis. Her lab conducts research on the biodegradation and bioremediation of 

contaminants (MTBE, perchlorate) in groundwater and soil. Dr. Scow’s research interests 

include biodegradation of volatile organic chemicals and strongly sorbed pollutants by 

indigenous microbial populations in soil and vadose zone; bioremediation of MTBE; impact of 

environmental pollutants on microbial community structure and function. Phone: 530-752-4632, 

fax: 530-7521552, e-mail: kmscow@ucdavis.edu; 3236 PES Building, One Shields Ave., Davis, 

CA 95616. 

Ian M. Kennedy received his Ph.D. from the University of Sydney in 1980. He joined the 

Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of California Davis in 

1986 after a period as a Research Staff member at Princeton University and several years at the 

Aeronautical Research Laboratories in Australia. A major thrust of Professor Kennedy’s efforts is 

directed towards understanding the impact of ultrafine aerosol particles on human health. This 

interest is pursued via extensive multidisciplinary collaborations with colleagues in 

Environmental Toxicology, Land, Air, and Water Resources, Veterinary Medicine, and 

Chemistry. He is also involved in applying nanoscale particles to detection technologies in 

biology and biophotonics. Phone: 530-752-2796, fax: 530-752-4158, e-mail: 

imkennedy@ucdavis.edu; Bainer Hall, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616. 

152


Pollution of Urban Runoff by Additives Used in Construction 

Materials 

Dr. Michael Burkhardt (presenting author) 1 , Steffen Zuleeg 1 , Ralf Kaegi 1 , Roger Vonbank 2 , 

Xolewa Lamani 3 , Kai Bester 4 , Markus Boller 1 ; 1 Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science 

and Technology, Uberlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dubendorf, Switzerland, E-mail: 

michael.burkhardt@eawag.ch and michael.burkhardt@hsr.ch; 2 Swiss Federal Institute for 

Material Testing and Research (Empa), 8600 Dubendorf, Switzerland; 3 University of Duisburg- 

Essen, 45141 Essen, Germany; 4 Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark 

Sustainable urban storm water management and proactive water protection both require 

clarification to what kind and to which extent organic and inorganic pollutants end up in storm 

water runoff. The widespread occurrence of some pollutants in sewage sludge, wastewater 

treatment plant effluents and storm water runoff demonstrates the challenge for source control 

measures and sustainable storm water management. However, urban sources of pollutants are 

often unknown and measures for source control are uncertain. Little is known about the impact of 

organic and inorganic additives used in construction materials and their release to storm water, 

e.g. material protection products containing biocides and nanoparticles. 

The leaching of organic biocides and nanoparticles by driving rain from resin-based paints and 

renders over the course of irrigation intervals was investigated in the laboratory and under natural 

weather conditions on field scale. To compare the accelerated leaching from the laboratory, the 

same materials were studied at field site. The paints and renders containing defined quantities of 

the active ingredients were applied as typical for building practice. The leaching of additives from 

flexible sheets for building roofs was investigated for different market products and materials. 

Additional results from model roof systems on semi-technical scale allowed the up-scaling of the 

results acquired in the laboratory. Additionally, for each organic substance hazardous 

concentrations and no-effect concentrations were calculated. 

Under the studied conditions maximum facade runoff concentrations were in the range of a few 

milligrams per litre for e.g. Diuron, Terbutryn, and Isoproturon measured in the first litre of the 

initial irrigation interval. The concentrations decreased to the last runoff event one and two orders 

of magnitude. A rise in temperature increased the concentrations of all eight biocides 

investigated. The biocides concentrations do not only decrease over the entire weathering, but 

also during individual runoff events. Within the first ten minutes of runoff 60% of the one hour 

event-based loads occur in runoff. The concentrations were at new buildings even higher under 

natural conditions but decreased within a few months about one order of magnitude as well. 

Hydrological conditions trigger the release and seem to be influenced by material properties. 

Transformation products release at the same time in significant concentrations. Nevertheless, the 

calculated losses of biocides in facades runoff very smaller under natural conditions compared to 

laboratory. The relative losses of additives used in flexible roofing materials were significant 

smaller than from facade coatings, however, the absolute are really high. Concentrations of the 

additive Mecoprop used as a root protection agent were in the range of hundreds of micrograms 

per litre and a few milligrams. The results clearly show that additives used in construction 

materials may pollute storm water runoff. This issue seem to be a new challenge in urban storm 

water and river basin management. Identified sources, emission rates, control measures of 

organic and inorganic additives and successfully implemented mitigation strategies will be 

presented at the conference. 

153

Biography: 


Michael Burkhardt has studied Geo-Science in Germany and Switzerland, worked between 1999 

and 2002 as a research assistant and PhD-student at the Research Center Julich/Germany, 

Department of Agrosphere, and followed by post-doctoral research studies at Eawag/Switzerland, 

Department of Water & Agriculture. Since 2004, Michael Burkhardt is working at Eawag in the 

Department for Urban Water Management. Over ten years working in science his main interests 

are hydrological processes and transport behaviour of xenobiotics (pesticides, colloids, veterinary 

antibiotics, tracers) in the vadose zone, mass flow analysis, source control measures and fate of 

hazardous substances in urban storm water runoff. The last four years he was leader of several 

interdisciplinary projects. Within the collaboration on different scales release of additives used in 

construction materials was studied, such as biocides in paints and renders or root protection 

agents, flame retardants, UV-filters and plasticizers in flexible sheets for flat roofs. Recent studies 

are conducted in collaboration with the main manufacturers of additives and construction 

materials. The results were successfully used by industry to improve leaching characteristics and 

reduce the impact to soil and aquatic systems. Additionally, Michael Burkhardt is interested in the 

occurrence of nanosilver in aquatic systems. Ongoing studies focus on emissions from facade 

paints, a laundry to waste water and fate in a waste water treatment plant. In the nearby future 

Michael Burkhardt will continue at the University of Applied Science in Rapperswil (HSR) in the 

Institute for Environmental and Process Engineering UMTEC. 

154


Biotransformation of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers by 

Aerobic Bacteria 

Kristin R. Robrock (presenting author) 1 , Mehmet Coelhan 2 , David L. Sedlak 3 , William W. Mohn 4 , 

Lindsay Eltis 4 , Lisa Alvarez-Cohen 3,5 ; 1 Exponent, Inc. Oakland, CA; 2 Research Center for 

Brewing and Food Quality, Technical University of Munich, Germany; 3 Dept. of Civil & 

Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA; 4 Dept. of Microbiology and 

Immunology, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; 5 Earth 

Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories, Berkeley, CA 

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) are commonly used flame retardants that have recently 

become a cause of concern because of their endocrine disruption ability and the high 

concentrations found in humans and in the environment. To date, very little is known about the 

potential for aerobic microorganisms to degrade these compounds. We investigated the ability of 

two polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) degrading species, Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 and 

Burkholderia xenovorans LB400, as we well as Rhodococcus ruber sp. RR1 and the etherdegrading 

Pseudonocardia dioxanivorans CB1190. Species were exposed to mono- through 

hexa-BDEs. The two PCB-degrading strains transformed all of the mono- through penta-BDEs. 

Strain LB400 transformed one of the hexa-BDEs, while RR1 and CB1190 transformed only 

mono- and di-BDEs. The extent of transformation was roughly inversely related to the degree of 

bromination. RHA1 released stoichiometric quantities of bromide while transforming mono- and 

tetra-BDE congeners, while LB400 instead converted most of a mono-BDE to a hydroxylated 

mono-BDE. The ability of RHA1 to degrade PBDEs changed dramatically with growth substrate, 

from extensive transformation by biphenyl-grown cells to limited transformation of di- and tri- 

BDEs by benzoate-grown cells. The biphenyl and ethylbenzene 2,3,-dioxygenase enzymes in 

RHA1 are implicated in PCB degradation. The gene expression of these enzymes matched the 

transformation profiles exhibited by RHA1 grown on different substrates. Recombinant strains of 

the non-PBDE degrading bacterium Rhodococcus erythropolis were developed containing these 

genes. Both enzymes were found to transform PBDEs, although the ethylbenzene dioxygenase is 

more active towards highly brominated congeners. 

155


Insights to Free Radical Treatment of Pharmaceuticals in Water 

William J. Cooper, Weihua Song, Behnaz Razavi, Hanoz Santoke, Joonseon Jeong and Michael 

Gonsior; Urban Water Research Center, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 

University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697 

One of the top issues in water treatment (in its broadest sense) is that of emerging contaminants 

of concern and more specifically, pharmaceuticals in water. In 2007 the combined market for 

named and generic prescription compounds was well over $260 billion dollars. We have begun a 

systematic study of the application of advanced oxidation/reduction processes for the control of 

these chemicals using as a first approximation the sales data for each of 400 compounds in a 

prioritization scheme. 

Our approach is divided into several steps, 1) evaluation of absolute bimolecular reaction rate 

constants with hydroxyl radical, •OH, and the solvated electron, e -aq . 2) We have found that in 

addition to the fundamental rate constants it is necessary to determine the efficiency of each 

reaction with the pharmaceutical of interest, as this is the critical factor in the efficacy of the 

treatment process. 3) We determine the transient absorption spectra to provide insight into the 

fundamental radical chemistry. 4) Elucidating the destruction mechanism is of importance in 

developing kinetic models and to evaluate whether there is concern for additional adverse health 

effects from stable products. We have found that in some cases that peroxyl radical reactions are 

involved and using well established reaction mechanisms helps to account for observed byproducts. 

5) In some cases the compounds fluoresce and that is of interest in developing 

strategies for monitoring and control specifically in water reuse. This aspect of our work is of 

importance in situations where direct water reuse is being considered and application of the 

treated effluent is used for non-potable water reuse. 

To date we have studied nearly 50 different pharmaceutical compounds. However, not all 

compounds are adequately soluble in water for the direct evaluation of rate constants and have 

expanded this effort to smaller more soluble compounds that we use as models. This paper will 

provide an overview of our studies and insights into reaction rates and mechanisms which are 

necessary for determining the application of advanced oxidation/reduction processes in water 

treatment. 

156


Fate of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Wastewater: From 

Treatment to Land Application of Biosolids 

Cary Leung, Alandra Kahl, David Quanrud, Robert G. Arnold, A. Eduardo Sáez 

Large quantities of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been used as flame retardants 

in clothing and plastic products since the 1970s. Since then, they have been measured 

consistently in human blood, animal tissue, even in remote locations, household dust, natural 

waters and food. A small fraction of the PBDEs in manufactured products subsequently enters 

municipal wastewater. It is known that PBDEs largely survive conventional wastewater treatment. 

The resistance of these compounds to chemical and biochemical transformations provides 

opportunities for accumulation in sediments that are in contact with wastewater effluent, and 

agricultural soils that are amended with biosolids derived from wastewater treatment. Balances 

developed for PBDE congeners indicate that conventional wastewater treatment processes and 

soil infiltration of treated wastewater in recharge operations do not discriminate significantly 

among the major congeners in commercially available PBDE products. Accumulation of PBDEs 

at near part-per-million levels was measured in the surface sediments at the Sweetwater 

Recharge Facility in Tucson, Arizona, during 10-15 years of operation. Half times for loss of major 

PBDE congeners from sediments were decades or longer. In addition, we examined archived 

soils from a former biosolids application site in Marana, Arizona, at which application rates were 

known for the 20-year period of service. Integrated PBDE concentrations in the top few feet of 

soil were compared to cumulative application rates to assess PBDE (congener-specific) retention 

and persistence under field conditions. Based on this type of mass balance, we concluded that 

very long periods of sludge application (even longer than the 20-year life of the sludge application 

rate) were necessary for accumulation of the mass of PBDEs present in the top five feet of soils. 

Also, PBDEs were present at much higher concentrations in the top foot. Experimental data show 

that PBDE concentration in recharge wetland sediments are comparable to the concentrations 

found in the topsoil of biosolids-amended land. Together, these results suggest that PBDEs are 

highly persistent under field conditions in operations that use wastewater effluent or biosolids. 

Furthermore, the vertical transport of PBDEs in soils appears to be severely restricted. The 

widespread use of PBDEs in commercial products, compound persistence and toxicity indicate 

that additional effort is warranted to better understand fate-determining processes for PBDEs in 

the environment. 

157


A Novel Approach for a Priori Predictions of Charged Organic 

Molecule Sorption to Soils and Sediments 

Christopher P. Higgins (presenting author) 1,2 and Richard G. Luthy 2 ; 1 Current Affiliation: 

Environmental Science and Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO; 2 Civil and 

Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 

The interaction of charged organic molecules with sediments and soils has been the subject of 

much research over the last several years. In particular, while the binding of ionogenic organic 

compounds such as pharmaceuticals to mineral phases has received much attention, the sorption 

of charged molecules to natural organic matter can also play a significant role in determining their 

environmental fate. Accurately modeling these processes requires an understanding of the 

impact of the molecule’s charge on its partitioning behavior. Borrowing from recent developments 

in metal-organic matter interaction research, we developed a mechanistically-derived model 

predicting the sorption of anionic surfactants to sediments and soils. This model was developed 

and evaluated for three classes of surfactants: perfluoroalkyl carboxylates, perfluoroalkyl 

sulfonates, and linear alkylbenzene sulfonates. The model includes both hydrophobic and 

electrostatic components and estimates the contribution of each to the sediment-water 

distribution coefficient (Kd) using Gibbs free energy terms. The hydrophobic free energy term was 

calculated from the aqueous solubilities of non-charged alkylbenzene or perfluoroalkane analogs 

and prior observations of increases in Kd values with increasing chain lengths. The electrostatic 

term was calculated from aqueous solution measurements using the Non-Ideal Competitive 

Adsorption Donnan (NICA-Donnan) model. The NICA-Donnan calculations were performed using 

parameters previously derived for generic humic acids. These two terms were coupled by 

multiplying by the fraction of organic carbon in the sediment, foc, and a single fitting parameter, 

Faccess, the volumetric fraction of organic carbon accessible to the sorbing surfactant. The 

combined model accurately predicted the sediment-water distribution coefficients for all three 

classes of anionic surfactants. The potential applicability of this model to other charged organic 

molecules will be discussed, as well as the implications of such a model for contaminant transport 

and retardation in groundwater systems. 

158


Alternative Brominated Flame Retardants in San Francisco Bay 

Wildlife and Sediments 

Dr. Susan Klosterhaus, Environmental Scientist, San Francisco Estuary Institute, 7770 Pardee 

Lane, Oakland, CA 94621; susan@sfei.org; (510) 746-7383; Dr. Heather M. Stapleton, Nicholas 

School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Dr. Aaron Peck, Skidaway 

Institute of Oceanography, Savannah, GA, USA; Dr. Alex Konstantinov, Wellington Laboratories, 

Guelph, Ontario, Canada; Denise Greig, The Marine Mammal Center, Sausalito, CA, USA 

Worldwide restrictions on the use of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have led to the use 

of alternative brominated flame retardant (BFR) chemicals to meet consumer product flammability 

standards. Little information on the presence of these alternatives in the environment is available 

and risk assessments to determine their impact on the environment have been challenging 

because basic information on their use, and in some cases their structural identities, are not 

readily available. In this study several current use BFRs were quantified in harbor seal blubber, 

cormorant eggs, sport fish, bivalves, and sediment collected from San Francisco Bay. The BFRs 

quantified included hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), pentabromoethylbenzene (PBEB), 

hexabromobenzene (HBB), 1,2-bis(2,4,6 tribromophenoxy) ethane (BTBPE), 

decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE), Dechlorane Plus (DP), and tetrabromobisphenol-A 

(TBBPA). To assist in identification of specific structures we also characterized a new BFR 

mixture that is currently used in the highest volumes to meet the California furniture flammability 

standard. The two brominated chemicals identified in this mixture were di(2-ethylhexyl) 

tetrabromophthalate (TBPH), which is the brominated analogue of the commonly used plasticizer 

di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), and 2 ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (TBB). TBPH, 

TBB, HBCD, and BDE 209 were also quantified in biosolids collected from two municipal 

wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to provide an indication of the potential for these 

chemicals to migrate out of consumer products and accumulate in the environment. 

Concentrations of TBB and TBPH in biosolids ranged from 40 to 1412 and 57 to 515 ng/g dry, 

respectively. At one WWTP the mean concentration of TBB (1240 ± 264 ng/g dry) was 

comparable to BDE 209 (1023 ± 179 ng/g dry). Concentrations of the alternative BFRs in San 

Francisco Bay samples and how they compare to PBDEs will be discussed. 

Biography: 

Susan Klosterhaus, Ph.D., is an environmental scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute, 

where she works primarily for the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San 

Francisco Bay. Susan’s research interests include brominated flame retardants, chemicals of 

emerging concern, and the bioaccumulation of contaminants in aquatic foodwebs. Susan earned 

her Ph.D. in environmental chemistry from the University of Maryland where she studied the 

bioavailability of PBDEs and other organic chemicals from sediments and the processes that 

control their accumulation in aquatic food webs. Prior to moving to the Chesapeake Bay area, 

Susan was manager and research associate in the sediment toxicology laboratory at the 

University of South Carolina School of Public Health where she studied the toxicity and 

bioaccumulation of several classes of organic contaminants in benthic organisms. She received 

her M.S. in Public Health and B.S. in Marine Science both from the University of South Carolina. 

159


Regulating Nanomaterials: New Challenges, New Strategies 

Jeffrey Wong, Ph.D., Chief Scientist, Department of Toxic Substances Control and Timothy F. 

Malloy, J.D., Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law 

Nanotechnology is an innovative enabling technology that holds the potential to improve present 

day products and processes. Materials developed at this size display unique physical, chemical, 

and biological properties different from their macro-scale counterparts. Such properties have 

enabled the development of novel applications and functions, which promise more effective and 

efficient products and devices. The very unique properties and behaviors of nanomaterials that 

confer advantage in the marketplace may also be associated with unanticipated harm to public 

health and the environment. Current regulatory approaches have been criticized as not being 

adequate to insure that research and development, manufacturing, product deployment and use, 

and product disposals/recycling of nanomaterials to guard public health and the environment. 

Like traditional chemicals, nanomaterials appears to suffer from “data gaps” in safety information, 

“safety gaps” in specific regulatory tools applicable to nanomaterials and “technology gaps” in 

sufficient investment to generate needed data. 

Information regarding the presence, persistence and toxicity of nanomaterials is lacking. To 

address the “data gaps”, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Department of Toxic 

Substances Control (DTSC) has begun the call-in of information regarding analytical test 

methods, fate and transport in the environment and other relevant safety information from 

manufacturers certain nanomaterials through its authority under California’s Health and Safety 

Code, Chapter 699, Sections 75018-57020. The law places the responsibility to provide this 

information to the DTSC on those who manufacture or import the chemicals within one year, but 

the precise scope of the authority has yet to be defined. 

Currently there are no regulatory provisions that are specific to nanomaterials. Title 22, CCR, 

Section 66261.24(a)(8) provides one avenue for regulation under the hazardous waste program. 

A material may be characterized as toxic, and thus hazardous, if “it has been shown through 

experience or testing to pose a hazard to human health or environment because of its 

carcinogenicity, acute toxicity, chronic toxicity bioaccumulative properties or persistence in the 

environment” for discarded nanomaterials.” This section of regulation was intended to capture 

hazardous chemicals that do not fall not under other established toxicity criteria. If DTSC uses 

this has state level impacts and if it does, will have to establish that decision in regulations via 

rulemaking (Section 25141.5(a), HSC). If the accumulation of nanomaterials in nerve tissue and 

elsewhere is shown to be biolgical relevant, then such finding may cause the need for discarded 

nanomaterials at all the market entry and exit points to be managed as hazardous waste. 

The scientific infrastructure to support the generation of safety and environmental data is limited 

by the apparent lack of focus on the part of the private sector and the Federal government. Bold 

shifts in regulatory thinking must be considered, such as: 

(1) development, validation, and introduction of suites of high throughput in vitro toxicological 

assays: 

(2) the allocation of a greater share of the funds under the National Nanotechnology initiative 

toward safety testing protocols; 

(3) allocation of costs of analytical methodologies, safety testing, fate and transport 

characterization on the manufacturers and not the taxpayer. Incentives and penalties are needed 

to get manufacturers to get information into the marketplace about their nanomaterials; and 

(4) effective use of traditional toxicological methods to prioritize materials for evaluation, and to 

support risk management decisions. As available, validated “test-tube” toxicology techniques 

160


such as “high throughput” cellular assays can supplement and perhaps largely supplant animal 

testing for potentially hazardous nanomaterials. 

The promise that nanomaterials may hold of improving the environmental and public health 

footprints of many products and services cannot be accompanied by the dark escort of ignorance. 

161


Fate and Transport of Nanoparticles in the Environment 

Arturo A. Keller, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara 

With the rapid development of new nanomaterials, and their increasing use in current and novel 

applications, we have to understand their environmental implications. How do their properties 

affect their behavior? Can we learn from natural nanoparticles that have been studied in the past? 

Are there some new characteristics that need to be taken into consideration? Since we don't yet 

have the answers to all these questions, work across disciplines can serve to better understand 

the risks associated with using nanoparticles, while we begin to benefit from their use in everyday 

activities. 

Contact Information: 

Arturo A. Keller 

Professor, School of Environmental Science and Management 

Associate Director, UC Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology 

3420 Bren Hall 

University of California 


tel. 805-893-7548 

fax. 805-893-7612 

email keller@bren.ucsb.edu 

162


Perfluorocarbons and the Limits of Biodegradation 

Craig S. Criddle (presenting author) and Kurt R. Rhoads; Department of Civil and Environmental 

Engineering, Stanford University 

Perfluorinated carboxylates and sulfonates and closely related molecules are ubiquitous, 

bioactive non-biodegradable, and bioaccumulative. Perhaps more than any other group of 

molecules, they demonstrate the limits of microbial biodegradation; the need for effective, lowenergy 

treatment options, “close-loop” recycling, and green chemistry. For more than a decade, 

our lab has evaluated the fate of these molecules in microbial systems. In early studies, we 

observed volatile products from hydrogen substituted sulfonates and interference with microbial 

sulfur assimilation. Work in other labs has since greatly expanded understanding of atmospheric 

pathways, global distribution, and bioactivity. Recently, we have developed a model that enables 

fate prediction for fluorinated molecules discharged to a sewer. For the perfluorinated alcohol, N- 

EtFOSE, the model predicts that approximately 71% will be volatilized or stripped to the 

atmosphere, mostly during secondary treatment, and approximately 18% will be transformed to 

N-EtFOSAA during secondary treatment and anaerobic sludge digestion. The primary removal 

mechanism for N-EtFOSAA is sorption and removal in the waste solids. The predicted 

percentage of N-EtFOSE exiting the plant is 4% in the wastewater effluent and 7% in the waste 

solids. To predict the transformation rate during sludge digestion, batch biotransformation studies 

were conducted in anaerobic digester sludge. N-EtFOSE biotransformed to N-EtFOSAA with a 

first-order aqueous-phase decay coefficient of kaq = 3.1 day -1 or a pseudo-second order 

coefficient of kaq = 0.18 L/g VSS day -1 . Our results reconfirm concerns about fluorocarbon fate, 

particularly the role of atmospheric transport, and the need for source control. Policy implications 

need careful attention, as these molecules impact water reuse plans, packaging, and fire fighting. 

Analyses are needed that weigh benefits against long-term risks of continued use. 

Biosketch: 

Craig Criddle is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Senior Fellow in the 

Woods Institute. He received bachelor degrees from Utah State University in 1982 followed by a 

Masters degree in Environmental Engineering in 1984. In 1990, he completed his Ph.D. at 

Stanford in Civil Engineering (Environmental Engineering and Science). He was a faculty member 

at Michigan State University for nine years, and has been a member of the Stanford faculty since 

1998. His research focus is environmental biotechnology. He is best known for his work in large 

interdisciplinary field projects, microbial ecology in bioreactors, and microbial transformation of 

persistent contaminants. 

163


Removal of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Water by Solar 

Photocatalysis: From Laboratory Scale to Pilot and Full Scale 

Treatment Plant 

Dr Gianluca Li Puma, Photocatalysis & Photoreaction Engineering, Department of Chemical and 

Environmental Engineering, The University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 

2RD, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0) 115 9514170; Fax: +44 (0) 115 9514115; Email: 

gianluca.li.puma@nottingham.ac.uk 

In recent years, there has been growing concern over the potential risk derived from exposure to 

natural and synthetic chemicals that can produce adverse effects on human and wildlife by 

interacting with the endocrine system. These chemicals are generically named endocrine 

disrupters (EDs) or endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Examples include natural and 

synthetic oestrogens and xenoestrogens, which are a wide class of compounds including some 

pesticides and surfactants, which can mimic the biological effect of oestrogens. Exposure to 

residues of EDCs in drinking water can have serious long term effects to humans. 

The elimination of EDCs in drinking water usually involves the use of granular activated carbon, 

however, this treatment process tends to be inefficient at the lowest concentration levels (ppb or 

ppt) and with polar compounds and ultimately does not eliminate the EDC from the environment. 

Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) provides a feasible route for the destruction of trace 

concentrations of EDCs from the environment and in drinking water. In addition, the use of solar 

radiation as the source of energy for this oxidation process makes photocatalysis a green and 

sustainable water treatment method. 

PCO occurs as a result of the interaction of a semiconductor photocatalyst and UV radiation that 

yields highly reactive radical species, such as hydroxyl radicals which are the main species 

responsible for the oxidation of organic substrates. The most commonly used photocatalyst is 

titanium dioxide (TiO2), which is inexpensive, abundant, photostable and non-toxic. 

In this presentation the current state of the art of pilot-scale solar photoreactors for water 

treatment and purification will be presented, with examples drawn from real applications in 

Colombia, Mexico and Plataforma Solar De Almeria in Spain. Case studies of the oxidation of 

herbicides residues (isoproturon, simazine, propazine 2,4-D, diuron, and ametryne) and of 

estrogens (E1, E2, EE2 and E3) will be shown. 

Furthermore, the step necessary to scale-up laboratory-scale studies to pilot and full scale 

treatment plant will be shown with an example for the oxidation of a formulation of three of the 

most common herbicides (isoproturon, simazine, propazine). Following an accurate modeling of 

the laboratory scale experiments it was possible to derive kinetic parameters that are 

independent of the radiation field in the photoreactor. As a result the herbicides rate law and 

kinetic parameters were transferable to the design of large scale photoreactors. 

In this case study, we will consider an optimal configuration of a pilot-scale, continuous flow, 

solar-powered, “fountain” photocatalytic reactor. We characterize such reactor and we scale-up 

the herbicide treatment process to predict the herbicide conversions in a treatment plant made by 

a network of “fountain” reactors. 

The author is grateful to NATO (Grant CPB.EAP.SFPP 982835) and to The University of 

Nottingham (KTI: Knowledge Transfer Innovation Awards, KT052) for financial support. 

164

Biography: 


Gianluca Li Puma is an Associate Professor in Department of Chemical and Environmental 

Engineering at the University of Nottingham (UK). He leads “Photocatalysis and Photoreaction 

Engineering” research in the fields of environmental nanocatalysis, advanced oxidation 

processes, indoor air purification, water treatment and purification, solar energy conversion and 

solar engineering. He has a leading international reputation in the design and modeling of 

photocatalytic reactors, solar engineering and novel photoreactors for sustainable energy 

applications. He is associate editor of the "International Journal of Photoenergy", and of the 

"Journal of Advanced Oxidation Technologies", a member of the Advisory Committees of 18 

international conferences in Catalysis and Environmental Science, of the review panels of the UK 

(EPSRC), Australian (ARC) and Singaporean (NRF) research councils and of 26 international 

refereed journals in catalysis, chemistry and engineering. In 2007 and 2008, he was nominated 

expert of international standing by the Australian Research Council College of Experts. He is also 

chairman of the 15th International Conference on Advanced Oxidation Technologies for 

Treatment of Water Air and Soil (Niagara Falls, October 2009). He chaired the 2007 and 2008 

conferences. In 2009 he received the E.ON AG (Germany) Research Award on application of 

nanotechnology in the energy sector (920,000 Euro “Solar-Hydrogen” project). 

Gianluca delivered a plenary lecture on solar photoreactors at the 2008 IX International Chemical 

Engineering Congress, Mexico and many keynote and invited lectures at prestigious overseas 

conferences including invitations in 2008 at NASA Stennis Space Center, Mississippi (USA), Rice 

University, Houston (USA), BASF, Ludwigshafen (Germany) and in 2009 at Lawrence Berkeley 

National Laboratory, Berkeley (USA), E.ON Headquarters, Dusseldorf (Germany) and Leibniz 

University, Hannover, (Germany). His work on photocatalysis for clean water has been 

highlighted by the media on Research TV, BBC, EURONEWS, NTV Japan, TVB Hong Kong, TV 

Tokyo, and National Public Radio, USA. 

165


Poster Presentation 

Abstracts 

166

Poster Presenters Index 

Barillon, Bruno (16) 

Alternative Monitoring Strategy for On-line Water Quality Assessment ………….187 

Benesova, Libuse (19) 

Effect of Coagulation Conditions on Removal of Natural Aluminum 

and his Fractions from Drinking Water ……………………………………………….190 

Björlenius, Berndt (13) 

Loads, Removal and Mass Balances of Pharmaceuticals in Municipal 

Wastewater Treatment Plants in Sweden …………………………………………....184 

Blánquez, Paqui (12) 

Fungal Air-Pulsed Bioreactor for the Treatment of Waters Containing 

Emerging Contaminants ………………………………………………………………..182 

Blute, Nicole (245) 

Drinking Water Treatment for Hexavalent Chromium at the City 

of Glendale, California ………………………………………………………………….341 

Busetti, Francesco (6) 

Occurrence and Behavior of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care 

Products in Indirect Potable Reuse Systems ………………………………………...178 

Cabana, Hubert (32) 

Immobilized Laccases: Novel Biocatalysts for the Continuous 

Elimination of Micropollutants ………………………………………………………….200 

Çeçen, Ferhan (29) 

Inhibitory Effects and Speciation of the Heavy Metals Ni, Cu, Zn, 

Co in a Nitrifying Activated Sludge …………………………………………………….196 

Chen, Shen-Yi (191) 

Bioavailability and Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metal in the 

Aquaculture Pond Sediment …………………………………………………………...311 

Cho, Jinwoo (104) 

Application of Fluorescent Nano-Particles to Inspect the Surface 

Integrity of Membrane Used in Water Treatment …………………………………….251 

Choo, Kwang-Ho (238) 

Effects of NOM and Colloids on the Adsorptive Behavior of 

Bisphonel A in Modified Solid Phase Micro-Extraction ……………………………...335 

Cwiertny, David (22) 

Adsorption on Effluent-Derived Anticonvulsants on Mineral Surfaces …………….195 

167

Deng, Shubo (175/176) 

1) Sorption of Arsenate and Arsenite on a Novel TiO2-Based Adsorbent ……….299 

2) Sorption of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate and Perfluorooctanoate on 

Activated Carbons and Resin …………………………………………………………301 

de Ridder, David (160) 

The Development of a Predictive Model to Determine Micropollutant 

Removal by Granular Activated Carbon Filtration …………………………….........288 

Dhir, Amit (39) 

Studies on the Degradation of 2-Methoxy Phenol Using Heterogeneous 

Photocatalysis …………………………………………………………………………..204 

Dougherty, Jennifer (304) 

Occurrence of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Product Residues 

in Surface and Groundwater Impacted by Septic Systems within 

Puget Sound, WA ……………………………………………………………………….364 

Duirk, Stephen (42) 

Transformation of Organophosphorus Pesticides in the Presence 

of Chloramines …………………………………………………………………………..207 

Eaton, Andrew (262) 

Comparison of Broad Spectrum On-line LC-MS-MS Pre-Concentration 

Method for PPCP Analysis with Conventional Analytical Methods ………….........346 

Fenoll, Jose (51/161) 

1) Photocatalytic Degradation of Several Pesticides in Drinking 

Water by Use of TiO2 and ZnO Under Natural Sunlight …………………………...211 

2) Leaching of Insecticides and Acaricides Through Soil Columns ……………….290 

Forrez, Ilse (40/49) 

1) Nitrifying Membrane Bioreactor as Effective Effluent Polishing 

Technique for Instant 17a-Ethinylestradiol Removal ……………………………….205 

2) Diclofenac Removal with Biogenic Manganese Oxides …………………………209 

Gaulke, Linda (61) 

Cometabolic Degradation of Estrogen by Ammonia Oxidizing 

Bacteria: Real or Experimental Artifact? ……………………………………………..216 

Ghosh, Gopal (60) 

Detection of Antiviral Drug Amantadine in Wastewater and its Fate 

in Conventional Sewage Treatment Plants ………………………………………….214 

Giudice, Ben (58) 

Effects of the Antimicrobial Triclocarban on Embryo Production in 

the New Zealand Mudsnail (Potamopyrgus Antipodarum) ………………………...213 

168

Guiraud, Pascal (208) 

Coagulation and Flotation Preliminary Experiments for the 

Development of a Treatment Process for the Removal of 

Nanoparticles from Liquids Wastes ………………………………………………….322 

Hanamoto, Seiya (78) 

Natural Degradation of PPCPs in Yodo River System …………………………….233 

Hashim, Nor (77) 

Enantiomeric Fraction Analysis of Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater 

and Environmental Samples ………………………………………………………….232 

Hernández Leal, Lucia (74) 

Removal of Selected Xenobiotic Organic Compounds During 

Biological Grey Water Treatment, Ozonation and Adsorption 

with Activated Carbon …………………………………………………………………228 

Hernandez-Raquet, Guillermina (64/65) 

1) Integrating Chemical and Toxicological Methods to Asses 

Wastewater Treatment Plant Efficiency …………………………………………….218 

2) Fate of Steriod Hormones and Estrogenic Activity in Agricultural 

Wastes Treatment Facilities ………………………………………………………….220 

Hladik, Michelle (73) 

Can Pesticides Detected in California Groundwater be Predicted 

by Use Data and Physical-Chemical Properties? ………………………………….226 

Hnatukova, Petra (80) 

Environmental Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Distribution in 

Urban Streams Affected by Combined Sewer Overflows …………………………235 

Hoehn, Eduard (72) 

Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) for the Removal of 

Carbamazepine (CBZ) in Water ……………………………………………………..224 

Hollender, Juliane (81) 

A Biodegradation Test System to Investigate Microbialy-Mediated 

Transformations of Xenobiotics Under Environmentally 

Relevant Conditions …………………………………………………………………..237 

Hoppe-Jones, Christiane (69) 

Boundary Conditions for the Removal of Trace Organic 

Contaminants During Riverbank Filtration and Soil-Aquifer 

Treatment Systems …………………………………………………………………..223 

Horst, Allison (290) 

Disagglomeration of TiO2 Nanoparticles by Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ……….358 

169

Isaacson, Carl (10) 

Transport of Fullerene Nanoparticles in Saturated Porous Media ……………….180 

Jekel, Martin (18) 

Characteristics of Sulfamethoxazole Transformation During 

Bank Filtration ………………………………………………………………………….188 

Jianghong, Shi (83) 

Fate and Removal of Estrogens and Pharmaceuticals During 

One Improved Reverse A2/O Nitrogen and Phosphorous Removal 

Process in Beijing ………………………………………………………………………239 

Jones-Lepp, Tammy (86) 

A Case Study: Crop (Lettuce, Spinach, and Carrots) Uptake 

of Three Macrolide Antibiotics (Azithromycin, Clindamycin 

and Roxithromycin) and Other Drugs ………………………………………………..240 

Kang-woo, Cho (100) 

Effects of Surface Properties of Filter Media on Removal of 

Hydrocarbons and Heavy Metals in Urban Storm Runoff ………………………….247 

Khan, Stuart (75/101) 

1) Fluorescence Analysis as a Surrogate Measure for Organics 

Removal in Reclamation Treatment Processes ……………………………………..230 

2) Chemical Contaminants in Beef Cattle Feedlot Wastes …………………………248 

Khunjar, Wendell (270) 

The Impact of Physiological State and Residual Organic Carbon 

on the Biotransformation of 17 α-Ethinylestradiol by Ammonia 

Oxidizing Bacteria and Heterotrophic Bacteria ………………………………………347 

Kim, Ilho (102) 

Synergetic Effects of Physicochemical Processes Combined 

with UV, O3 and H2O2 on Pharmaceuticals Removal ……………………………….250 

Kohn, Tamar (98) 

Occurrence and Fate of Micropollutants During their Passage 

from a Wastewater Effluent Through Lake Geneva into Finished 

Drinking Water …………………………………………………………………………..245 

Kumar, Kapil (89) 

Effect of Inoculum Sources on Degradation of Dyes Using 

Mix Culture ……………………………………………………………………………....242 

Kutschera, Kristin (239) 

Degradation of Geosmin by Photoinitiated Oxidation by VUV 

Radiation, UV/Ozone and UV/VUV/Ozone …………………………………………..337 

170

Lara-Martin, Pablo Antonio (107) 

Intercomparative Studies of Multiple Classes of Surfactants in 

Urban Estuarine Settings ……………………………………………………………...252 

Law, Cecilia (117) 

The Effect of Combined Colloid-Organic Fouling on the 

Performance of Nanofiltration Membrane in Wastewater 

Treatment and Reuse …………………………………………………………………257 

Lawrence, Michael (119) 

Rejection of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents 

by Reverse Osmosis Membranes - A New Tool for Assessing 

Membrane Integrity …………………………………………………………………….259 

Li, Yi-Fan (20/166) 

1) α-HCH Budget in Taihu Lake, China ……………………………………………..192 

2) Levels and Isomer Profiles of Dechlorane Plus in Water 

in Songhuajiang River, China …………………………………………………………296 

Li Puma, Gianluca (301) 

Removal of Mixtures of Estrone (E1), 17β-Estradiol (E2), 

17α-Ethynylestradiol (EE2) and Estriol (E3) by Photolysis 

and TiO2 Photocatalysis ………………………………………………………………360 

Lin, Tsair-Fuh (66) 

Development of a Rapid Method for N-Nitrosamine Analysis 

and its Application in Drinking Water Monitoring …………………….....................222 

Lin, Yi-Li (303) 

Removal of Emerging Contaminants and Salts in Wastewater Using 

Reverse Osmosis for Water Reuse in Irrigation ……………………………………363 

Liu, Jin Lin (109) 

Characterization of the Wastewater Organics as the Precursors 

of Disinfection-By-Products in Drinking Water ………………………………………256 

Liu, Yanping (226) 

Removal of Nanoparticles from Liquid Wastes: A State of 

Art and the Development of Characterization Techniques …………………………328 

Long, Nghiem (137) 

Mechanisms Underlying the Effects of Membrane Fouling on 

the Nanofiltration of Trace Organic Contaminants ………………………………….277 

Lu, Xiaoying (234) 

Bioremediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) 

in Polluted Marine Sediment by Denitrification ……………………………………...334 

171

Lyon, Bonnie (108) 

Relationship Between Natural Organic Matter Polarity and 

Disinfection Byproduct Formation During Ultraviolet Treatment 

and Disinfection of Drinking Water …………………………………………………...254 

Mansell, Scott (132) 

Occurrence, Fate, & Transport of Steroid Hormones in 

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and 

Irrigated Pastures ………………………………………………………………………271 

Marco-Urrea, Ernest (121) 

Biodegradation of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care 

Products by White-Rot Fungi: From Fungal Screening to 

Lab-Scale Bioreactor ………………………………………………………………….262 

Marfil-Vega, Ruth (120) 

Abiotic Processes Involved in the Removal of Estrogens 

from Wastewater ……………………………………………………………………….261 

Martinez-Delgadillo, Sergio (134) 

Sonoelectrochemical Treatment to Remove Cr(VI) from 

Wastewater ……………………………………………………………………………..275 

McArdell, Christa (308) 

Input and Elimination of Pharmaceuticals from Hospital Wastewater ……………368 

McDonald, James (90) 

Assessment of Marine Algal Toxins in Desalinated Seawater ……………………244 

McNamara, Patrick (259) 

Minimizing Estrogenic Compounds in Biosolids: An 

Evaluation of Anaerobic, Post-Aerobic, and Cambi 

Digestion Processes …………………………………………………………………..344 

Mi-Hwa, Kim (124/133) 

1) Energy and Operating Cost Saving by Implementing 

an Interim Fixed-Biofilm BNR Process for Retrofitting 

Existing Korean Sewage Treatment Plant …………………………………………..266 

2) Source Tracking of Conductivity for Reusing Treated 

Food Industry Wastewater as Paper Making Process Water ……………………..273 

Mompelat, Sophie (285) 

Human Pharmaceuticals Cocktail Analysis by 

UPLCTM/MS/MS for the Contamination Diagnosis 

of Natural and Drinking Water ………………………………………………………..253 

172

Morasch, Barbara (123) 

Development of an Analytical Screening Method for 

Micropollutants in Swiss Lakes ……………………………………………………….264 

Nabelkova, Jana (143) 

Remobilization of Heavy Metals from Sediment of 

Different Characteristics ………………………………………………………………280 

Navarro, Simón (139) 

Removal of Fungicide Residues from Drinking Water by Photo-Fenton 

Treatment Under Sunlight Irradiation ………………………………………………..278 

Patel, Saurabh (194) 

Solar Assisted Photocatalytic Degradation of Structurally Related 

Textile Reactive Dyes ………………………………………………………………….315 

Pereira, Darlan (158) 

Human Waste Stabilization and Heavey Metals in a Public Dry 

Toilet System with Large Storage Capacity Tested in Sweden …………………..286 

Pereira, Vanessa (156/157) 

1) Integration of Nanofiltration and UV Disinfection for Drinking 

Water Treatment ……………………………………………………………………….282 

2) Low Pressure Direct and Indirect UV Degradation of Priority 

Pollutants in Drinking Water Sources ……………………………………………….284 

Puijker, Leo (248) 

Screening and Identification of Emerging Contaminants in 

Groundwater and Surface Water by Liquid Chromatography-Hybrid 

Linear Ion Trap Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry ……………………………………….342 

Qin, Sujie (306) 

Factors Influencing the Capacity of p,p’-DDE Dechlorination in 

Palos Verdes Shelf …………………………………………………………………….366 

Radhay, Jacques Alexis (170) 

Occurrence of Pharmaceutical Products in the Aquatic Environment 

for a Small Island Developing State ………………………………………………….297 

Razavi, Behnaz (253) 

Free-Radical-Induced Oxidative and Reductive Degradation of 

Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory drugs: Kinetic Studies and 

Degradation Pathways ………………………………………………………………...343 

173

Reis, Maria (21/131/197) 

1) Bioremediation of the Herbicide Propanil by Microbial Enrichments …………..193 

2) Assessing the Removal of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care 

Products from Wastewater Treatment Plants: A Comparison of 

Different Sampling Approaches ………………………………………………………269 

3) Removal of Bromate, Perchlorate and Nitrate from Water Streams 

Using the Ion Exchange Membrane Bioreactor …………………………………….320 

Rhoads, Kurt (283) 

Use of On-site Bioreactors to Determine the In Situ Biotransformation 

Kinetics of a Model Fluorochemical at a Full-Scale Wastewater 

Treatment Plant ………………………………………………………………………..352 

Roccaro, Paolo (162) 

Quantifying Formation of Unregulated Emerging DBPS in 

Chlorinated Water Using Absorbance and Fluorescence Indexes ……………….292 

Rosenfeld, Paul (4/15) 

1) Cost of Filter Atrazine Contamination from Drinking Water in 

US Water Systems …………………………………………………………………….177 

2) Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate 

(PFOS) Contamination in Drinking Water from Use of Aqueous 

Film Forming Foams (AFFF) at Airports in the United States ……………………..186 

Sanches, Sandra (196) 

Removal of Pesticides and Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons 

by Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis ……………………………………………..318 

Santoke, Hanoz (195) 

Oxidative and Reductive Degradation of Fluoroquinolone 

Pharmaceuticals: Kinetic Studies and Degradation Mechanisms ………………...316 

Savichtcheva, Olga (193) 

Assessment of Fecal Pollution and Associated Pathogens in 

Natural Waters with Bacteroides-Prevotella 16S rRNA Genetic 

Markers …………………………………………………………………………………..313 

Schlenk, Daniel (288) 

Assessing the Occurrence and Impact of Emerging Contaminants 

on Flatfish Near Marine Wastewater Outfalls in Southern California ……………..356 

Sedlak, David (307) 

Origin and Fate of Low Molecular Weight Organic Contaminants 

in Reverse Osmosis Treatment Systems …………………………………………….367 

Shang, Chii (302) 

Determination and Treatability of Fullerence (C60) in Wastewater ………………..362 

174

Stacklin, Christopher (182) 

Tomorrow's Source Control for Today's Micropollutants: Water 

Reuse and Replenishment Applications ……………………………………………..309 

Stevens-Garmon, John (181) 

Evaluating Quantitative Structure Property Relationship (QSPR) 

Techniques for Predicting the Removal of Trace Organic Compounds 

(TOrCs) During Wastewater Treatment Processes …………………………………307 

Stransky, David (179) 

Assessment of Effluent Criteria for WWTPs on Small Water Bodies ……………..305 

Surujlal, Swastika (178) 

Determining the Removal Capacity of Hormone Endocrine 

Disrupting Chemicals in South African Wastewater Treatment Plants …………...303 

Thapliyal, Alka (213) 

Domestic Wastewater for Fertigation: A Solution for Water 

Recycling and Irrigation ………………………………………………………………..324 

Thrash, Cameron (130) 

Continuous Bioelectrical Perchlorate Remediation ………………………………...268 

Tubau, Isabel (241) 

Emergent Contaminants and Urban Hydrogeology ………………………………...339 

Vagliasindi, Federico (163) 

Vanadium Removal from Groundwaters by Adsorption: Bench and 

Pilot Scale Studies ……………………………………………………………………..294 

Vale Cardoso, Vitor (31/34) 

1) Monitoring of Emerging Organic Compounds in Tagus River 

and EPAL Water Supply System ……………………………………………………..198 

2) Validation Method for Analysis of Organic Compounds Affecting 

Taste and Odour of Drinking Water …………………………………………………..202 

Walewijk, Sophie (305) 

Effect of Biofouling on Nitrosamines Removal by NF90 Membrane ……………...365 

Walters, Evelyn (289) 

Fate of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in 

Agricultural Soils Modified with Biosolids …………………………………………….357 

Waria, Manmeet (221) 

Environmental Behavior of Biosolids-Borne Triclosan (TCS) ……………………...326 

Yargeau, Viviane (228) 

Microbial Degradation of Micropollutants: Chlorophenoxy Acids, 

Sulfamethoxazole and Carbamazepine ……………………………………………...332 

175

Yingling, Ginny (227) 

Perfluorinated Chemicals in Minnesota: Lessons Learned 

Regarding Environmental Fate & Transport, Treatment, and 

Source Identification …………………………………………………………………...330 

Yu, Seungho (287) 

Disinfection of Microorganisms Using UV and Gamma Radiation 

in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Effluent, and Reactivation ………….............355 

Zhou, Xuefei (272) 


Carbamazepine (CBZ) in Water ………………………………………………………350 

176

Poster Abstract - #4 

Cost To Filter Atrazine Contamination From Drinking Water In 

US Water Systems 

Dr. Paul Rosenfeld 

Soil Water Air Protection Enterprise (SWAPE) 

Senior Environmental Chemist 

3110 Main Street, Suite 205 

Santa Monica, CA 90405 

(310)795-2335 

prosenfeld@swape.com 

Rashmi Sahai 1 

Helen Sok 1 

Crystal Wu 1 

Dr. James Clark 1 

1 Soil Water Air Protection Enterprise, Santa Monica, CA 

Atrazine is the most commonly used herbicide in the United States and has been shown to cause 

serious adverse health effects in humans. These health effects include, but are not limited to 

prostate, breast, ovarian, and stomach cancer, tumors, and non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Previous 

research suggests that atrazine primarily targets the reproductive system and developing 

organisms. Some studies suggest atrazine may have carcinogenic properties. A survey of farm 

couples in Ontario, Canada showed a weak to moderate association between atrazine use in the 

yard and an increase in preterm delivery. In Iowa, an association was found between 

communities exposed to atrazine in drinking water and an increased risk of intrauterine growth 

retardation and cardiac, urogenital and limb reduction effects. An association between atrazine 

exposure and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has been found in several studies. Suggestive evidence 

between atrazine exposure and an increased risk of prostate, breast and ovarian cancer has 

been reported. 

To investigate the extent of atrazine contamination in the United States, SWAPE requested data 

from every state via the Freedom of Information Act. Atrazine detection data, including 

concentration and date of detection, from 43 states were compiled and evaluated. Approximately 

1,373 water systems across the nation have detected atrazine in drinking water. These water 

systems serve drinking water to over 31 million people, or approximately 10% of the population. 

Atrazine can effectively be filtered to some extent with powdered activated carbon and filtered to 

non-detect using activated carbon in treatment vessels. 

Biography 

Dr. Paul Rosenfeld is an environmental chemist and has over twelve years experience 

conducting remedial investigations, risk assessment, and cleanup programs for sites impacted by 

contamination. Dr. Rosenfeld has provided consulting expert support for litigation concerning 

groundwater and surface water impacts from contaminants in public water systems across the 

nation. His focus is fate and transport of environmental contaminants, risk assessment and 

ecological restoration. His project experience ranges from monitoring and modeling of pollution 

sources as they relate to human and ecological health. Dr. Rosenfeld has investigated and 

designed cleanup programs and risk assessments for contaminated sites containing, pesticides, 

radioactive waste, PCBs, PAHs, dioxins, furans, volatile organics, semi volatile organics, 

chlorinated solvents, perchlorate, heavy metals, asbestos, odorants, petroleum, PFOA, unusual 

polymers, and fuel oxygenates. 

177


Occurrence and Behaviour of Pharmaceuticals and Personal 

Care Products in Indirect Potable Reuse Systems 

Francesco Busetti (presenting author), and Kathryn L Linge, and Anna Heitz, Curtin Water Quality 

Research Centre, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, 6845, Australia 

The increased detection frequency of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in 

secondary effluents from municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is an 

emerging issue because of a lack of knowledge of their sources, fate and environmental effect. 

More recently, the presence of PPCPs in secondary effluent has taken on further significance as 

wastewater effluents increasingly become a resource for potable reuse. A major initiative of the 

Western Australian State Water Strategy is 30% wastewater reuse by 2030. Recharge to aquifers 

beneath the Swan Coastal Plain will be a major component of meeting this goal, specifically 

recharging Perth’s major drinking water aquifer the Gnangara Mound with tertiary treated 

wastewater and re-extracting that water as source of drinking water. 

As part of a larger project investigating the efficacy of advanced tertiary treatment, specifically 

microfiltration (MF) and reverse osmosis (RO), to remove chemicals of concern from secondary 

wastewater, the Curtin Water Quality Research Centre has developed analytical methods to 

monitor over 40 PPCPs at ng L -1 levels by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry 

(LC-MS/MS). Target PPCPs were selected by partner researchers at the Western Australian 

Department of Health based on previous detection in secondary effluent as reported in the 

literature. The target list included lipid lowering agents, analgesics, non steroidal antiinflammatory 

drugs, anticoagulants, antipyretics, cytostatics, antiepileptics, antidepressants, 

tranquilizers, sulfonamide and macrolide antibiotics, X-ray contrast media, and both synthetic and 

natural endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). 

Seasonal monitoring was conducted at Perth’s three major metropolitan WWTPs and two MF/RO 

treatment plants, one of which was specifically built for the Groundwater Replenishment Trial. 

The results collected over the two year sampling campaign (2007-2008) show that, while several 

were measured in secondary treated wastewater, no PPCPs were detected post-MF/RO 

treatment. These results demonstrate that MF/RO is capable of removing most PPCPs to below 

the analytical limits of detection (typically ranging between 1 and 25 ng L -1 in the final RO product 

water) and, more importantly, to concentration levels that are 2 to 3 orders of magnitude lower 

than the health benchmark values developed for the project. 

Biosketches: 

Dr Francesco Busetti has been a CWQRC Research Fellow since March 2005. His research 

interests include occurrence and removal of chemicals of concern in raw and treated 

wastewaters, water reuse and development of LC-MS/MS and LC-TOF-MS analytical methods 

for pharmaceuticals and personal care products in indirect potable reuse systems. Curtin Water 

Quality Research Centre, Department of Applied Chemistry, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, 

Perth 6845, Australia, f.busetti@exchange.curtin.edu.au 

A/Prof Anna Heitz is the Director of the CWQRC, with career in water science spanning 25 years. 

Her research studies the behaviour of organic chemicals in potable water and wastewaters (i.e. 

taste-and-odour compounds, chemicals of concern, NOM, disinfection by-products). She has 

substantial experience in trace analytical chemistry and NOM characterisation. Curtin Water 


Perth 6845, Australia, a.heitz@curtin.edu.au 

178


Dr Kathryn Linge has been a CWQRC Research Fellow since 2007 characterising chemicals of 

concern in treated wastewater for indirect potable reuse. She has extensive expertise in ICP-MS 

instrumentation, and both environmental and analytical chemistry. Her PhD (2002) investigated 

arsenic and phosphorus remobilisation in Lake Yangebup, a shallow wetland. Curtin Water 


Perth 6845, Australia, k.linge@curtin.edu.au 

179


Transport of Fullerene Nanoparticles in Saturated 

Porous Media 

Dermont Bouchard 1* , Xin Ma 1 , Carl Isaacson 2 , James Weaver 1 ; USEPA Office of 

Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory 1 , National Research 

Council Research Associate 2 , Athens, GA, USA 

The high strength, electrical conductivity, and electron affinity of fullerenes has lead to their 

utilization in fuel cells and drug-delivery devices, as well as in cosmetics and other applications. 

Though C60 fullerene is very insoluble in water, studies have shown that C60 fullerene can form 

stable colloidal suspensions in water that result in C60 aqueous concentrations many orders of 

magnitude above C60’s aqueous solubility. These studies have raised concern over the mobility 

of fullerene colloids in porous media, particularly for particles less than one micron that are 

characteristic of fullerene suspensions. 

The objectives of this study were to investigate the transport of colloidal C60 aggregates formed in 

water without the aid of organic solvents (aqu/C60) through Iota quartz sand porous media. The 

transport studies were conducted using 15x100 mm glass columns packed with the 125-250μm 

fraction of acid washed and unwashed Iota quartz sand. The columns were oriented vertically 

and eluted by upwards flow with de-aerated background solution to remove all entrapped air. 

Peclet numbers for the experimental systems were then determined using 3 H2O as a conservative 

tracer and using CXTFIT to curve fit the resulting breakthrough curves. 

Pulse inputs of aqu/C60 aggregates in suspensions with different solution chemistries were 

introduced into the columns and column effluent was monitored over time for mass (using 

LC/MS), as well as particle charge and size (dynamic light scattering). Particle mass transport 

was simulated using a modified form of the 1-D advective-dispersive transport model with terms 

for particle attachment and detachment rate, as well as for a limiting particle retention capacity of 

the collectors. The results of the model simulations are discussed in light of the contributions of 

the suspension background solution chemistry and particle interception, gravitational settling, and 

diffusion processes on particle retention. 

180

Biosketches: 


Dermont Bouchard (bouchard.dermont@epa.gov) has worked for the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development for 23 years in both management and 

research positions. Currently, he leads the nanomaterials fate in the environment research at the 

Ecosystems Research Division in Athens, Georgia. Dr. Bouchard’s work focuses on the basic 

physical and chemical processes governing fullerene nanoparticle interactions with surfaces and 

nanoparticle transport in porous media. 

Xin (Cissy) Ma (ma.cissy@epa.gov) received a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering 

from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Ma is currently working as a post-doc at the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development’s Ecosystems Research 

Division in Athens, Georgia where she is investigating the basic physical and chemical processes 

governing fullerene nanoparticle transport in porous media. 

Carl Isaacson (isaacson.carl@epa.gov) received a Bachelor’s of Science in chemistry from 

Bemidji State University and a Ph.D. in environmental/analytical chemistry from Oregon State 

University. He currently is a NRC Post-Doc with the EPA in Athens, GA where he studies 

fullerene aggregate formation in water and the mobility those aggregates in aqueous 

environmental systems. 

Jim Weaver (weaver.jim@epa.gov) received Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from 

The University of Texas at Austin, and has worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency’s Office of Research and Development for 21 years. Dr. Weaver has worked on the 

development and testing of simulation models for fuel releases, evaluation of field behavior of 

contaminants, and oil spill response planning. 

181


Fungal Air-Pulsed Bioreactor for the Treatment of Waters 

Containing Emerging Contaminants 

Paqui Blánquez a, *, Ernest Marco-Urrea a , Glòria Caminal b , Xavier Gabarrell a , Montserrat Sarrà a , 

Teresa Vicent a ; a Departament d’Enginyeria Química, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria, 

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de Bellaterra 08193, Barcelona, Spain; b Unitat de 

Biocatàlisi Aplicada Associada al IIQAB (CSIC-UAB) 

The increasing occurrence of organic contaminants represents a serious heath treat, some of 

them can cause dramatic environmental effects even when present at trace concentrations and 

unfortunately, today there are no good methods for their removal. It is well-known the ability of 

ligninolytic fungi to degrade the lignin and a wide range of aromatic compounds, including most 

traditional recalcitrant pollutants, as a result of their non-specific extracellular enzymatic system 

(laccase, manganese peroxidase and lignin peroxidise). Their potential for the degradation of 

emerging contaminants has not yet been extensively studied although some recent research 

have shown white rot-fungi or their enzymes suitable to degrade this type of pollutants at 

laboratory scale in batch mode. However, before applying it to industry, the bioreactors and 

culture strategies need to be developed for the long-term activity of the microorganisms in a 

continuous operation. The aim of the present work is to show the performance of a new lab-scale 

bioreactor with the white rot fungus Trametes versicolor for the emerging contaminants treatment 

process. 

A glass air-pulsed bioreactor with an useful volume of 500 mL [1] was used to carry out the 

biodegradation of three different emerging contaminants: clofibric acid (CA), the main 

pharmacologically active metabolite of the blood lipid regulation, and two endocrine disrupting 

contaminants, 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2). Fluidised conditions were 

maintained by air pulses generated by an electrovalve. The electrovalve is controlled by a cyclic 

timer, and the pulsing frequency is defined as the inverse of the sum of opening and shutting 

times of the elctrovalve: F= 1/(t0+ ts), where F is the frequency, t0 is the opening time, and ts is the 

shutting time. In this study t0 was 1 s, ts was 5 s and the air flow was 12 Lh -1 . The bioreactor was 

furnished with a pH controller in order to maintain pH at 4,5, and temperature was maintained at 

25ºC. The fungus Trametes versicolor in pellet form was retained in the bioreactor. 

For CA the initial concentration was 30 mg/L, and results showed CA elimination rates higher 

than 90% after 80 h of batch operation. The enzymatic production (laccase and peroxidases) and 

chloride ions released (produced by the breakdown of the molecule) were also monitored during 

the operation period. 

E2 and EE2 were treated continuously with a hydraulic residence time of 120 h. E2 and EE2 

feeding concentrations were between 3 ppm and 18,8 ppm. Removal efficiency remained over 

97% for both endocrine disrupting contaminants during the entire period of operation [2]. The 

enzymatic production (laccase and peroxidises) were also monitored during the continuous 

treatment. 

[1] Blánquez,P; Caminal, G; Sarrà, M; Vicent, T. 2007. Chemical Engineering Journal, 126, 163- 

169 

[2] Blánquez, P; Guieysse,B. 2008. Journal of Hazdardous Materials, 150(2), 459-462 

Acknowledgements: This work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Science and 

Innovation (project CTM2007-60971/TECNO), Spanish Ministry of Environment (project 

010/PC08/3-04.1) and by the XRB, Generalitat de Catalunya. 

182

Biographical sketches: 


Dra. Paqui Blánquez is lecturer professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering of 

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. She is chemical engineer and finished her PhD Thesis in 

2005 which dealt with the development of a pilot-scale fungal bioreactor for the treatment of 

textile wastewaters. Her post-doc research was focused on the biodegradation of endocrine 

disrupting contaminants by white rot-fungi. As a result of her work she has published 9papers. 

Address: Departament d’Enginyeria Química, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria . Universitat 

Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 (Barcelona), Spain. Email: 

paqui.blanquez@uab.cat. Telephone: +34.93.5811879. Fax: +34.93.5812013. 

Dr. Ernest Marco-Urrea. Technical Chemical Engineering Degree (Universitat Politecnica de 

Catalunya, ETSEIT) and Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Sciences (Universitat Autònoma de 

Barcelona). He finished his PhD thesis in 2007 which dealt with the aerobic degradation of 

chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (specifically trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene) by whiterot 

fungi. He is a postdoc researcher at the Department of Chemical Engineering of Universitat 

Autònoma de Barcelona. Address: Departament d’Enginyeria Química and Institut de Ciència i 

Tecnologia Ambiental. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 

(Barcelona), Spain. Email: ernest.marco@uab.cat. Telephone: +34.93.5814793. Fax: 

+34.93.5812013. 

Dra Gloria Caminal is a researcher of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). She is 

graduated in chemistry and PhD in Sciences since 1983. Actually she is working at the Associate 

Laboratory CSIC-UAB in the Chemical Engineering Department of Universitat Autònoma de 

Barcelona. Her research activity in biochemical engineering is focused in two areas: process 

development to obtain recombinant proteins and biodegradation by rot-white fungi of recalcitrant 

pollutants. Address: Departament d’Enginyeria Química, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria. 

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 (Barcelona), Spain. 

Email: gloria.caminal@uab.cat. Telephone: +34.93.5812144. Fax: +34.93.5812013. 

Dr. Xavier Gabarrell is professor in the Chemical Engineering Department of Universitat 

Autònoma de Barcelona. He is chemical engineer and got PhD in 1995. He is the UAB 

coordinator of the Joint European Master programme in Environmental Studies (JEMES). He is 

the coordinator of the research group Sustainability and Environmental Prevention (SosteniPrA, 

SGR). Address: Departament d’Enginyeria Química and Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia 

Ambiental. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 (Barcelona), 

Spain. Email: xavier.gabarrell@uab.cat. Telephone: +34.93.5812789. Fax: +34.93.5812013. 

Dra. Montserrat Sarrà is professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering of Universitat 

Autònoma de Barcelona. She is chemical engineer and got PhD in 1994 .Her main research 

activities have been focused on biotechnological process engineering, filamentous 

microorganisms cultures and specially on biological waste treatment. Address: Departament 

d’Enginyeria Química, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 

(UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 (Barcelona), Spain. Email: montserrat.sarra@uab.cat. 

Telephone: +34.93.5812789. Fax: +34.93.5812013. 

Dr. Teresa Vicent is professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering of Universitat 


activities have been focused on biological waste treatment. She is now the coordinator of the 

Biodegradation of industrial pollutants and waste valorization Research Group of Universitat 

Autònoma de Barcelona (2005SGR00220). Address: Departament d’Enginyeria Química and 

Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambiental. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 

Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 (Barcelona), Spain. Email: teresa.vicent@uab.cat. Telephone: 

+34.93.5812142. Fax: +34.93.5812013. 

183


Loads, Removal and Mass Balances of Pharmaceuticals in 

Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants in Sweden 

B. Björlenius and C. Wahlberg Stockholm Water Co, Henriksdal WWTP, Värmdövägen 23, SE- 

106 36 Stockholm, Sweden; and N. Paxeus, Gryaab AB, Norra Fågelrovägen 3, SE-418 34 

Gothenburg, Sweden 

Keywords; pharmaceuticals , wastewater, removal, mass balance, specific load 

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) belong to the class of emerging pollutants. The 

presence of APIs in the aquatic environment as well as traces found in drinking water attracted a 

lot of public attention in Sweden. Since waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) are large point 

sources of API discharge to the environment, this put a large pressure on the public water 

companies in Sweden. To meet the expected requirements, the Stockholm Water Co runs a 

project on pharmaceuticals including a study of their presence in the aquatic environment, 

preventive measures to diminish their discharge and a study of technically possible treatment 

methods aiming to prevent APIs entering the aquatic environment. Some of the results from the 

project will be presented here. 

Using an extended dataset for the presence of APIs in lakes, streams, untreated and treated 

sewage, and receiving waters, collected nationwide by the county councils in Sweden, we made 

a calculation of specific loads, removal rates, and evaluated the distribution of APIs between 

sewage and sludge in 43 Swedish operating WWTPs. A method to calculate specific loads of 

APIs to a STP is proposed. The specific loads for the individual APIs were thereby calculated in 

relation to the number of physical persons connected to the WWTP as well as to the loads of total 

nitrogen. The calculated specific loads can be used to estimate the loads to smaller WWTPs, with 

fewer resources, for sampling and analysis. Additionally, the removal rates of APIs were 

calculated for the same operating WWTPs. These rates varied individually for each API ranging 

from 0% to 95%. For some APIs the concentration was higher in the effluent than the influent 

which was ascribed to a possible deconjugation in the WWTP and/or pre-treatment during 

chemical analysis. On an average, only 3% of the incoming individual APIs were attached to 

sludge, 97% were either degraded or present in the effluent. A comparison of WWTPs with or 

without biological nitrogen removal (BNR) showed an improved (25%) removal rate for APIs with 

BNR. 

An attempt to correlate the consumed (sold) amounts and the amounts found in the wastewater 

has been made. According to the literature, on an average, 50% of the studied APIs are excreted 

from humans after consumption and therefore are expected to be present in the sewage. A 

comparison between the consumed amounts of more than 40 APIs and those found in the 

influents of two large regional WWTPs (Bromma WWTP and Henriksdal WWTP in Stockholm) 

showed, however, that approximately 10% of the active substances entered the WWTP with the 

sewage. For the same WWTPs specific loads and mass balances of APIs have been calculated 

and presented here in detail, including the removal rates over pre-sedimentation tanks, activated 

sludge for nutrient removal, and sand filters as well as the APIs distribution between sewage and 

wastewater. For several APIs the removal efficiency in mesophilic digesters is presented as well. 

In addition, a comparison with mass balances in three smaller WWTPs operating in the same 

region is presented and discussed. 

184



Berndt Björlenius (presenting author) 

berndt.bjorlenius@stockholmvatten.se 

Stockholm Water Co, Henriksdal WWTP, Värmdövägen 23, SE-106 36 Stockholm, Sweden 

Tel: +int 46 (0)8 522 124 85 

Fax: +int 46 (0)8 522 133 02 

Cajsa Wahlberg 

cajsa.wahlberg@stockholmvatten.se 

Stockholm Water Co,Henriksdal WWTP, Värmdövägen 23, SE-106 36 Stockholm, Sweden 

Tel: +int 46 (0)8 522 124 35 

Fax: +int 46 (0)8 522 133 02 

Nicklas Paxeus 

nicklas.paxeus@gryaab.se 

Gryaab AB, Norra Fågelrovägen 3, SE-418 34 Gothenburg, Sweden 

Tel: +int 46 (0)31 64 64 23 

Fax: +int 46 (0)31 64 74 99 

185


Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate 

(PFOS) Contamination in Drinking Water from Use of Aqueous 

Film Forming Foams (AFFF) at Airports in the United States 

Dr. Paul Rosenfeld, Soil Water Air Protection Enterprise (SWAPE), Senior Environmental 

Chemist, 3110 Main Street, Suite 205, Santa Monica, CA 90405, (310)795-2335, 

prosenfeld@swape.com; Crystal Wu 1 , Dr. James Clark 1 , 1 Soil Water Air Protection Enterprise, 

Santa Monica, CA 

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are demonstrated 

carcinogens and reproductive toxins. The use of PFOA and PFOS in surfactants, and polymers, 

pharmaceuticals, fire retardants, lubricants, adhesives, cosmetics, paper coatings, and 

insecticides has resulted in widespread contamination of the environment with these compounds. 

PFOA and PFOS are persistent in the environment and in humans, due to the stability of their 

carbon-fluorine bonds. This persistence has resulted in the increased body burden measured in 

animals and humans throughout the world. 3M manufactured a type of aqueous film forming foam 

(AFFF) that contained PFOS. 3M AFFF was used for aviation, marine and shallow spill fires, and 

were commonly used at airports in airport fire intervention vehicles until 3M ceased production. 

PFOS from AFFF can leak into groundwater from airport use. The Fire Fighting Foam Coalition 

(FFFC) in May 2002 reported that 3M, the manufacturer of the type of AFFF that contains PFOS, 

voluntarily stopped production of AFFF because it contains PFOS, and the chemicals had begun 

showing up in the blood of humans and animals. Soil and water contaminated with PFOS have 

been found near airports long after fire fighting foams containing PFOS have been banned. The 

use of AFFF at airports has the potential to cause drinking water quality problems and human 

health issues nationwide. 

Biography: 

Dr. Paul Rosenfeld is an environmental chemist and has over twelve years experience 

conducting remedial investigations, risk assessment, and cleanup programs for sites impacted by 

contamination. Dr. Rosenfeld has provided consulting expert support for litigation concerning 

groundwater and surface water impacts from contaminants in public water systems across the 

nation. His focus is fate and transport of environmental contaminants, risk assessment and 

ecological restoration. His project experience ranges from monitoring and modeling of pollution 

sources as they relate to human and ecological health. Dr. Rosenfeld has investigated and 

designed cleanup programs and risk assessments for contaminated sites containing, pesticides, 

radioactive waste, PCBs, PAHs, dioxins, furans, volatile organics, semi volatile organics, 

chlorinated solvents, perchlorate, heavy metals, asbestos, odorants, petroleum, PFOA, unusual 

polymers, and fuel oxygenates. 

186


Alternative Monitoring Strategy for On-line Water Quality 

Assessment 

Barillon B 1 , Zenasni 1 , Jaffrezic-Renault N 2 , Cren-Olivé C 3 , Chapgier J 4 , Lavastre F. 5 , Audic J.M. 1 , 

Daulthuille P. 1 ; 1CIRSEE, Suez Environnement, 38 rue du Président Wilson, 78230 Le Pecq 

France; 2 CNRS – LSA, Claude Bernard University, Lyon 1, 43 bd du 11 novembre, F-69622 

Villeurbanne – France; 3 CNRS – SCA, Chemin du canal, BP 22, F-69390 Vernaison-France; 

4 Communauté Urbaine du Grand Lyon, 20 rue du lac, BP 3103, F-69399 Lyon Cedex 03-France; 

5 SDEI – Lyonnaise des Eaux, 988 chemin Pierre Drevet, F-69140 Rillieux La Pape-France 

Keywords: Water Frame Directive; Priority Pollutants; On-line monitoring; Water footprint; River 

basin management 

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) was adopted in 2000 to ensure the protection of natural 

waters. This European regulation targets a “good status/potential” for all water bodies in Europe 

by 2015 and requires the implementation of monitoring programmes with the purpose of 

assessing the water quality and the trends in this water quality. The chemical status of waters is 

determined by the concentrations of 33 priority substances that shall meet defined Environmental 

Quality Standards. Beyond the regulatory constraints, the implementation of this Directive is a 

real challenge for river basin stakeholders, for several reasons: limited information available on 

theses substances and their occurrence in the receiving bodies, low concentrations, fluctuations 

of these concentrations over time. European Community provides guidelines to catchment’s 

areas managers for the design of their pollution surveillance and monitoring programs. This paper 

demonstrates, by means of a statistical approach, that those guidelines are insufficient to monitor 

accurately the considered water body: spatial and temporal variability of priority substances 

concentrations would require high sampling frequencies with the associated analytical delays and 

costs. As a consequence, there is a need for alternative monitoring strategies. In that purpose, an 

on-line monitoring station has been implemented near Lyon (France) on the Rhône river, Lyon 

being a major French agglomeration, hosting important petrochemical facilities. The monitoring 

station, described in this paper, comprises equipment for direct on-line measurement of 

parameters such as pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, turbidity, total organic 

carbon and nitrates, and indirect on-line estimation of priority substances listed in the WFD (i.e. 

organic micropollutants and heavy metals) by means of spectrophotometric methods coupled to a 

SPE-like cartridge and by determination of the acute toxicity of the effluent. These parameters 

have been measured on field using commercially available analysers, including passive 

samplers. Data have been retrieved and processed by a dedicated supervision system. The 

results of direct and indirect on-line measurements have been validated by comparison with spot 

samples analysed by laboratory methods. In this case, a multi-residue method, developed by the 

SCA-CNRS and able to detect micropollutants at ng/L levels, was used. From these on-line 

measurements, a low-cost, continuous and valuable information on the water status was 

provided. Examples of pollutants detected by this station and the validation by the laboratory 

reference methods are presented in this paper. 

This project is a collaborative research action carried out in the RHODANOS programme within 

the French Pole of Competitiveness AXELERA Chemistry and Environment. This project is 

funded by the Grand Lyon, the FCE-Entreprises Competitiveness Funds, Suez Environnement 

CIRSEE and ANRT. 

Biography: 

Bruno Barillon: Engineer from the National School of Chemical Industries of Nancy and Ph. D. in 

Chemical Engineering, he has been working since 2007 at CIRSEE, the research and technical 

centre of Suez Environment, where he manages research projects related to wastewater 

treatment, sludge treatment and environment. Contact information: 38 rue du président Wilson. 

78230 Le Pecq, France. Email : bruno.barillon@suez-env.com; Tel : +33 (0)1.34.80.22.75; Fax : 

+33(0)1.30.53.62.11 

187


Characteristics of Sulfamethoxazole Transformation During 

Bank Filtration 

Benno Baumgarten and Martin Jekel (presenting author), TU Berlin/Germany 

Background 

Besides the appearance in surface and groundwaters, the sulfonamide sulfamethoxazole (SMX) 

is one of the trace contaminants which has been detected in recent years, in several bank filtrate 

samples [Hartig et al. 1999]. It is one of the most widespread antibiotics, which is of special 

interest because of its enhanced persistency compared to other antibiotics. 

SMX can be found in effluents of sewage water treatment plants in concentrations of 160 – 

1200 ng/L. Hence it is detected in Berlin surface water in concentrations of 69 – 360 ng/L. The 

microbial transformation during soil passage in drinking water purification is not clarified in detail. 

Material & Methods 

Microbial degradation of SMX during bank filtration is investigated via soil columns in lab scale 

under different controlled conditions (redox potential, varying concentrations of SMX and different 

NOM). The columns are fed with surface water from Lake Tegel (Berlin) to adopt microorganisms 

to bank filtration conditions. The filter bed (2 m) consists of technical sand (0.7 – 1.2 mm), 

comparable to native bank filtration sand. A filter velocity of 0.13 m/d results in a retention time of 

14 days. To establish natural conditions, the columns are operated at 10 °C (soil temperature). 

Analytics of SMX are carried out via HPLC-MS/MS (ESI+) subsequent to a solid phase extraction. 

Results & Discussion 

Former studies showed a better removal rate for SMX under anoxic than under aerobic conditions 

at real bank filtration sites. For soil column experiments in laboratory scale under selected 

conditions Jekel and Grünheid [2008] determined the reverse behavior. Under controlled 

conditions SMX has been microbiologically better transformable in an aerobic system. This 

finding can partially be approved with the results of the current study. After 6 to 9 months of 

startup in columns spiked with an amount of 5.5 µg/L SMX a significantly better removal could be 

observed under aerobic conditions (82 – 90 %) than under anoxic ones (39 – 49 %). In columns 

solely fed with surface water, containing a native concentration of 0.24 µg/L SMX, there was no 

removal observed in aerobic columns and just a removal of up to 8 % in anoxic systems. After 14 

months of operating time, the removal turns out to be more enhanced under anoxic conditions 

(29 %), whereas aerobic columns just lead to a removal of around 21 %. A very long time is 

required to start-up soil column tests, due to adaptation and establishment of microorganisms. 

Differences between field site studies and lab experiments might be solely due to time and 

adaptation effects, respectively. Thus short time experiments cannot represent natural systems 

and processes. Long term studies will show, how long soil column tests have to be operated for 

simulating bank filtration. A probable SMX threshold concentration is shown to be below 

240 ng/L. 

Both the initial concentration of SMX and the temperature have a considerable influence on the 

removal rate. The actual study shows that SMX removal at a soil temperature of 10 °C is 

significantly faster than at 5 °C and significantly more enhanced at higher initial concentrations. 

In anoxic columns spiked with 5.5 µg/L of SMX, the antibiotic is not removed until the 7th day of 

soil passage. Anoxic removal only begins after one meter of soil passage, whereas under aerobic 

conditions the enhanced kinetics lead to a 90 % removal in the first 50 cm. 

188


An assumed cometabolism SMX – DOC (biopolymer fraction) is examined within specially 

designed experiments with different carbon sources and varying conditions. 

References: 

Hartig, C., Storm, T., et al. (1999). "Detection and identification of sulphonamide drugs in 

municipal waste water by liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionisation 

tandem mass spectrometry." Journal of Chromatography A 854(1-2): 163-173. 

Jekel, M., Grünheid, S. (2008). Indirect water reuse for human consumption in Germany: the case 

of Berlin. in Jiminez, B., Asano, T. (Eds.): Water Reuse. An International Survey of 

current practice, issues and needs. Scientific and Technical Report No. 20: 401-413. IWA 

Publishing. London. 

Biosketches: 

Dipl.-Ing. Benno Baumgarten (presentation) 

Benno Baumgarten is Ph.D. student at the chair of Water Quality Control at the Technical 

University of Berlin. His research is focused on the removal of antibiotics in bank filtration. He 

studied at TU Berlin and is now working in research and teaching. 

Fon: +49 30 314 24281, Fax: +49 30 314 79621 

benno.baumgarten@tu-berlin.de 

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Jekel 

Martin Jekel is professor at the chair of Water Quality Control at the Technical University of Berlin 

and president of the German Water Chemical Society. He has more than 30 years experience in 

teaching and research in drinking water treatment. He started his career at the University of 

Karlsruhe. 

Fon: +49 30 314 25058, Fax: +49 30 314 79621 

wrh@tu-berlin.de 

Postal address of both authors: 

Technische Universität Berlin 

Department of Environmental Engineering 

Chair of Water Quality Control 

Sekr. KF 4 


10623 Berlin 

189


Effect of Coagulation Conditions on Removal of Natural 

Aluminium and his Fractions from Drinking Water 

Libuše Benešová, Petra Hnaťuková, Hana Pivokonská, Institute for Environmental Studies, 

Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic 

Introduction 

Natural organic matter (NOM) in connection with higher concentration of aluminum are the 

common component of the surface water in Czech Republic. This situation can cause the higher 

concentration of residual aluminum in drinking water. Both of these components can be removed 

by chemical treatment process based on destabilization and aggregation. Our study evaluates the 

influence of types and doses of destabilization reagents as well as the condition of agitation 

(velocity gradient and time of application). 

Methods 

Jar tests were used to determine the optimal conditions of coagulation and to compare the effects 

of chosen metal reagents (namely aluminium sulphate, ferric sulphate, polyaluminiumchloride and 

polyaluminiumsulphate). Residual aluminium concentration and the speciation of aluminium were 

monitored during the treatment process in the water treatment plant Kozicin, as well. The 

efficiency of aggregation was evaluated using the test of aggregation which sorts formed 

aggregates into the four basic categories - nonaggregated particles (NA), primary particles (PR), 

microparticles (MI) and macroparticles (MA). In general, it is not possible to determine analytically 

individual Al species, e.g. Al 3+ , Al(OH) 2+ , AlF 2+ . However, the groups of species, referred to as 

aluminium fractions, can be isolated and quantified. Various aluminium fractionation procedures 

have been developed, nevertheless, the method according to Van Benschoten and Edzwald (Van 

Benschoten 1990, JAWWA) seems to be the most suitable for determining Al fractions in water 

treatment samples. This method is based on the cation exchange column procedure used for 

separating inorganic from organically bound Al, and acid digestion method to solubilize Al 

particulates. The principle of the cation exchange method consists in the existence of inorganic Al 

in cationic form under acidic conditions and its retention within the exchange resin, whereas 

organically bound Al is non-ionic or anionically charged and passes through the column. 

Aluminium concentration was measured by using colorimetric method with the pyrocatechol violet 

as the colorimetric agent. 

Results 

The results of this study indicate that the concentration and the form of residual aluminium were 

influenced by the type and dosage of used coagulant. It is also showed that the representation of 

aluminium fractions has been significantly changed during the treatment process. Dissolved 

organic Al represents the dominant fraction in raw water, while dissolved inorganic, particulate 

and polymeric-colloidal Al are the dominant fractions in the water treated by all types of 

coagulants. The results indicate that the concentration of organic matter and all Al fractions 

decreased significantly after laboratory jar tests in comparison with operational treatment. 

Conclusion 

In general, it was proved that the type of destabilization reagent have the slightly influence on the 

concentration of residual Al in comparison with the dose of destabilization one. It was also found 

that for this type of water optimum treatability was in application velocity gradient < 100 s -1 for at 

least 10 minutes. The highest removing effectivity of Al and NOM was attained in pH range 5.5 to 

6.2 (for all dastabilisation reagents). 

190

Biosketches: 


Dr. Libuše Benešová (presenting author) 

Senior Lecturer at Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Charles University in 

Prague, Czech Republic, since 1986. Academic teaching subjects: Water Protection, 

Environmental Technologies, Hydrochemistry, Wastes. Subject of research: Drinking Water 

Treatment Technology, Water Quality. 

e-mail: lbenes@natur.cuni.cz 

phone: +420 221951909 

fax: +420 224914803 

Dr. Petra Hnaťuková 

Lecturer at Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, 

Czech Republic, since 2007. Subject of research: Aquatics Sediments, Urban Streams, Behavior 

of Metals and Organic Pollutants in Water Systems, Municipal Wastes. PhD Study on Distribution 

of Heavy Metals in Sediments of Urban Streams. 

e-mail: hnatukova@post.cz 

phone: +420 777216611 

fax: +420 224914803 

MSc. Hana Pivokonská 

PhD student at Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Charles University in 

Prague, Czech Republic. PhD study is focused on Natural Aluminium and his Fractions in 

Drinking Water. 

e-mail: hana.tomaskova@email.cz 

191

α-HCH Budget in Taihu Lake, China 


Chongguo Tian 1 , Yi-Fan Li 1,2 , Hongli Wu 3 , Nanqi Ren 3 , Jianmin Ma 2 ; 1 International Joint Research 

Center for Persistent Toxic Substances (IJRC-PTS), State Key Laboratory of Urban Water 

Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China; 2 Science and 

Technology Branch, Environment Canada, 4905 Dufferin Street, Downsview, Ontario, Canada 

M3H 5T4; 3 IJRC-PTS, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, China 

To calculate a sequential historical α-hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH) budget in Taihu Lake, 

China since its introduction in 1952, a Gridded Basin-based Pesticide Mass Balance Model 

(GB-PMBM) was developed. A model domain covering entire Taihu Lake Basin (TLB) was 

selected. A grid system with a horizontal resolution of 1/6° latitude × 1/4° longitude (total 20×24 

grid cells) was established over the model domain. The model considers four matrixes: air, soil, 

water, and sediment and includes 2 components: transfer and transport modules. The transfer 

module describes the changes of pesticide concentrations and inter-compartmental transfer of the 

pesticide in multimedia environment using a level-IV fugacity method in each grid cell. The 

transport module calculates the mass exchange of pesticide driven by winds in atmosphere 

between grid cells using a simple Lagrangian method, and the pesticide transport due to water 

current entering and leaving the lake. The model results provide a complete depiction of the 

budget of α-HCH in Taihu Lake. Using annual usage of α-HCH from 1952 to 1984 as input, 

model outputs included annual concentrations in air, water and sediment of the Lake, annual 

α-HCH loading to, removal from the Lake, and annual cumulative burden of α-HCH in the lake 

waters from 1952 to 2008. Model results indicated a good agreement between the simulated and 

measured concentrations of air, water and sediment in Taihu Lake in the 1980s and 2000s, and 

showed that the α-HCH burden in Taihu Lake water started to accumulate after 1952, and reached 

the highest value of 10.6 t in 1972. Since then the burden of α-HCH in Taihu Lake waters has 

reduced very quickly, decreasing to 0.2 t in 1984, and 0.004 t in 2005. It was found that Taihu Lake 

played a role of “distributor” in process of transport of α-HCH instead of “sink” or “source”. For 

those years before 1980, Taihu Lake water took a large amount of α-HCH from atmospheric 

through air-water interface and carried a major portion of it out of the lake through water current. 

After 1980, Taihu Lake water took α-HCH from lake sediments and from river water entering the 

Lake, and released almost all of the substance to air. On the other hand, although the strong 

water/air exchange occurs throughout the broad water surface of the lake, the lake itself cannot 

hold large amount of the chemical due to the shallow depth and short residence time. If the water 

concentration ≤ 0.01 ng/L is regarded as a vanishing line of this pesticide in the water, it was 

estimated that the complete elimination of α-HCH from Taihu Lake waters would require 35 years 

after 2008. 

192

Bioremediation of the Herbicide Propanil by 

Microbial Enrichments 


Carvalho G. 1,2 , Marques R. 2 , Salgado R. 1,3 , Noronha J.P. 1 , Oehmen A. 1 , Lopes A.R. 4 , Duarte I. 4 , 

Nunes O.C. 4 , Reis M.A.M. 1 

1 REQUIMTE/CQFB, Chemistry Department, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 

Caparica, Portugal. 

2 IBET/ITQB, UNL, 2781-901 Oeiras, Portugal. 

3 Computing and Systems Department, EST, IPS Setúbal, Campus IPS, Estefanilha, 2910-761 

Setúbal, Portugal 

4 LEPAE – Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, 4200- 

465 Porto, Portugal 

Propanil (3,4-dichloropropionanilide) is a herbicide used worldwide in rice fields to control broadleaved 

weeds. Previous studies have demonstrated that propanil is primarily transformed in 

nature by photo- and biodegradation, with half lives of 12 h and 12-18 h, respectively. However, 

its main intermediate is 3,4-dichloroanaline, which is much more slowly biodegradable, being 

frequently found in surface water in concentrations up to 8.9 μg/L. 

Both propanil and its degradation product are known to be very toxic to fish and mammals. 

Additionally, propanil is reported to be toxic to the native soil microbial and plant populations, 

which can result in slow natural biodegradation. A possible solution to reduce the environmental 

impact of the application of this herbicide is bioremediation, using enrichments of bacteria able to 

degrade propanil without the accumulation of 3,4-dichloroanaline. 

Consortia of microorganisms were enriched in lab scale reactors inoculated with soil and fed with 

a mineral medium and propanil as the sole carbon source. The inocula consisted of either soil 

treated with pesticides (including propanil and also molinate in one of the enrichments) or soil 

from organic agriculture, to which no pesticides were applied in the last four years. The three 

enriched consortia proved to be able to remove both propanil and 3,4-dichloroaniline. 

This work aims at studying and optimising ultimate biodegradation of the herbicide by the 

propanil-degrading enrichments. A sequencing batch reactor configuration was selected for this 

purpose, using the previously enriched consortia as inocula and propanil as the sole carbon 

source. The degradation kinetics were assessed by determining the propanil degradation rate, 

biomass growth and 3,4-dichloroaniline production and degradation rates. Additionally, dissolved 

organic carbon measurements were carried out in order to ensure no other intermediates 

accumulated in the reactors. The stability of the microbial consortia throughout the studies was 

monitored through Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis of PCR-amplified 16S rDNA genes. 

Bioreactor performance is currently being tested under different operational conditions, namely 

temperature, pH, aeration rate and propanil concentration. This study will provide insight into the 

biokinetic mechanism for propanil biodegradation, and will lead to a better understanding of the 

microorganisms that are able to degrade propanil and its metabolite. This information will be very 

significant for enrichment development, as well as for the selection of the best natural and 

controlled conditions for bioremediation applications in propanil-affected land. 

Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) is gratefully acknowledged through the projects 

PTDC/AMB/59836/2004, PTDC/AMB/65702/2006 and post-doc grant SFRH/BPD/30800/2006. 

193

Presenting author: Dr. Maria A.M. Reis 

Departamento de Química, 

Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT), 

Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL) 

2829-516, Caparica 

PORTUGAL 

Ph: +351 212 948 385 

Fax: +351 212 948 385 

E-mail: amr@dq.fct.unl.pt 


Prof. Maria A.M. Reis is a chemical engineer from Lisbon, Portugal. She is currently a Professor 

at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa in Portugal and an editor of Water Research. Her research 

interests include wastewater treatment and other environmental biotechnological processes. 

194


Adsorption on Effluent-Derived Anticonvulsants on 

Mineral Surfaces 

Shen Qu and David M. Cwiertny (presenting author), Department of Chemical and Environmental 

Engineering, Bourns College of Engineering, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 

Recently, a large number of pharmaceuticals and personal care products have been detected in 

the effluent of wastewater treatment facilities, raising questions regarding the use of reclaimed 

water for groundwater recharge and indirect potable reuse. This investigation examines the role 

that adsorption to mineral surfaces plays in the fate of several commonly detected effluentderived 

anticonvulsant medications including carbamazepine, phenytoin and gabapentin, thereby 

lending insight to the fate of these species in underground storage and recovery operations. For 

species with ionizable functional groups (i.e., phenytoin and gabapentin), adsorption isotherms 

and pH-edge experiments are consistent with electrostatics governing anticonvulsant uptake on 

metal oxides representative of soil and aquifer material (e.g., Si, Al, Fe, Mn, and Ti). Generally, 

adsorption was limited on pristine mineral surfaces, but increased substantially in the presence of 

cationic and anionic surfactants, species that are also commonly encountered in reclaimed water. 

For nonionic carbamazepine, this enhanced uptake results entirely from organic interactions with 

the hydrophobic surfactant coatings on mineral surfaces. For anticonvulsants with ionic character, 

enhanced adsorption also arises from the ability of surfactants to alter the net charge on the 

mineral surface. Collectively, these results demonstrate that although pristine mineral surfaces 

may be relatively limited in their interactions with pharmaceuticals, their alteration with organic 

matter can considerably increase their ability to retain such species in subsurface storage and 

treatment systems. Ongoing work is exploring the influence of natural organic matter on 

anticonvulsant uptake and the impact that changes in the prevailing redox state have on the longterm 

retention of surface-bound anticonvulsants. 


David M. Cwiertny is an assistant professor of Environmental Engineering at U.C. Riverside. He 

earned a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and has an 

undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering Science from U.C. Berkeley. His laboratory 

focuses on the fate of pollutants in natural and engineered aquatic systems. 

Shen Qu is a second year doctoral student in the Department of Chemical and Environmental 

Engineering at the University of California, Riverside. Her research focuses on the environmental 

fate and treatment of emerging contaminants. 

195


Inhibitory Effects and Speciation of the Heavy Metals Ni, Cu, Zn, 

Co in a Nitrifying Activated Sludge 

Dr. Ferhan Çeçen, Bogazici University, Institute of Environmental Sciences, 34342 Bebek, 

Istanbul, Turkey, Tel: +90 212 359 72 56, cecenf@boun.edu.tr; Neslihan Semerci, Marmara 

University, Department of Environmental Engineering, Kuyubasi, Istanbul, Turkey; Ayşe Gül 

Geyik, Bogazici University, Institute of Environmental Sciences, 34342 Bebek, 

Istanbul, Turkey 

This study examines the effects of Ni, Cu , Zn and Co on a nitrifying sludge with the main aim to 

investigate the link between metal speciation and the inhibitory effect. These heavy metals are 

actually essential for biomass growth at very low doses, but may have toxic effects if present at 

low ppm levels. Although a number of studies are present for organic carbon removing systems, 

there is still not much work on the inhibitory effect of such metals on nitrifying sludges. The 

activated sludge used in experiments was taken from the recycle line of a WWTP and bacteria 

were enriched in terms of nitrifiers by supplying ammonium and minerals only. Regularly, sludge 

was taken from this batch system and the inhibitory effect of each metal was investigated 

separately using an automated respirometry system (Columbus Instruments, ER 10) and data 

were obtained with respect to time in terms of cumulative oxygen consumption, oxygen uptake 

rate, cumulative CO2 evolution and CO2 evolution rate. The inhibitory concentration of each metal 

leading to 50 % inhibition (IC50) was assessed using both O2 uptake and CO2 measurements. 

Besides this bioassay approach the response of the nitrifying sludge to metals was measured in 

terms of ammonium removal. Analytical soluble metal measurements were done by AAS. The 

distribution of metals between the solid and liquid phases and the speciation of metal complexes 

in bulk solution were calculated by using a chemical equilibrium program for initial and final 

experimental conditions. 

Data about O2 consumption and CO2 evolution enabled us to monitor the differences in inhibitory 

behavior. IC50 values were expressed as a function of exposure time to metals. In the case of the 

heavy metals Ni, Cu, Zn, the inhibitory effect was evident from the onset of exposure and 

changed only very slightly with exposure time. IC50 values for Ni, Cu and Zn were close to each 

other (Ni:0.08 mM, Cu: 0.12 mM; Zn: 0.10 mM) based on reduction of O2 with respect to control. 

The IC50 values found in terms of CO2 were slightly higher indicating the lower inhibition on CO2 

production. However, statistical analyses of data revealed that less error was associated with 

CO2 than O2 measurements and time dependent inhibitory behavior could be best followed by 

CO2 data. The comparative use of CO2 measurement along with O2 is rather rare in literature 

and is a novelty of this study. In comparison to other three metals, Co was less inhibitory (IC50: 

0.14 mM) in terms of both O2 and CO2 and the inhibitory effect of this metal evolved slowly and 

became evident only after about 12 hours of exposure. 

The total metal concentration was of lower importance and speciation of each metal strongly 

affected its inhibitory effect. In terms of free metal and/or labile complexes the metals Ni, Cu 

and Zn were much more inhibitory than Co. The residual levels of soluble Cu was very low at the 

end. Most of the initial free Cu and Cu complexes were either precipitated and/or bound to the 

sludge phase. The same pattern was also observed in the case of Ni and Zn as concluded from 

speciation calculations and soluble metal measurements, but the total soluble concentations and 

free ion concentrations of these metals were higher than Cu. In contrast to others, a high 

percentage of Co existed in the form of free Co and soluble Co complexes at the beginning and 

end of experiments. The uptake of this metal into biomass was obviously lower than others. The 

results showed that metal speciation should also be considered in evaluation of IC50 data. 

196

Biography: 


Ferhan Çeçen holds a B.Sc. degree in Chemical Engineering from the Bogaziçi University in 

Istanbul/Turkey. Then she received M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the Environmental 

Engineering Department of the Technical University in Istanbul. Her Ph.D. was about “Nitrogen 

Removal from High-strength Wastewaters by Upflow Submerged Nitrification and Denitrification 

Filters”. During the period February 1987-November 1989 she worked as a research assistant in 

the Environmental Division of the Chemical Engineering Department of the Turkish Scientific and 

Technical Research Institution TÜBITAK. From November 1989-November 1990 she worked as 

a research scholar at the Bodenkultur University in Vienna/Austria where she conducted studies 

on removal of nonbiodegradable matter from pulp bleaching wastewaters by a combination of 

advanced oxidation with biological processes. Since 1990 she has been involved in the Institute 

of Environmental Sciences of Bogaziçi University in Istanbul where she became full professor in 

1999. The major part of her studies is within the scope of environmental biotechnology and is 

directed to wastewater and water treatment. She conducts studies on biological elimination of 

specific toxic and nonbiodegradable pollutants such as chlorinated aliphatics and aromatics by 

metabolic and cometabolic removal in activated sludge and biofilm reactors. She has several 

studies on the combination of biological processes with activated carbon adsorption for the 

enhancement of removal of specific industrial compounds, whole industrial effluents such as pulp 

bleaching and pharmaceutical wastewaters and landfill leachates. She also worked on the 

removal of DOC from drinking water by a combination of adsorption with biological processes in 

biofilters (biological activated carbon filtration). In recent years she focused on the effects of 

heavy metals in nitrification systems with an emphasis on speciation properties. She has 

conducted many M.S and Ph.D. theses. She speaks English and German while her native 

language is Turkish. 

197


Monitoring of Emerging Organic Compounds in Tagus River and 

EPAL Water Supply System 

Vitor Vale Cardoso (presenting author) 1 , Alexandre Rodrigues 1 , Ana Penetra 1 , Marta Henriques 2 , 

Elisabete Ferreira 1 , Cristina M.M. Almeida 2 , Maria J. Benoliel 1 ; 1 Laboratório Central da EPAL, 

Rua do Alviela, 12, 1170-012 Lisboa, Portugal; 2 iMed.UL - Institute for Medicines and 

Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa (FFUL), Av. Prof. 

Gama Pinto, 1600-049 Lisboa, Portugal 

During the past thirty years, studies of environmental pollutants have concentrated predominantly 

on conventional pollutants such as DDT, PCBs and chlorinated dioxins that are used in 

agricultural and industrial activities. In the last ten years, other environmental pollutants were 

studied, including contaminants of emerging concern such as pesticides and endocrine disrupting 

compounds (EDCs). Recent advances in the analytical chemistry methods and instrumentation 

(tandem MS coupled to GC and LC, TOFMS, SPME, SBSE, and so on) have allowed the 

detection of progressively smaller concentrations of some pesticides and EDCs in the 

environment. The study of emerging compounds in the water supply system of EPAL and in the 

water sources (Tagus River) is an actual issue in our company with progressive developments 

every year. In the last three years we dedicated our new developments in the analysis of several 

hormones, alkylphenols, bisphenol A and new mandatory pesticides, in what it concerns 

emerging compounds, as well as in the evaluation of the efficiency removal of these compounds 

in our two conventional WTP (Asseiceira and Vale da Pedra). 

In these monitoring studies we used gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC- 

MS) for the analysis of pesticides, liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry 

(LC-MS/MS) for analysis of pesticides and hormones, and gas chromatography coupled to 

tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) for the analysis of alkylphenols and alkylphenols 

ethoxylates. Solid phase extraction and liquid-liquid extraction were used as sample preparation. 

The sampling campaign between January and July 2008 evolved 380 water samples for 

monitoring of 19 pesticides by GC-MS and 245 samples for monitoring of 23 pesticides by LC- 

MS/MS. Positive detections of pesticides were around 4.2% of the total analysis, but only 1.1% 

were above the quantification limit of the assay methods. The most frequently detected pesticides 

were MCPA, terbuthylazine, 2,4-D and imidacloprid. A second sampling campaign for the 

analysis of 58 samples showed positive results for 4-n-nonylphenol (14%), 4-n-nonylphenol 

monoethoxylate (16%) and 4-n-nonylphenol diethoxylate (22%). A third sampling campaign (43 

samples) for the analysis of seven hormones, bisphenol A and alkylphenols showed only positive 

results for octylphenol (7%). 

Keywords: Water analysis; emerging compounds; GC-MS; LC-MS/MS; GC-MS/MS; 

198



Vitor Vale Cardoso – Presenting author 

Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1989 (Faculdade de Farmácia de Lisboa – Lisbon 

University); Head of the Organic Chemistry Laboratory of the Analytical Department of 

Laboratório Central da EPAL; Mailing: Laboratório Central da EPAL, Rua do Alviela, 12, 1170- 

012 Lisboa, Portugal; Phone: 00351 218100241; Fax: 00351 218100222; E-mail address: 


Alexandre Rodrigues 

Degree in Technological Chemistry in 1999 (Faculdade de Ciências de Lisboa – Lisbon 

University); Chemistry technician of Laboratório Central da EPAL; Mailing: Laboratório Central da 

EPAL, Rua do Alviela, 12, 1170-012 Lisboa, Portugal; Phone: 00351 218100244; Fax: 00351 

218100222; E-mail address: alexrodr@epal.pt 

Ana Penetra 




218100222; E-mail address: apenetra@epal.pt 

Marta Henriques 

Degree in Food Enginnering in 1998 (Instituto Egas Moniz); Quality-Safety-Environment Manager 

of Nestlé Waters Direct Portugal; Mailing: iMed.UL - Institute for Medicines and Pharmaceutical 

Sciences, Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa (FFUL), Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 

1600-049 Lisboa, Portugal; Phone: 00351 217946425; Fax: 00351 217946470; E-mail address: 

Marta.Henriques@waters.nestle.com 

Elisabete Ferreira 

Degree in Biology in 1977 (Faculdade de Ciências de Lisboa – Lisbon University); Head of the 

Analytical Department of Laboratório Central da EPAL; Mailing: Laboratório Central da EPAL, 

Rua do Alviela, 12, 1170-012 Lisboa, Portugal; Phone: 00351 218100218; Fax: 00351 

218100222; E-mail address: elisabr@epal.pt 

Cristina M.M. Almeida 

PhD in Chemical and Microbiology of Waters in 2001 (Faculdade de Farmácia de Lisboa – Lisbon 

University), "Organic Speciation of Water for Human Comsumption: Phenol, Benzene and other 

Substituded Benzenes"; Assistant Professor in Pharmacy Faculty of Lisbon; Mailing: iMed.UL - 

Institute for Medicines and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de 

Lisboa (FFUL), Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1600-049 Lisboa, Portugal; Phone: +351 217946425; Fax: 

+351 217946470; E-mail address: calmeida@ff.ul.pt 

Maria João Benoliel 

Degree in Industrial Chemistry Enginnering in 1972 (Instituto Superior Técnico – Lisbon Technical 

University); Director of Laboratório Central da EPAL; Mailing: Laboratório Central da EPAL, Rua 

do Alviela, 12, 1170-012 Lisboa, Portugal; Phone: 00351 218100221; Fax: 00351 218100222; Email 

address: mjbenol@epal.pt 

199


Immobilized Laccases: Novel Biocatalysts for the Continuous Elimination 

of Micropollutants 

Hubert Cabana a , Roland Leduc a , J. Peter Jones b and Spiros N. Agathos c , a Environmental 

Engineering Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, Sherbrooke University, Canada; 

b Department of Chemical Engineering, Sherbrooke University, Canada; Unit of Bioengineering, 

Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium 

Laccases (polyphenoloxidases, EC 1.10.3.2) are multicopper oxidases catalyzing the oxidation of 

various phenol-like compounds, aromatic amines and some inorganic compounds. Laccases are 

produced by fungi, higher plants, bacteria and insects. Over the last decades, research has 

focused on the use of laccases for the biodegradation of a wide range of xenobiotics and for 

industrial applications. The applications of free laccase in environmental biotechnology are limited 

by the difficulty in reusing the enzyme and by its sensitivity to denaturing agents. These 

constraints can be eliminated by using appropriate immobilization strategies. 

Our group developed different immobilization/insolubilization approaches: 1) the covalent 

immobilization of laccase on the diatomaceous earth support Celite ® R-633, 2) on the renewable 

biopolymer chitosan and 3) by the insolubilization of the laccase as cross-linked enzyme 

aggregates (CLEAs). These biocatalysts could be used in bioreactor designs for the continuous 

elimination of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Nonylphenol (NP), bisphenol A (BPA), and 

triclosan (TCS) are EDCs frequently detected in receiving waters downstream of intense 

urbanization can be transformed by laccases. 

For example, the catalyst formed by immobilization on the diatomaceous earth support was used 

in a packed bed reactor (PBR), while the CLEAs were used in a fluidized bed reactor (FBR) and 

in an innovative perfusion basket reactor (BR). The different reactors were used for the 

elimination of solution containing 5 mg l -1 of NP, BPA or TCS at a pH of 5 and a temperature of 

20°C. The results obtained using the PBR demonstrated that all of these EDCs could be 

eliminated by using respectively 3.75 units (U) of laccase activity for BPA and TCS and 1.88 U for 

NP. These performances of elimination were maintained over 5 consecutive treatment cycles 

using the same biocatalyst. On the other hand, the BR was used for the continuous elimination of 

these EDCs using 1 mg of CLEAs (0.15 U). Our results showed that at least 85% of these EDCs 

could be eliminated with a hydraulic retention time of 325 min. The performances of the BR were 

quite stable over a 7-day period of continuous treatment. Finally, all of these bioreactors were 

able to remove shock loads (100 mg l -1 solutions) of these EDCs. 

The development of different biocatalysts and the design simple reactors for the continuous 

elimination of these contaminants exemplifies the value of designing cost-competitive and easily 

operable treatment schemes to render the enzymatic processes more widely applicable to 

environmental applications. From this point of view, these results offer some basis for the 

development of laccase based bioprocesses for xenobiotics elimination. 

200

Biosketches 


Hubert Cabana is Assistant Professor at the Civil Engineering Department, Sherbrooke 

University, Canada. He’s specialized in the development of bioremediation strategies for the 

elimination of emerging pollutants. 

Roland Leduc is Professor at the Civil Engineering Department and Director of the Environmental 

Engineering Laboratory, Sherbrooke University. 

J. Peter Jones is Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Sherbrooke University. His 

research interests are in the development of processes of treatment of wastewater. 

Spiros N. Agathos is Professor of Biochemical Engineering and Applied Microbiology at the 

Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium. He’s Chairman of the Bioengineering Unit. 

201


Validation Method for Analysis of Organic Compounds Affecting 

Taste and Odour of Drinking Water 

João E. Rodrigues 1 , Vitor Vale Cardoso (presenting author) 2 , António Pato 2 , Alexandre 

Rodrigues 2 , Ana Penetra 2 , Elisabete Ferreira 2 , Maria J. Benoliel 2 ; 1 Faculdade de Ciências da 

Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1149-016 Lisboa, Portugal, 2 Laboratório Central da 

EPAL, Rua do Alviela, 12, 1170-012 Lisboa, Portugal 

Drinking water directive 98/83/EC requires that some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) must 

be monitored regularly in drinking water, due to its adverse effects in human health. Some 

compounds may affect taste and odour in drinking water at low concentration levels, even below 

their toxicity limits. Usually, the main natural problems concern with taste and odour are related 

with microorganisms (particularly algae and bacteria) in surface water, groundwater, pipes and 

reservoirs of water. Anthropogenic causes are associated with industrial discharges, by-products 

of water disinfections during treatment or by lixiviation from materials used in contact with drinking 

water (construction materials and pipes used for storage and distribution of water). 

In this study we developed and validated a method for the identification and quantification of the 

following compounds: isoborneol, 2-methylisoborneol, geosmin, 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (2,4,6- 

TCA), 2,3,6-trichloroanisole (2,3,6-TCA), 2,3,4-trichloroanisole (2,3,4-TCA) and 2,4,6tribromoanisole 

(2,4,6-TBA). 

The analysis of VOCs in drinking water was performed by gas chromatography coupled to mass 

spectrometry using a solid phase microextraction (SPME) for sample preparation (HS-SPME- 

GC/MS). Several parameters related with SPME were optimised in order to achieve high level of 

sensitivity and selectivity. The optimised conditions were PDMS/DVB fiber, 40 minutes adsorption 

time at 55 ºC. The VOCs were desorbed at 200 ºC during 3 minutes and analysed by GC-MS. 

This method showed excellent linearity ranges for all VOCs (between 6,7 and 257,0 ng/L), with 

correlation coefficients greater than 0,9996. The quantification limits of this method range from 

1,4ng/L (geosmin) to 19,2 ng/L (isoborneol). Repeatability studies at quantification limit showed 

good precision for all analytes with RSD less than 15% (2,4,6-TBA). Recovery studies in several 

matrices were performed and results varied from 71 to 118% recovery with a RSD lower than 

14%. 

A detailed analysis of the uncertainty sources of this method is included, which allowed to 

estimate expanded uncertainties in the 7-13% range. 

Keywords: Volatile organic compounds; Odour and Taste; Water analysis; SPME; GC-MS; 

Uncertainty analysis. 

202



João E. Rodrigues 


University); Mailing: Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1149- 

016 Lisboa, Portugal; E-mail address: joao.rodrigues@ua.pt 

Vitor Vale Cardoso – Presenting author 

Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1989 (Faculdade de Farmácia de Lisboa – Lisbon 

University); Head of the Organic Chemistry Laboratory of the Analytical Department of 

Laboratório Central da EPAL; Mailing: Laboratório Central da EPAL, Rua do Alviela, 12, 1170- 

012 Lisboa, Portugal; Phone: 00351 218100241; Fax: 00351 218100222; E-mail address: 


António Pato 

Chemistry technician of Laboratório Central da EPAL; Mailing: Laboratório Central da EPAL, Rua 


address: antpato@epal.pt 

Alexandre Rodrigues 




218100222; E-mail address: alexrodr@epal.pt 

Ana Penetra 




218100222; E-mail address: apenetra@epal.pt 

Elisabete Ferreira 

Degree in Biology in 1977 (Faculdade de Ciências de Lisboa – Lisbon University); Head of the 

Analytical Department of Laboratório Central da EPAL; Mailing: Laboratório Central da EPAL, 

Rua do Alviela, 12, 1170-012 Lisboa, Portugal; Phone: 00351 218100218; Fax: 00351 

218100222; E-mail address: elisabr@epal.pt 

Maria João Benoliel 

Degree in Industrial Chemistry Enginnering in 1972 (Instituto Superior Técnico – Lisbon Technical 

University); Director of Laboratório Central da EPAL; Mailing: Laboratório Central da EPAL, Rua 


address: mjbenol@epal.pt 

203


Studies on the Degradation of 2-Methoxy Phenol Using 

Heterogeneous Photocatalysis 

Amit Dhir (presenting author), Department of Biotechnology & Environmental Sciences, Thapar 

University, Patiala-147004, Ph. 094633-29300, e-mail:amit.dhir@thapar.edu; N. Tejo Prakash, 

Department of Biotechnology & Environmental Sciences, Thapar University, Patiala-147004; 

Dhiraj Sud, Department of Chemistry, S.L.I.E.T., Longowal-148106 

There has been a growing emphasis on the development of coupled photocatalytic-biological 

treatment systems for treating poorly biodegradable wastewater. An attempt has been made in 

the present study to achieve improvement in the biodegradation of model compound Guaiacol 

which is one of the lignin degradation products from bleach mill effluents of pulp and paper 

industry. The combination of titanium dioxide & UV light has been known to generate strong 

oxidants that degrade several organic pollutants into carbon dioxide via the formation of some 

intermediates. The intermediates formed may undergo biodegradation readily. Semiconductor 

mediated photo-catalyzed degradation of Guaiacol has been investigated in aqueous suspension 

using Degussa P25 TiO2 as catalyst in a low cost, non concentrating, shallow pond slurry, batch 

type reactor using artificial UV light equipped with seven UV tubes (36 W each). The degradation 

rate was estimated by monitoring the change in substrate concentration employing UV 

spectroscopic analysis technique and COD estimation as a function of irradiation time. The 

influence of different variables like TiO2 concentration, pH effect, intensity of radiation, substrate 

concentration / initial COD values on the photodagradation has been tested and it was found to 

be strongly influenced by all the above parameters. The maximum degradation rate of Guaiacol 

solution (25 ppm) was found to be 82% in solar light and 88% in UV light at the optimized 

conditions (pH 6, 2 g/l of TiO2). COD reduction at these specified conditions was found to be 93% 

after 6 hrs of UV exposure. Biodegradability (in terms of ratio of BOD to COD) of Guaiacol was 

observed to increase significantly during this photochemical treatment. So the incorporation of 

photocatalytic treatment as a preliminary treatment step to obtain a biodegradable wastewater 

seems to be an economically attractive option. 

Keywords: Photocatalysis; Photo degradation; Guaiacol; Titanium dioxide; UV reactor 

Biographies: 

Amit Dhir is currently working as Lecturer in the Department of Bio-Technology and 

Environmental sciences, Thapar University, Patiala-147004 (One of the renowned Technical 

University in India with more than 50 years of establishment). My area of interest is 

Environmental Engineering with specialization in wastewater treatment using advanced oxidation 

processes. I have around 05 publications in the reputed journals and presented 07 papers in the 

national/ international conferences. My e-mail. I.D. is amit.dhir@thapar.edu and ph. no. & Fax No. 

is 094633-29300 & 0175-2364498 respectively. Dr. N. Tejo Prakash is also working as Assistant 

Professor in the Department of Bio-technology and Environmental sciences, Thapar University, 

Patiala-147004. Dr. Prakash is having vast research experience in different R & D centers across 

the country. His area of interest is Environmental Science with specialized expertise in industrial 

wastewater treatment. He has around six publications in refereed journals and handled two R&D 

projects in the thrust areas of environmental science and Technology. His e-mail I.D. is 

ntejoprakash@thapar.edu. Dr. Dhiraj Sud is working as Assistant professor in the Department of 

Chemistry, SLIET, Longowal (Government of India Organization & Deemed University) having 

her e-mail suddhiraj@yahoo.com. Her area of interest is Environmental Chemistry with special 

emphasis on wastewater treatment. She has around 40 publications to her credit in the refereed 

journals. Moreover, she has successfully handled five R&D projects sponsored by Govt. of India 

and has visited many countries for research related activities. 

204


Nitrifying Membrane Bioreactor as Effective Effluent Polishing 

Technique for Instance 17α-Ethinylestradiol Removal 

Bart De Gusseme, Tom Hennebel, Nico Boon, Willy Verstraete; Laboratory of Microbial Ecology 

and Technology (LabMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Gent, Belgium; Tel.: 

+32 9 264 59 76; fax: +32 9 264 62 48; Bart.DeGusseme@UGent.be 

The discovery of feminization of male fish and other aquatic organisms exposed to wastewater 

treatment plant (WWTP) effluents increased the concern about the fate of low-level 

concentrations of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in the environment. Particularly 17αethinylestradiol 

(EE2), the active compound of the contraceptive pill, is recalcitrant with a high 

endocrine disrupting potency 1 . Apparently, this compound is not completely removed in the 

current WWTPs since EE2 concentrations up to 106 ng L -1 are measured in WWTP effluents 2 . 

Advanced wastewater treatment techniques include chlorination, ultraviolet photolysis, activated 

carbon or ozonisation but they can produce persistent and potentially dangerous byproducts or 

they represent a considerable cost for application to large wastewater streams 3,4 . Therefore, 

increasing efforts are undertaken to develop alternative methods for WWTP effluent polishing. 

In this study, the ability of a nitrifying sludge to biologically remove EE2 at low levels (ng - µg L -1 ) 

was examined in both batch incubation tests as in a membrane bioreactor (MBR). After an 

adaptation period of 72 h, the microbial consortium was able to remove EE2 out of a synthetic 

wastewater at a rate of 97 ± 2 µg EE2 g VSS -1 d -1 in combination with a complete nitrification 

(initial concentrations of 750 μg EE2 L -1 + -1 -1 

, 52.5 mg NH4 -N L and 0.75 g VSS L ). During 

incubation of the nitrifying biomass in actual WWTP effluent containing 1.5 mg of Total Ammonia 

Nitrogen (TAN) L -1 (Ossemeersen, Ghent, Belgium), no adaptation phase seemed to be required, 

resulting in an EE2 removal efficiency of 94% after 96 h (249 ± 1 µg EE2 g VSS -1 d -1 ). No E1, E2 

or other metabolite concentrations were detectable. Treatment of the synthetic wastewater with 

heat-inactivated biomass resulted in a removal of 21%, indication that the EE2 removal was not 

only due to sorption. Specific inhibition of the ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and pure culture 

experiments indicated that the AOB are potentially responsible for the first degradation step of the 

EE2 molecule whereas the heterotrophic bacteria present in the nitrifying inoculum play an 

important role in the subsequent removal of the metabolites. These findings are in accordance 

with the results of Vader et al. (2000) 5 and Shi et al. (2004) 6 . 

Further application of the nitrifying inoculum in a plate MBR at the same VSS concentration 

resulted in a continuous removal of EE2 in combination with a complete nitrification. Variation of 

the EE2 loading rates (Bv,EE2) and the ammonium concentration in the synthetic influent, pointed 

out that an EE2 removal efficiency of 98% was possible, with a minimal ammonium concentration 

of 0.8 mg NH4 + -N L -1 (Bv,EE2 = 29 µg EE2 L -1 d -1 , Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) = 4 d). Using the 

same ammonium concentration, the MBR was used to treat a synthetic wastewater with an 

environmentally relevant EE2 concentration of 50 ng EE2 L -1 . Loading rates up to 125 ng EE2 L -1 

d -1 could be achieved, resulting in an EE2 removal efficiency of 99% with a short HRT of 0.4 d. 

No E1, E2 or other metabolites were detected in the effluent. 

This research gave rise to new perspectives on an alternative way to remove EDCs out of WWTP 

effluents. Application of commercially available highly active nitrifying consortia in an MBR can 

instantly and effectively remove estrogenic compounds at short HRT. Operation of the MBR at 

low VSS concentrations and cross-flow prevents biofouling of the plate membranes. Moreover, no 

addition of extra ammonium seemed necessary since actual WWTP effluent still contains 1.5 mg 

TAN L -1 . Without the need for excessive operation costs, this new feature for MBR technology 

can be very promising for effluent polishing to protect sensitive sites such as point discharges 

(e.g. WWTPs) near water intakes or near highly value ecological areas. 

205

1 Johnson & Sumpter, 2001. Environ. Sci. Technol. 35, 4697-4703. 

2 Clara, et al., 2005. Water Res. 39, 97-106. 

3 Moriyama, et al., 2004. Chemosphere 55, 839-847. 

4 Huber, et al., 2004. Environ. Sci. Technol. 38, 5177-5186. 

5 Vader, et al., 2000. Chemosphere 41, 1239-1243. 

6 Shi, et al., 2004. Water Res. 38, 2323-2330. 



Bart De Gusseme 

Bart De Gusseme graduated as Bioscience Engineer in the field of environmental technology at 

Ghent University. Since October 2006, he is a PhD candidate at the Laboratory of Microbial 

Ecology and Technology (LabMET). His research interests are the microbiological removal of 

micropollutants, drinking water disinfection and bioprecipitation of catalytic particles. 

Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 

653, B-9000 Gent, Belgium. Tel.: +32 9 264 59 76; fax: +32 9 264 62 48; e-mail address: 

Bart.DeGusseme@UGent.be 

Tom Hennebel 

Tom Hennebel graduated as Bioscience Engineer in the field of environmental technology at 

Ghent University. He performed his master thesis “Applications of bio-Pd for water treatment” at 

LabMET. Since 2006, he is a PhD candidate working on the precipitation of precious metals and 

their applications in groundwater and soil remediation. 



Tom.Hennebel@UGent.be 

Nico Boon 

Nico Boon obtained a PhD degree in the field of environmental microbiology at Ghent University 

in 2002. Since October 2006, he is working as Professor of Molecular Microbial Ecology at 

LabMET. His research interests are bioaugmentation strategies for pollutants, bioprecipitation of 

catalytic particles and host-bacteria interactions. 



Nico.Boon@UGent.be 

Willy Verstraete 

Willy Verstraete obtained a PhD degree in the field of microbiology at the Cornell University of 

Ithaca in 1971. Since 1979, he is working as Professor and head of LabMET. He has experience 

in design and operation of drinking water production plants, aerobic wastewater treatment, 

anaerobic digestion and bioremediation processes. 



Willy.Verstraete@UGent.be 

206


Transformation of Organophosphorus Pesticides in the 

Presence of Chloramines 

Stephen E. Duirk (presenter), Lisa M. Desetto, and Gary M. Davis, US EPA, ORD, NERL, ERD, 

960 College Station Rd. Athens, GA, 30605, USA 

The fate of organophosphorus (OP) pesticides in the presence of aqueous chlorine has been 

investigated under simulated drinking water treatment conditions. Intrinsic rate coefficients were 

found for the reaction of hypochlorous acid (kHOCl,OP) and hypochlorite ion (kOCl,OP) for eight OP 

pesticides (1). The reaction of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) with each OP pesticide is rapid near 

neutral pH, kHOCl,OP = 0.86 – 3.56 x 10 6 M -1 h -1 . HOCl reacts at the thiophosphate (P=S) moiety of 

the OP pesticide resulting in the formation of the corresponding oxon (P=O), which is more toxic 

than the parent pesticide. Hypochlorite ion (OCl - ) was found not to oxidize any of the pesticides 

but act like a nucleophile accelerating hydrolysis, kOCl,OP = 37.3 – 15,910 M -1 h -1 . Both the kHOCl,OP 

and the kOCl,OP were found to correlate well with molecular descriptors within each subgroup of 

the OP pesticide class (1). Using a previously developed degradation pathway model (2, 3), the 

loss of the parent pesticide and the formation of the more toxic transformation product were 

adequately predicted. 

Chloramines are a popular alternative to aqueous chlorine for drinking water utilities having 

disinfectant residual stability or disinfection byproduct issues. The most commonly detected OP 

pesticides in drinking water sources (i.e., chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and malathion) were transformed 

in the presence of monochloramine (NH2Cl). Intrinsic rate coefficients were found for both NH2Cl 

and dichloramine (NHCl2) reacting with each pesticide by adding OP pesticide reaction pathways 

for both chlorinated oxidants to the monochloramine autodecomposition model (4, 5). 

Monochloramine was found not to be very reactive with OP pesticides, kNH2Cl,OP = 10.6 – 21.4 M - 

1 h -1 , but dichloramine was found to be two orders of magnitude more reactive with the OP 

pesticides investigated, kNHCl2,OP = 1995.0 – 2931.9 M -1 h -1 . The reactivity of the three chlorinated 

oxidants was then found to correlate with half-wave potentials (E1/2) for each OP pesticide. A 

comprehensive degradation pathway model was developed to predict the transformation of OP 

pesticides in the presence of chlorinated oxidants. With the addition of hydrolysis rate 

coefficients, the transformation of OP pesticides under drinking water treatment condition was 

found to be adequately predicted over the pH range of 6.5-9. 

References 

1. Duirk, S. E.; Desetto, L. M.; Davis, G. M., Transformation of Organophosphorus Pesticides in 

the Presence of Aqueous Chlorine: Kinetics, Pathways, and Structure-Activity Relationships. 

Environ. Sci. Technol. 2008 Submitted. 

2. Duirk, S. E.; Collette, T. W., Degradation of Chlorpyrifos in Aqueous Chlorine Solutions: 

Pathways, Kinetics, and Modeling. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2006, 40, (2), 546-551. 

3. Duirk, S. E.; Tarr, J. C.; Collette, T. W., Chlorpyrifos transformation by aqueous chlorine in 

the presence of bromide and natural organic matter. J. Agric. Food. Chem. 2008, 56, (4), 

1328-1335. 

4. Duirk, S. E.; Gombert, B.; Croue, J. P.; Valentine, R. L., Modeling monochloramine loss in the 

presence of natural organic matter. Water Res. 2005, 39, (14), 3418-3431. 

5. Jafvert, C. T.; Valentine, R. L., Reaction Scheme for the Chlorination of Ammoniacal Water. 

Environ. Sci. Technol. 1992, 26, (3), 577-586. 

207

Biosketches: 


Stephen E. Duirk: Dr. Duirk is a research scientist and environmental engineer for the United 

States Environmental Protection Agency in Athens, GA. He is currently investigating the reaction 

of disinfectants with anthropogenic chemicals and natural organic matter as well as the formation 

of unregulated disinfection byproducts. 



duirk.stephen@epa.gov 

Tel: 706.355.8206 

Fax: 706.355.8202 

Lisa Desetto and Gary Davis: Ms. Desetto and Mr. Davis were research assistants under the 

advisement of both Drs. Duirk and Richardson. Both are contracted through Student Services 

Authority and are no longer with the Agency. 



208


Diclofenac Removal with Biogenic Manganese Oxides 

Ilse Forrez (presenting author), Marta Carballa and Willy Verstraete; Laboratory of Microbial Ecology 

& Technology (LabMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium, Tel. +32(9)2645976, 

Ilse.Forrez@UGent.be 

Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, is consumed in considerable amounts 

throughout the world. Due to its low biodegradability, diclofenac is generally removed for only 

30% in conventional sewage treatment plants (STPs) and enters the environment through STPs 

discharges 1 . Sublethal effects were observed in rainbow trout for diclofenac with LOEC in the 

range of discharge levels (1 μg/L) 2 . In Europe, concentrations up to 4 μg/L are reported in STP 

effluents 3 , while lower levels have been detected in the United States (90 ng/L) 1 . In surface 

waters, the concentrations vary from 10 and 40 ng/L 4,5 . Advanced oxidation processes such as 

UV/H2O2 and O3 are effective techniques to polish effluents, but the formation of toxic products is 

not excluded 6 . Mineral manganese dioxide has been studied as an oxidative agent in soils and 

sediments 7 and Zhang and Huang 8 showed its potential to remove triclosan, an antiseptic agent. 

In this work, a novel technology, using biologically produced manganese oxides, has been 

investigated to remove diclofenac. 

Biogenic manganese oxides (BioMnOx) were produced by Pseudomonas putida MnB6 in growth 

medium described by Boogerd and de Vrind 9 and chemical manganese oxides were produced as 

described by Murray 10 . Diclofenac and Mn concentrations were measured with HPLC-DAD-UV 

and AAS, respectively. Sorbed amounts of diclofenac were determined by the addition of ascorbic 

acid to dissolve all Mn oxides and the sorbed fraction of Mn 2+ was determined by the addition of 

0.6 g/L Cu 2+ (10 mM). Since the reactivity of manganese oxides is pH-dependent, diclofenac 

removal was tested at different pH values in the range 5-9. 

High removal (97%) was obtained with both BioMnOx and chemical MnO2 (5.5 mg Mn/L) at pH 

4.7 after 24h. However, at pH 7.0 and 8.7, only the BioMnOx was effective. Diclofenac removal 

with BioMnOx at a dose of 5.5 mg Mn/L could be enhanced from 15% at pH 8.7 up to 50 and 

96% when the pH was 6.8 and 6.2, respectively. Moreover, complete removal (pH 6.8) was 

obtained with higher BioMnOx (46 mg Mn/L) after 24h. Removal efficiencies were independent of 

the initial concentrations of diclofenac and the Biomass/BioMnOx ratio. However, the levels of the 

reduced species, i.e. Mn 2+ , had a negative effect on the chemical oxidation of diclofenac. As a 

matter of fact, when the manganese reoxidation was inhibited with azide (20 mg/L) and dissolved 

Mn 2+ increased consequently to more than 1 mg/L, diclofenac removal decreased by a factor 3. 

Furthermore, it was observed that diclofenac removal only occurred when the ratio between 

sorbed Mn 2+ and BioMnOx was below 0.04 mg Mn 2+ /mg BioMnOx-Mn. Kinetic studies revealed 

that in the presence of diclofenac, Mn 2+ was exchanged from the sorbed to the liquid phase 

during the first few hours, thus indicating that diclofenac is adsorbed onto the Mn oxide surface. 

This is described as the surface-complex formation preceding the oxidation with Mn(IV) 11 . 

Interestingly, when BioMnOx was applied at concentrations ranging from 5.5 to 28 mg Mn/L, the 

dissolved Mn 2+ concentrations remained below the drinking water limit (0.05 mg/L), thus 

indicating that this approach could be of use for tap water production. 

The interaction of manganese oxides and manganese-oxidizing bacteria appears to be 

advantageous for diclofenac removal in two ways: (1) the biologically produced Mn oxides are 20 

times more reactive than chemical MnO2 at neutral pH and (2) Mn 2+ produced during the 

oxidation of diclofenac is regenerated within hours. A third benefit is the ability of the 

heterotrophic manganese oxidizers to remove the intermediates formed during diclofenac 

oxidation. The results of this work combined with previous studies on triclosan 8 , ciprofloxacin 11 

and 17α-ethinylestradiol 12 , suggest the applicability of BioMnOx as an effective polishing 

technique for STP effluent. 

1Yu 

et al. (2006) Agric Water Manage 86,72 

7 

Sunda & Kieber (1994) Nature 36,62 

2 

Triebskorn et al. (2007) Anal Bioanal Chem 387,1405 

8 


209


3 9 

Carballa et al. (2008) Chemosphere 72,1118 

Boogerd & de Vrind (1987) J Bacteriol 169,489 

4 10 

Vieno et al. (2007) Environ Sci Technol 41,5077 

Murray (1974) J Colloid Interface Sci 46,357 

5 11 

Sacher et al. (2008) J Environ Monit 10,664 


6 12 

Guzzella et al. (2002) Water Res 36,4307 

Sabirova et al. (2008) Microbiol Biotechnol 1,507 

The financial support from the European Commission (Neptune project, contract no 036845, FP6-2005- 

Global-4, SUSTDEV-2005-3.II.3.2) and the Xunta de Galicia (Angeles Alvariño program, contract AA-065) is 

acknowledged 

Biography: 

ir. Ilse Forrez (ilse.forrez@ugent.be) 

Studied bioscience engineering (graduated 2004) at Ghent University, Belgium. She worked at 

the Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET) on two projects: organic deicer 

removal in melting water (2004-2006) and anaerobic digestion of pig manure (2006-2007). In 

January 2007 she started her PhD on the removal of micropollutants with biometals within the 

Neptune project. 

Dr. ir. Marta Carballa (marta.carballa@ugent.be) 

Graduated in Chemical Engineering (January 2001) and PhD in Chemical and Environmental 

Engineering (December 2005) at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). She worked 

as a Young Researcher in the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (Chile) from March 

2006 and April 2007, and since May 2007, she is working in the Laboratory of Microbial Ecology 

and Technology (LabMET) at Ghent University (Belgium). 

Prof. Dr. ir. Willy Verstraete (willy.verstraete@ugent.be) 

Obtained a PhD degree in the field of microbiology at the Cornell University of Ithaca in 1971. 

Since 1979, he is working as professor and head of LabMET, Ghent University, Belgium. He has 

experience in design and operation of drinking water production plants, aerobic wastewater 

treatment, anaerobic digestion and bioremediation processes. 

Contact: 


Coupure Links 653 B-9000 Gent 

Belgium 

Tel. +32(9)2645976 

Fax. +32(9)2646248 

http://labmet.ugent.be 

210


Photocatalytic Degradation of Several Pesticides in Drinking 

Water by Use of TiO2 and ZnO Under Natural Sunlight 

Fenoll J 1 , Vela N 2 , Ruiz E 1 , Flores P 1 , Navarro G 2 , Hellín P 1 , Navarro S 2 

1 Departamento de. Calidad y Garantía Alimentaria. Instituto Murciano de Investigación y 

Desarrollo Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDA). C/Mayor s/n. La Alberca, 30150 Murcia. Spain; 

2 Departamento de Química Agrícola, Geología y Edafología. Facultad de Química. Universidad 

de Murcia. Campus Universitario de Espinardo. 30100, Murcia. Spain 

Introduction 

A wide variety of organic pollutants are introduced into the water system from various sources 

such as industrial effluents, agricultural runoff and chemical spills. Their toxicity, stability to natural 

decomposition and persistence in the environment has been the cause of much concern to the 

societies and regulation authorities around the world. Concretely, contamination of waters by 

xenobiotic compounds such as pesticides presents a serious environmental problem. 

Unfortunately, a great number of them are bio-recalcitrant, non-biodegradable. Therefore, 

biological process is not the ideal process and other more effective technologies such as 

advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) has been proposed for treatment of polluted water by 

pesticides. 

Sunlight photoalteration processes are well known to play and important role in the degradation of 

pesticides and other contaminants in water by generation of highly reactive intermediates, mainly 

hydroxyl radical ( ● OH), a powerful non-specific oxidant. Photocatalytic oxidation by 

semiconductors oxides is an area of environmental interest for the treatment of polluted water, 

particularly relevant for Mediterranean agricultural areas, where solar irradiation is highly 

available making this process quite attractive. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been demonstrated to 

be an excellent catalyst and its behaviour is very well documented in the literature although the 

photocatalytic effect of other semiconductors is not so well known. For this reason in this work we 

have compared the effect of TiO2 and ZnO on the photolytic degradation of ten pesticides in 

drinking water under natural sunlight. 

Material and Methods 

The selected pesticides are commonly used for crop protection in many areas and they can be 

leached through soil profile in more or less proportion. The studied compounds were: 

azoxystrobin, kresoxim-methyl, tebuconazole, hexaconazole, triadimenol, fludioxonil, cyprodinil, 

pyrimethanil (fungicides), pirimicarb (insecticide), and propyzamide (herbicide). The experiment 

was carried out in a pilot plant placed in Murcia, SE Spain (latitude 37º59’N, longitude 1º08’W) 

using natural sunlight irradiation during July, 2008. Drinking water used had pH of 8.12, and EC of 

0.89 dS m -1 . Water samples (150 l, n=3) were spiked with the pesticides (0.3-0.6 mg l -1 level) with 

commercial products. Finally, the photosensitizer (TiO2 and ZnO) and oxidant (Na2S2O8) were 

added at 150 and 50 mg l -1 , respectively. Periodically, air was injected in the tank. Several 

samples were taken during the photoperiod (8 h), from 10-18 h. A LL microextraction method was 

used for the isolation of pesticides. Water samples were extracted by sonication with n-hexanedichloromethane 

1:1 mixture solvent. Finally, pesticide residues were quantified by GC-NPD and 

confirmed by GC/MS. 

Results and Discussion 

Irradiation of water in the absence of photosensitizers shows that photolytic decomposition of the 

pesticides occurs at a low rate. In all cases, the photolysis kinetics of all pesticides followed an 

apparent first-order degradation curve with R 2 ranging from 0.91 to 0.99 with the exception of 

triadimenol in the experiment carried out with TiO2 (R 2 =0.79). As expected, the influence of both 

semiconductors on the degradation of pesticides was very significant, especially for ZnO. In both 

cases, cyprodinil was quickly degraded being triadimenol the more persistent compound. The 

211


half-lives for cyprodinil were 41 and 144 min while triadimenol reach 105 and 770 min for ZnO 

and TiO2 experiments, respectively. For the other pesticides, half-lives ranged from 54-74 min 

(ZnO) and 257-533 min (TiO2). As result, we can affirm that ZnO is shown as a very effective 

photocatalyst for remediation of polluted water with pesticide residues of different chemical types. 

Biosketches: 

Jose Fenoll, Encarnación Ruiz, Pilar Flores, and Pilar Hellín are researchers of Department of 

Food Quality in the Institute of Agricultural and Food Research (Murcia, SE Spain). 

Phone: +34 968 366798 

Fax: +34 968 366792 

URL: www.imida.es 

Simón Navarro, Nuria Vela, and Ginés Navarro develop their work in the research group of 

Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry in the University of Murcia (Murcia, SE Spain). 

Phone: +34 968 367477 

Fax: +34 968 364148 

URL: www.um.es 

All they have a great experience in the study of pesticide behavior in environmental 

compartments. 

212


Effects of the Antimicrobial Triclocarban on Embryo Production 

in the New Zealand Mudsnail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) 

Ben D. Giudice (presenting author), Thomas M. Young 

The antimicrobial chemical Triclocarban (TCC) is found in nearly all wastewater treatment plant 

influents and is incompletely removed in most plants. While much ends up in the biosolids, some 

is also discharged in effluent. TCC was recently found to exhibit a novel form of endocrine 

disruption, amplifying the binding of natural hormonal ligands to their receptors in mammalian 

cells. The New Zealand Mudsnail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) has previously been used in a 

whole organism bioassay for estrogenic and androgenic endocrine disrupting effects in part 

because it contains vertebrate-like sex steroids. In this study, P. antipodarum was exposed to 

TCC at several concentrations. At 0, 2, and 4 weeks, 15 specimens from each jar were dissected 

and their embryos counted. Preliminary results had indicated that high but environmentally 

relevant TCC concentrations greatly increase new embryo production at the 4 week time point. 

Interactions between TCC and other endocrine disruptors in mixture were also explored. 

Previous research and preliminary results have indicated considerable bioaccumulation potential 

for TCC, even given its relatively high Kow. Measurements of body burden of TCC in the 

specimens were made concurrently. Because of P. antipodarum’s role in trophic transfer, 

bioaccumulation of TCC may represent an important pathway for the fate and transport of this 

persistent and ubiquitous compound. 

Bioketches: 

Ben D. Giudice 





bdgiudice@ucdavis.edu 

Office: (530) 752-9482; Fax: (530) 752-7872 

Ben Giudice is a PhD candidate in environmental engineering at the University of California 

Davis. He received his bachelor’s degree from Calvin College in 2005 and a master’s in 

environmental engineering from UC Davis in 2007. His interests include the fate, transport, and 

effects of man-made chemicals in natural waters. 

Thomas M. Young 





tyoung@ucdavis.edu 

Office: (530) 754-9399; Fax: (530) 752-7872 

Thomas Young is a Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the 

University of California, Davis. Professor Young teaches and conducts research related to 

environmental chemistry and remediation. Current research emphases include predicting the 

risks posed by pesticides and antimicrobial compounds in soils and surface waters. 

213


Detection of Antiviral Drug Amantadine in Wastewater and its 

Fate in Conventional Sewage Treatment Plants 

Gopal Chandra Ghosh (presenting author), Naoyuki Yamashita and Hiroaki Tanaka, Research 

Centre for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, 

1-2 Yumihama, Otsu city, Shiga, 520-0811, Japan; Email: gopal@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp 

Influenza viruses continue to cause an unacceptable number of deaths and substantial economic 

losses worldwide. The last pandemic of influenza was in 1968, but a new pandemic virus will 

certainly arise. Pandemic influenza is considered by many experts to be the most significant 

potential global public health emergency caused by a naturally occurring pathogen. In addition to 

vaccines, two classes of antiviral agents have been used to treat influenza—the M2 ion channel 

inhibitors and the neuraminidase inhibitors. World Health Organization recommended use of 

neuraminidase inhibitors, especially Tamiflu®, for highly pathogenic influenza virus like H5N1. 

But the production of neuraminidase inhibitors does not pace keep with its demand. So, many 

parts of the world still totally depend on the M2 inhibitors to fight against influenza viruses. The 

use of M2 inhibitor amantadine is very common which inhibit influenza A viruses. Amantadine (1- 

Adamantylamine) has been used for many years as an antiviral drug. Amantadine used in 

combinations with others for the treatment of influenza A. 

After administration, significant parts (>90%) of the original amantadine is excreted with urine and 

feces, finally ending into municipal sewage treatment plants (STPs). During seasonal influenza or 

pandemic influenza situation a large amount of amantadine are used, but their fate in the current 

treatment system is still hindered by the lack of information. The presence of this drug in the 

effluent could emerge amantadine resistant strain of influenza in the environment. In this study, 

we developed an analytical method based on solid phase extraction with liquid chromatography 

tandem mass spectrometry and then detected amantadine in influent and effluent of sewage 

treatment plants. Batch experiments were performed to elucidate the removal mechanism 

(sorption and biotransformation). 

Chromatographic separation of amantadine was achieved with a Waters Acquity Ultra 

Performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) separation module with a binary pump system 

equipped with BEH C18 column (100X2.1 mm , 1.7 μm particle size). Optimum separation was 

achieved with a binary gradient consisting of 0.01% formic acid (v/v) in water (solvent A) and 

methanol (solvent B) at a flow rate of 0.35 mL/min with column temperature at 60°C. ESI Positive 

mode was used and the parameters of the mass spectrometer were as follows: electrospray 

source block and desolvatation temperature: 120°C and 400°C respectively; capillary voltages: 

2.5 kV; cone and desolvatation gas flow 50 L/h and 900 L/h respectively. 

In this study, amantadine was detected in influent and effluent at sewage treatment plants in 

winter (influenza season) with a varied removal rate according to treatment technologies. In 

influent it was detected between 30 to 97 ng/L with 40 to 60 % removal in the secondary 

treatment stage of sewage treatment plants which comprised CAS, A2O and AO process. The 

results of this finding could be use for risk assessment and development of better treatment 

strategies for risk reduction. 

214



Gopal Chandra Ghosh 

Mailing address: 

Gopal Chandra Ghosh; 

Research Center for Environmental Quality Management; Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto 

University 

1-2, Yumihama, Otsu city, Shiga Prefecture, 520-0811, Japan 

E-mail: gopal@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp 

Telephone: +81-77-527-6223 FAX: +81-77-524-9869 

Naoyuki Yamashita 


Naoyuki Yamashita; 

Research Center for Environmental Quality Management; Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto 

University 


E-mail: yamashita@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp 

Telephone: +81-77-527-6223 FAX: +81-77-524-9869 

Hiroaki Tanaka 


Hiroaki Tanaka; Research Center for Environmental Quality Management; Graduate School of 

Engineering, Kyoto University 


E-mail: htanaka@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp 

Telephone: +81-77-527-6222 FAX: +81-77-524-9869 

215

Examination of Estrogen Removal Mechanisms in 

Wastewater Treatment 


Linda S. Gaulke (presenting author), Cameron Clark, and H. David Stensel; University of 

Washington, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 

Estrogen release into surface waters from municipal wastewater treatment facility effluents can 

disrupt the endocrine function of aquatic species. Laboratory studies have shown that endocrine 

disruption from estrogens results in feminization of male fish with increased production of 

vitellogenin, which is the protein responsible for egg production. The predicted no-effect 

concentration to fish for the synthetic form of estrogen, 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), has been 

reported as 0.35 ng/L in surface water. Estrone (E1) and 17-estradiol (E2) also contribute to 

endocrine disruptor activity. 

With municipal wastewater treatment facility effluents identified as a major source for estrogens to 

enter the environment, it is important to understand their removal mechanisms so that design and 

operating conditions that minimize their release may be applied. This presentation will present an 

assessment of estrogen removal mechanisms based on our laboratory experiments and literature 

data. Removal mechanisms addressed are sorption to waste solids, biodegradation by ammonia 

oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and heterotrophic bacteria, and abiotic transformation with nitrite. Our 

activated sludge modeling shows that sorption plays a minor role in estrogen removal in activated 

sludge treatment. In contrast to previous reports, our laboratory results show that the AOB do not 

degrade estrogen, but can provide nitrite to produce a nitrated estrogen compound by an abiotic 

reaction. A first order nitration model will be presented with rate constants for E1, E2, and EE2 

nitration as a function of estrogen and NO2-N concentration, temperature and pH. The potential 

role of abiotic nitration as a treatment mechanism is also investigated, including the fate and 

effect of nitro-EE2 versus EE2. 

Heterotrophic degradation accounts for the major portion of estrogen removal in activated sludge 

treatment. An assessment of estrogen removal performance as a function of temperature and 

solids retention time (SRT) found that these two parameters are not the main factors that account 

for the estrogen removal efficiency. The type and amount of growth substrate for the 

heterotrophic estrogen-degrading bacteria is important. A proposed cosubstrate model for 

heterotrophic degradation will be presented. We expect that current laboratory research will be 

able to test this model before the June 2009 conference. 

This abstract is being submitted for consideration for an oral presentation in the Wastewater 

Treatment and Water Reuse section of the Micropol & Ecohazard 2009 conference. 

216

Biographies: 

Linda S. Gaulke (presenting author) 


Linda is an EPA STAR Fellow, working on her PhD at the University of Washington with Dave 

Stensel. Her research is on the fate of estrogens in activated sludge, and estrogen nitration with 

ammonia oxidizing bacteria. Linda also has masters’ degrees in both soils science and 

environmental engineering from the University of Washington. 



Box 352700 

Seattle, WA 98195-2700 

Phone (206) 883-8571 

Email lsg@u.washington.edu 

Cameron Clark 

Cameron recently graduated from Montana Tech of The University of Montana with a bachelor’s 

degree in environmental engineering. He is working on his master’s in environmental engineering 

at the University of Washington with Dave Stensel. Cameron’s research is on the effect of solids 

retention time for estrogen degradation in activated sludge treatment systems. 



Box 352700 

Seattle, WA 98195-2700 

Phone (206) 947-5573 

Email clarkcd@washington.edu 

H. David Stensel 

David Stensel is a professor at the University of Washington in environmental engineering. His 

research interests are in biological treatment processes, including nutrient removal and trace 

contaminants. His research on trace contaminants is currently funded by the National Science 

Foundation and King County. 



Box 352700 

Seattle, WA 98195-2700 

Phone (206) 543-9358 

Email stensel@u.washington.edu 

217


Integrating Chemical and Toxicological Methods to 

Asseswastewater Treatment Plant Efficiency 

G. Hernandez-Raquet (presenting author) 1 , N. Delgenes 1 , M. Muller 1 , F. Ducray 2 , P. Balaguer 3 , 

J.P. Delgenes 1 and D. Patureau 1 ; 1 INRA, UR050, Laboratoire de Biotechnologie de 

l’Environnement, Narbonne, France; 2 CRE, Centre de Recherche sur l'Eau Veolia 

Environnement, Maisons Laffite, France; 3 INSERM, U824, Signalisation Hormonale, 

Environnement et Cancer, CRCM, Montpellier, France 

A broad range of organic chemicals collected in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) may enter 

the environment through their outputs. Consequently, there is a need of applying a global 

approach combining multipollutant analysis and toxicological assessment in order to: (i) better 

understand the fate of these compounds during wastewater treatment, (ii) rely the conventional 

removal performances (biological and chemical oxygen demand –BOD, COD- nitrogen, 

phosphor, suspended solids and micro-organisms) to micropollutants elimination and (iii) evaluate 

the performances of sewage treatment in terms of toxicological quality of the outputs. For this 

purpose, the fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), 

nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE), linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS), phthalates (PAE), dioxine, 

organohalogens (AOX), natural and synthetic estrogens (E) was studied in a full-scale advanced 

WWTP with a simultaneous assessment of estrogenic (ER), dioxin-like (AhR) and PXR nuclear 

receptors activities. 

The studied WWTP has a capacity of 120.000 people-equivalents, using an activated sludge 

process including anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic periods, with an hydraulic retention time (HRT) 

ranging from 3 to 5 d and a solid retention time (SRT) of 20 d, with total suspended solids (TSS), 

COD, BOD, NTK and P removals superior to 90%. Composite samples were collected in fall 2004 

and spring 2005. Sampling was carried out at 6 stages of the treatment from raw sewage to 

treated water and dehydrated sludge. The eight micropollutants families were analysed according 

to Trably et al. (2004), Muller et al. (2008), Patureau et al. (2007) and standardised methods (NF 

EN 1485, 1948) by extraction of either the total sample or the aqueous and solid fractions of the 

samples. The nuclear receptor activities were measured according to Balaguer et al. (1999), 

Pillon et al. (2005) and Lemaire et al. (2006). 

The measurements gave a good overview of the heterogeneous pollutants content of an 

advanced WWTP treating mainly urban WW. The highest concentration was observed for LAS 

and the smallest one for estrogens and dioxines. For LAS and NPE, between 50 and 70% 

respectively of the inload was associated to TSS. Neither PAH nor PCB were quantified in the 

liquid fraction of raw sewage. This pollutant pattern was in accordance with that observed in 

common European WWTP (Körner et al., 2000, Gonzales et al., 2004; Busetti et al., 2006). 

The concentrations of micropolluants in the treated water were under the Predicted Non Effect 

Concentration (PNEC) limits for aquatic compartment. The micropollutants concentrations in 

sewage sludge were also lower than those listed in the third draft of the EU Sludge Directive 

project for sludge spreading on agricultural soils. However residual estrogenic and toxic activities 

were measured in, respectively, liquid and solid samples in the spring samples. 

The activated sludge system removed efficiently LAS and E (>98%) and to a less extend PAE 

and NPE (40-80%). E and NPE elimination was correlated to the estrogenic activity removal. 

Biodegradation was the main mechanism of micropollutants removal, but adsorption into sewage 

sludge was also important to consider for DEHP and NPE. PAH, PCB and dioxine were also 

measured in the DS which may be correlated to the toxicity measurements. 

218


These results underlined the importance to quantify micropollutants in both aqueous and solid 

fraction to accurately assess mass balances and to determine the removal mechanisms. Using 

the chemical and biological approaches, relevant assessments of the WWTP performances and 

of the final output toxicity for both treated water and sludge have been established. 

Key words: adsorption, degradation, endocrine disrupter, human receptors, organic pollutants, 

toxicity. 


Guillermina Hernandez-Raquet. INRA, UR50 Laboratoire de Biotechnologie de l'Environnement, 

Avenue des Etangs, 11100, Narbonne, France. E-mail: hernandg@supagro.inra.fr Phone :(33)-4 

68 42 51 70 Fax: (33)-4 68 42 51 60 

Dr Hernandez-Raquet is research scientist at the National Institute of Agronomic Research in 

Narbonne, France. Her topic of research is the degradation of endocrine disrupting compounds. 

Her ongoing research projects include: “Fate of antibiotics and estrogenic compounds in different 

farm waste treatment facilities” project funded by the French National Agency for Research 

(ANR); “Fate of emerging contaminants from sewage treatment plants in a anthropised 

hydrosystem in the Mediterranean basin: impact on drinking water resource” and “Study of the 

relationship between microbial diversity and polycyclic hydrocarbon degradation” both projects 

funded by the National Institute of Universal Sciences (INSU-CNRS). Dr. Hernandez-Raquet 

recently co-authored a book concerning xenobiotic degradation by anaerobic processes. 

Aknowledgements: 

To ADEME for the financial support and to Veolia Eau and CRPE for the management of the 

project. 

219


Fate of Steroid Hormones and Estrogenic Activity in Agricultural 

Wastes Treatment Facilities 

Guillermina Hernandez-Raquet (presenting author), INRA, UR50 Laboratoire de Biotechnologie 

de l'Environnement, Narbonne, France; Combalbert Sarah 1 and Patrick Balaguer, INSERM U896 

- UM1 - Signalisation Hormonale, Environnement et Cancer, Montpellier, France; 

hernandg@supagro.inra.fr 

Natural and synthetic hormones are endocrine disruptors excreted in urine and faeces. These 

compounds display high estrogenic activities at concentrations of ng/L and may causes negative 

effects on living organisms. After human excretions, animal wastes are recognised as a main 

source of steroids hormones to the environment. In Europe, France is the fourth producer of pig’s 

meat, which corresponds to an annual production of about 300 megatons of slurry and manure. 

These wastes containing estrogens are generally disposed on agricultural soils. Hence, by 

manure spreading, hormones enter to the soil and, by leaching or run-off, they may contaminate 

ground and surface water. 

Recently, swine farms have installed biological treatment facilities to reduce the impact of nitrates 

from swine wastes. However, these treatment facilities, using aerobic or anaerobic processes, 

have not been assessed for their capacity to eliminate steroid hormones. Hence, the aim of this 

study was to determine the fate of steroid hormones in two different types of swine waste 

treatment facilities using respectively aerobic and anaerobic processes. The studied compounds 

were estrone (E1), alpha and beta estradiol (α-, β-E2), estriol (E3), ethinyl estradiol (EE2), 

testosterone (T) and progesterone (P) in both free and conjugated forms. Hormones 

concentrations were monitored by GC-MS during six months, at the different steps of the 

processes, in three different farms for each process. It allowed us to determine accurately the 

pollutant’s fluxes and degradation rates. Simultaneously, the estrogenic activity (Estradiol 

Equivalent, EEQ) was measured using MELN in-vitro bioassay. 

Firstly, the effect of sample conditioning (formaldehyde addition), volume and the impact of 

suspended organic matter (SOM) on hormones extractability were assessed. Our results showed 

lower extractability when samples were added with formaldehyde and frozen before SOM 

separation. In the optimised method, hormones were extracted from 30 mL of raw and stored 

manure, 50 mL of activated sludge and 150 mL of lagoon’s water. In these conditions, the 

recovery rates for all tested compounds were higher than 70%. 

In effluents form anaerobic systems, the concentration of steroid hormones was in the range of 

2200 ng/L to 8000 ng/L; corresponding to a estrogenic activity of about 350 ng/L of EEQ. This 

estrogenicity may be released to agricultural soils by manure spreading. The aerobic treatment 

(activated sludge) appeared to be an efficient method to reduce steroid concentration in manure, 

allowing 95 to 99% of hormones removal. After swine lagooning, a residual hormone 

concentration of 1 to 6 ng/L and a estrogenic activity of about 3 ng/L were measured. 

In conclusion, the effluents of swine manure treated in anaerobic systems may transfer to the 

soil, only for Brittany region, about 28 Kg of steroid hormones (E1, β- E2, E3, EE2 and T) and a 

potential estrogenic activity of 7 Kg of EEQ. In contrast, the quantity of hormones released by 

effluents from facilities using aerobic treatment were negligible. 

Key words: Endocrine disruptors, Hormones, Estrogenic activity, Swine wastes, Degradation, 

Aerobic, Anaerobic, Full scale study. 

220

Biosketches: 


Guillermina Hernandez-Raquet. INRA, UR50 Laboratoire de Biotechnologie de l'Environnement, 

Avenue des Etangs, 11100, Narbonne, France. E-mail: hernandg@supagro.inra.fr Phone :(33)-4 

68 42 51 70 Fax: (33)-4 68 42 51 60 

Dr Hernandez-Raquet is research scientist at the National Institute of Agronomic Research in 

Narbonne, France. Her topic of research is the degradation of endocrine disrupting compounds. 

Her ongoing research projects include: “Fate of antibiotics and estrogenic compounds in different 

farm waste treatment facilities” project funded by the French National Agency for Research 

(ANR); “Fate of emerging contaminants from sewage treatment plants in a anthropised 

hydrosystem in the Mediterranean basin: impact on drinking water resource” and “Study of the 

relationship between microbial diversity and polycyclic hydrocarbon degradation” both projects 

funded by the National Institute of Universal Sciences (INSU-CNRS). Dr. Hernandez-Raquet 

recently co-authored a book concerning xenobiotic degradation by methanisation process. 

Sarah Combalbert. INRA, UR50 Laboratoire de Biotechnologie de l'Environnement, Avenue des 

Etangs, 11100, Narbonne, France. combalbe@supagro.inra.fr Phone :(33)-4 68 42 51 51 Fax: 

(33)-4 68 42 51 60. 

She has a MS in Microbiology and Environment from the University of Pau and she is now PhD 

student at the National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA). Her work is focussed on the 

assessment of hormone degradation in waste treatment facilities combining chemical (GC-MS) 

and biological analysis. 

Patrick Balaguer. Plateforme CMT - Equipe SHEC "Signalisation Hormonale, Environnement et 

Cancer"IRCM - Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier, INSERM U896 - UM1 - 

CRLC Val d'Aurelle - Parc Euromédecine, F-34298 Montpellier Cedex 5, France, E-mail : 

p.balaguer@valdorel.fnclcc.fr ; Phone :(33)-4 67 61 24 09 Fax: (33)-4 67 61 37 87 

Dr. Balaguer is research scientist at the National Institute of Health and Medical Research 

(INSERM) in Montpellier, France. His topic of research include the study of nuclear receptors, 

endocrine disruptors and gene reporter technologies. He is the head of a research team in the 

group of Hormonal signalisation, Environment and Cancer. Dr. Balaguer has a wide experience 

developing and using bioluminescent cells to measure endocrine disrupting activities in complex 

environments. He has more than 60 international publications. 

221


Development of a Rapid Method for N-Nitrosamine Analysis and 

Its Application in Drinking Water Monitoring 

Hsu-Wen Hung 1 , Tsair-Fuh Lin 1&2 (presenting author), and Cary T. Chiou 1&2 ; 1 Sustainable 

Environment Research Center; 2 Department of Environmental Engineering; National Cheng Kung 

University; Tainan City 70101, Taiwan 

N-Nitrosamines, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in particular, are a group of emerging 

disinfection byproducts in drinking water. Since the guideline concentrations in drinking water are 

as low as 10 ng/L, an extraction prior to instrumental analysis is needed. Conventional extraction 

methods for N-nitrosamine analysis, including liquid–liquid or solid-phase extraction, usually need 

3-20 hours for measurement, require large volume of samples, and involve usage of solvent. In 

this study, a rapid method, based on solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) coupled with gas 

chromatography (GC) and chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (CI-MS/MS), was 

developed for the analysis of four commonly observed N-nitrosamines in drinking water systems. 

The method developed in this study is solvent-less, requires less than 5 mL of water sample, and 

only needs 1.5 hours for both extraction and quantification. The detection limit of this method for 

NDMA is only 3.2 ng/L, smaller than the suggested drinking water guidenline at 10 ng/L. For 

other N-nitrosamines, the detection limit is 3.5 ng/L for N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) and Nnitrosodi-n-propylamine 

(NDPA), and is about 15.2 ng/L for N-nitrosomorpholine (NMor). The 

method was also tested for its accuracy and recovery. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was 

less than 16% for all the four chemicals, and the recovery was between 96% and 119%, 

suggesting that this method is stable and reliable. The method was then successfully employed 

to monitor the drinking water samples in the four water treatment plants (WTPs) and one 

distribution system in Taiwan. As expected, no N-nitrosamines were found in the source water of 

the monitored WTPs. Although no other N-nitrosamines were observed, the finished water from 

the four WTPs was detected with NDMA, ranging from 5.9 to 13.3 ng/L. For the water samples 

from the distribution system, NDMA concentration was about 40% higher than that in the finished 

water of the corresponding WTP. This study shows that the novel SPME-GC-CI-MS/MS method 

developed may provide a simpler and faster alternative way for monitoring N-nitrosamines in 

drinking water systems. 

Biosketch: 

Tsair-Fuh Lin, e-mail: tflin@mail.ncku.edu.tw; phone: +886-6-236 4455; fax: +886-6-275 2790; - 

Advances in analytical methods 

Dr. Tsair-Fuh Lin and Dr. Cary Chiou are both professors at the Department of Environmental 

Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan. Dr. Hsu-Wen Hung is an assistant 

researcher in Sustainable Environment Research Center at National Cheng Kung University, 

Taiwan. 

222


Boundary Conditions for the Removal of Trace Organic 

Contaminants During Riverbank Filtration and Soil-Aquifer 

Treatment Systems 

Christiane Hoppe (presenting author), Eric Dickenson, and Jörg E. Drewes 

The interest in riverbank filtration (RBF) and soil-aquifer treatment (SAT) as natural pretreatment 

processes for public water supplies is increasing in the United States. Recent research revealed 

that RBF and SAT can effectively attenuate organic micropollutants of concern, which might be 

present in impaired source water, although a fundamental understanding of the removal 

mechanisms for organic micropollutants, such as pharmaceutical residuals, endocrine disruptors, 

and N-nitrosamines, in managed aquifer recharge systems is still missing. 

The purpose of this study was to monitor full-scale RBF and SAT installations regarding their 

removal efficiencies for organic micropollutants, investigate the key mechanisms responsible for 

removal, and to identify the critical boundary conditions for biotransformation. Several emerging 

micropollutants were selected for this study, ranging from pharmaceutically active compounds, 

personal care products to chlorinated flame retardants. Removal of these compounds was 

investigated using controlled soil-column experiments simulating saturated anoxic, unsaturated 

oxic and abiotic flow conditions. These systems allowed delineating whether attenuation was 

based upon biotransformation or adsorption. In addition to redox conditions, presence and 

absence of biodegradable organic carbon was tested as a possible important boundary condition 

for the attenuation of organic micropollutants. During column experiments, faster degradation was 

observed for most of the micropollutants under low biodegradable dissolved organic carbon 

(BDOC) conditions as compared to BDOC rich environments. The experiments provided a basis 

to derive biotransformation rate constants for a variety of organic micropollutants of concern. 

Laboratory results were verified through monitoring campaigns at a demonstration-scale RBF and 

full-scale SAT facilities in Colorado, Arizona and California. Study findings support that managed 

aquifer recharge systems can provide a reliable barrier for a majority of organic 

microcontaminants. 

Biosketches: 

Christiane Hoppe is a Ph.D candidate with the Colorado School of Mines. She received her 

master’s degree in food chemistry from the Technical University Berlin. 


Engineering Division at the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. Dickenson received a 

B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of California at Davis and his M.S. and Ph.D. 

in Environmental Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. 

Jörg Drewes is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering at the 

Colorado School of Mines and Director of the Advanced Water Technology Center (AQWATEC). 

223


Survey of Perfluorinated Alkylated Compounds in Swiss Ground 

Waters – First Results and Comparison to Related Atudies 

(Dr.) Eduard Hoehn 1) 

, Ronald Kozel 2) 

, Miriam Reinhardt 2) 

, Otmar Zoller 3) 

, Heinz Rupp 3) ; 

1) 

presenting author; Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute for Water Science & Technology, CH-8600 

Dübendorf, Switzerland, phone: +41 44 823 5525; hoehn@eawag.ch; 2) FOEN, Swiss Federal 

Office for the Environment, CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland; 3) FOPH, Swiss Federal Office of Public 

Health, CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland 

In the framework of the Swiss Groundwater Monitoring Network (NAQUA), 11 individual 

perfluorinated alkylated compounds (PFCs) were analyzed in 2007 and 2008. The main goal of 

the investigations was to have a baseline data set about the contamination of Swiss ground 

waters with PFCs. For this project, 40 monitoring stations of the NAQUA network were chosen, 

which consist of drinking-water wells, observation wells, and springs, in alpine and perialpine 

regions. They cover in their watersheds a representative distribution of Swiss aquifers and land 

uses. The most important aquifers are shallow valley-fill alluvial floodplain deposits and karstified 

Jurassic limestones. The most important land-uses are forested, agricultural, industrial and 

residential areas. Industrial and residential areas are mostly found in floodplains, which are filled 

with permeable alluvial material. A majority of the total PFC concentrations are in the very low 

ng/L domain or below detection limit (mostly 1 ng/L). Among the individual compounds analyzed, 

the highest PFC concentrations were found for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS; up to 114 ng/L). 

Six monitoring stations revealed PFOS values above 10 ng/L. The samples with high PFOS or 

total PFC concentrations were all taken from ground waters of well-permeable coarse-grained 

floodplain aquifers in partly industrial or residential watersheds. These aquifers are recharged 

significantly by downwelling rivers, which receive water from outlets of waste water treatment 

plants. The wells are located near losing reaches of these rivers and are influenced by 

contaminated downwelling river water. The PFC concentrations are compared with those of a 

previous investigation in a creek and in ground water of a residential watershed in the semi-arid 

climate of San Jose, CA (Plumlee et al., 2008; Hoehn et al., 2008). In this latter watershed, which 

contains residential areas and fallow land, the total PFC concentrations in ground water and open 

channels were up to 214 ng/L, which is the same order of magnitude as in the survey of the 

NAQUA network. The results of the NAQUA survey corroborate the investigations in one of the 

survey’s watersheds, Glatt valley (Huset et al., 2008). All studied ground waters are oxic, of an 

ionic strength of 0.01-0.02 and an alkalinity of 4-5 meq/L. The NAQUA survey thus gives further 

evidence of the high mobility of the studied PFCs in fresh waters. From their extensive use in 

household items, high PFC concentrations in aquatic systems can be correlated with losing rivers 

contaminated with waste waters from residential and industrial areas in watersheds. 

References 

Hoehn, E., M. Plumlee, and M. Reinhard, 2008, Natural attenuation potential of downwelling 

streams for perfluorochemicals and other emerging contaminants, Water Sci. Technol. 56(11), 

59-64. Huset, C.A., A.C. Chiaia, D.F. Barofsky, N. Jonkers, H.-P. Kohler, Ch. Ort, W. Giger, and 

J.A. Field, 2008, Occurrence and mass flows of fluorochemicals in the Glatt Valley watershed, 

Switzerland, Environ. Sci. Technol. 42(17), 6369-6377. 

Plumlee, M.H., J. Larabee, & M. Reinhard, 2008, Perfluorochemicals in water reuse, 

Chemosphere 72(10), 1541-1547. 

224

Biography: 


Dr. Eduard Hoehn holds a PhD in Natural Science from the Swiss Federal Institute of 

Technology (ETH), where he is a lecturer in chemical hydrogeology. He is a senior contaminant 

hydrogeologist and project manager in the Department of Water Resources and Drinking Water 

at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). In his research, he 

uses water chemical analyses to study and quantify biogeochemical transport processes in 

groundwater and to analyse its response to anthropogenic and environmental change. He also 

employs radionuclides of the natural decay series as groundwater tracers. His method of tracing 

the ingrowth of radon in shallow aquifers recharged by downwelling rivers is widely used. The 

practical outcome of his research is the protection of bank-filtration drinking-water wells and 

managed aquifer recharge. 

Dr. Ronald Kozel, Ph.D., is a hydrogeologist. He is head of the Hydrogeology Section at the 

Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). phone: +41 (31) 324-7764; fax: +41 (31) 324- 

7764; e-mail: ronald.kozel@bafu.admin.ch 

Dr. Miriam Reinhardt, PhD, is a geoecologist at the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment 

(FOEN) phone +41 (0)31 324 56 34; Fax +41 (0)31 324 76 81; e-mail: 

miriam.reinhardt@bafu.admin.ch 

Otmar Zoller and Heinz Rupp ar both chemists at the Swiss Federal Office of Public 

Health (FOPH). 

225


Can Pesticides Detected in California Groundwater be Predicted 

by Use Data and Physical-Chemical Properties? 

Dr. Michelle Hladik, U.S. Geological Survey, Research Chemist, 6000 J. Street, Placer Hall, 

Sacramento, CA 95819, 916-287-3183, mhladik@usgs.gov 

Dr. Kenneth Belitz, U.S. Geological Survey 

Pesticides have been detected in California groundwater used for public supply as part of the 

California Water Board’s Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) program. 

The USGS is the technical lead to implement the statewide Priority Basin Project. The USGS 

divided California into 35 study units that are primarily composed of 116 priority groundwater 

basins containing 75 percent of the state’s public-supply wells. From May 2004 through April 

2008, about 1,600 wells in 23 study units have been sampled. Target pesticides were quantified 

at concentrations well below water-quality thresholds; 49 pesticides have been detected with a 

minimum of three pesticides detected in each study unit. Concentrations ranged from 0.001 to 2 

μg/L; median concentrations were less than 0.1 μg/L for each pesticide detected. No individual 

detections exceeded threshold levels. 

To determine if the pesticides detected in groundwater could have been predicted, usage data 

and physical-chemical properties were analyzed. California has a pesticide-use database that 

gives comprehensive information about applications since 1991. Data for each active ingredient 

were compiled, and compounds with an average use under 10,000 kg per year were removed; 

this narrowed the “synthetic organic” compounds from over 700 to about 100 active ingredients. 

The remaining compounds were evaluated on their physical-chemical properties using the 

groundwater ubiquity score (GUS), which is based on the soil half-life and organic carbon binding 

coefficient of each compound. A high GUS value implies that a compound is resistant to 

degradation and does not sorb strongly in soil, and therefore may be likely to leach into 

groundwater. Of the 37 active ingredients with high use and GUS values, 31 were analyzed and 

21 were detected at least once. 

Of the 49 pesticides detected (33 herbicides, 13 insecticides and three fungicides), the pesticide 

use and GUS data predicted 21 of the detections (43%). For the other 27 pesticides detected, 

GUS alone predicted 15 of the detections (31%); these compounds most likely had a high 

“historical use” (pre-1991). Eleven of the other compounds (22%) detected had low GUS values 

but have high use (greater than 45,000 kg/year). The other two compounds that were detected 

were used historically but not predicted by current-use or their GUS value. 

Twelve pesticides had more than ten total detections (nine herbicides and one fungicide); half of 

these pesticides were predicted by high use and high GUS values and the other half were 

predicted on GUS values alone. The greatest detection frequency was 24%. Some of the 

pesticides were ubiquitous across all study units, while other detections were localized to a 

certain study unit or region. The age of the water for 89% of wells with detections could be 

classified as modern (less than 50 years old). Most wells (95%) with pesticides detections were 

less than 300-m deep, and the top of the well perforation was less than 150 m. 

Analysis of use data and physical chemical properties accounted for about half of the pesticides 

detected. Limitations exist for the use data, and it cannot predict all pesticides detected, 

especially those with high uses prior to 1991. Additionally the GUS value does not take into 

account the mode of application or the hydrolysis rates. Overall, GUS and pesticide use give a 

good first approximation of compounds that can affect groundwater quality and can be used to 

prioritize compounds that should be monitored in the future. 

226

Biography: 


Michelle Hladik has been a research chemist with the USGS since 2005. She has a B.A. in 

Chemistry from Vassar College (1999) and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Johns 

Hopkins University (2005). Her Ph.D. research focused on the detection of herbicide degradates 

in drinking water sources and their transformation upon drinking water treatment. Her current 

research includes determining the occurrence and fate of current-use pesticide and their 

degradates in aqueous systems, including pesticide partitioning between water and sediment 

(especially suspended sediments). Main groups of pesticides studied include the pyrethroid 

insecticides and fungicides. 

227


Removal of Selected Xenobiotic Organic Compounds During 

Biological Grey Water Treatment, Ozonation and Adsorption 

with Activated Carbon 

Hernandez Leal L. 1,2 , Vieno N. 2 , Temmink H. 1,2 , Zeeman G. 1 , Buisman C. 1,2 ; 1 Wageningen 

University, Department of Agrotechnology and Food Sciences, Subdepartment of Environmental 

technology, P.O. Box 8129, 6700 EV Wageningen, the Netherlands; 2 TTIWetsus, centre of 

excellence for sustainable water technology, P.O. Box 1113 8900 CC Leeuwarden, the 

Netherlands 

The concept of Decentralized Sanitation and Reuse (DeSaR) provides opportunities to separate 

domestic wastewater streams at source, based on their degree of pollution, therefore increasing 

possibilities for reuse. Grey water is the effluent from washing activities in the household (kitchen 

sinks, laundry, hand basins, showers and baths). Due to its substantial amount (up to 75% of 

domestic wastewater) and lower concentration of pollutants than combined wastewater, treated 

grey water has a high potential for reuse in applications such as irrigation, toilet flushing and 

infiltration. However, little is known about the fate of xenobiotic organic compounds (XOCs) in 

grey water systems. Though low in concentration (in the range of g/L), these XOCs may have a 

negative effect on plants, animals, humans and the environment if they persist in recycled water. 

Therefore, the removal of these substances in grey water treatment systems is being researched 

in the present study. 

The selection of priority XOCs in grey water was based on their resistance to biodegradation, 

tendency for accumulation (based on Kow values) and potential biological effects (toxicity, 

estrogenicity, carcinogenicity, etc.) of these substances in the environment. The selected 

compounds represent the different types of personal care and household product’s ingredients 

such as fragrances (galaxolide, tonalide and hexyl cinnamic aldehyde), UV filters (4methylbenzylidene-camphor, 

octocrylene, benzophenone-3, 2-phenyl-5-benzimidazolesulfonic 

acid (PBSA), avobenzone, 2-ethylhexyl salicylate and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate), a biocide 

(triclosan), preservatives (parabens), plasticizers (bisphenol A and two derivatives of it) and 

surfactants (nonylphenol and benzalkonium chloride). The selected compounds range from 

readily biodegradable e.g. triclosan (Yu, Bouwer, and Coelhan, 2006) to poorly biodegradable e.g. 

tonalide and galaxolide (Kupper et al., 2006). In addition, many of the selected compounds have 

raised concerns for their possible toxic and estrogenic effects on aquatic organisms (e.g. 

fragrances and UV filters) (Kunz and Fent, 2006; Schreurs et al., 2004). 

The grey water used for this study is from a DeSaR demonstration project in the city of Sneek, 

the Netherlands and it was treated with 3 different biological systems, all operated at a total 

hydraulic retention time of 12 hours (Hernandez Leal et al., 2008).The treatment systems 

consisted of 1) an aerobic reactor (SBR), 2) an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor, 

or 3) a sequence of the afore mentioned systems. Furthermore, ozonation and adsorption tests 

were conducted in double distilled de-ionized water water to assess the potential of these 

techniques for the removal of these compounds. Analytical determination of the XOCs was 

conducted with two different techniques: GC-MS with stir bar sorptive extraction and LC tandem 

MS with direct injection and in-line SPE. 

Results show that most of the selected compounds are present in grey water in the range of 

several g/L; lower concentrations were generally measured after the biological treatment. Under 

aerobic conditions the removal of these compounds showed to be significantly higher (70-100% 

removal) than under anaerobic conditions (0-90% removal). Especially, bisphenol A, triclosan, 

nonylphenol, octocrylene and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate seemed to be recalcitrant to 

anaerobic treatment. Results from ozonation experiments, where ozone was applied in excess, 

indicate that most compounds are oxidized (97-99% removal), tonalide, octocrylene, 

228


benzalkonium chloride and PBSA were more recalcitrant to this treatment. All selected 

compounds were rapidly removed via adsorption onto activated carbon. Research carried out at 

the moment will provide more information in the occurrence and removal of these compounds. 

This is necessary in order to assess the risks for discharge and reuse of grey water. 

Hernandez Leal, L., Temmink H., Zeeman G., Marques A., and C., B. (2008). International IWA 

Conference Sanitation Challenge. 

Kunz, P. Y., and Fent, K. (2006). Multiple hormonal activities of UV filters and comparison of in 

vivo and in vitro estrogenic activity of ethyl-4-aminobenzoate in fish. Aquatic Toxicology 

79(4), 305-324. 

Kupper, T., Plagellat, C., Braendli, R. C., de Alencastro, L. F., Grandjean, D., and Tarradellas, J. 

(2006). Fate and removal of polycyclic musks, UV filters and biocides during wastewater 

treatment. Water Research 40(14), 2603-2612. 

Schreurs, R., Legler, J., Artola-Garicano, E., Sinnige, T. L., Lanser, P. H., Seinen, W., and van 

der Burg, B. (2004). In vitro and in vivo antiestrogenic effects of polycyclic musks in 

zebrafish. Environmental Science & Technology 38(4), 997-1002. 

Yu, J. T., Bouwer, E. J., and Coelhan, M. (2006). Occurrence and biodegradability studies of 

selected pharmaceuticals and personal care products in sewage effluent. Agricultural 

Water Management 86(1-2), 72-80. 

Biosketch: 

Lucia Hernandez Leal studied Chemical Engineering at Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico (1999). 

She completed her Master of Science in Environmental Engineering at the Hamburg Institute of 

Technology and the Professional Master on Technology Management at the Northern Institute of 

Technology, Hamburg (2004). She is currently doing her PhD research at the University of 

Wageningen and Wetsus, centre of excellence for sustainable water technology in the 

Netherlands. 

229


Fluorescence Analysis as a Surrogate Measure for Organics 

Removal in Reclamation Treatment Processes 

R. K. Henderson 1 , S. Singh 1 , A. Baker 1,2 , R. Stuetz 1 and S. Khan (presenting author) 1 ; 1 UNSW 

Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South 

Wales, Sydney, Australia; 2 School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University 

of Birmingham, UK. 

Municipal wastewater is frequently treated to stringent standards to produce high quality water for 

use in applications with variable degrees of human contact including irrigation, toilet flushing and 

indirect potable reuse systems. Advanced treatment processes, including ultrafiltration, reverse 

osmosis (RO), advanced oxidation and superchlorination among others, are therefore utilised to 

provide barriers to pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and trace organics including pharmaceuticals, 

personal care products and steroidal hormones. Ensuring optimum removal of such organic 

pollutants is of paramount importance for the successful implementation of reuse and reclamation 

schemes; however, individual constituent concentrations can only be investigated using highly 

sensitive, expensive, off-line instruments, such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and 

available on-line measurement techniques, such as total organic carbon (TOC), give no indication 

of the character of the residual organics. Consequently, more informative, sensitive, rapid 

methods are required for assessing the water quality to monitor and assess process 

performance. 

Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectroscopy shows promise as a highly 

sensitive and selective tool for advanced treated wastewater monitoring. This technique 

measures the fluorescence intensity of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (DOM) for a range of 

user-determined excitation and emission wavelength pairs, producing a fluorescence “contour 

map” or EEM of the sample mixture. The location of the fluorescence on this EEM indicates the 

chemical character and therefore treatability of the DOM by various treatment processes. The 

intensity of emission peaks indicates the concentrations of various components. 

This research involves the investigation of the fluorescence EEM signature of wastewater treated 

by a variety of advanced processes, including ultrafiltration, RO and superchlorination, located at 

a number of advanced wastewater treatment plants in Australia. The two key fluorescence 

regions identified were those commonly attributed to “humic-like” fluorescence at approximately 

ex/em λ350nm/λ410nm and “tryptophan-like” fluorescence at approximately ex/em λ275nm/λ350nm. The 

treatment processes impacted on the fluorescence by either decreasing the fluorescence 

intensity in one, or both, of these regions or by altering the excitation-emission wavelength pair at 

which the fluorescence peak maxima occurred. It was demonstrated that different advanced 

treatment processes have distinct impacts on fluorescence signatures of wastewaters enabling 

process performance assessment. For example, the fluorescence EEMs of RO-treated reclaimed 

waters comprised a weak, consistent tryptophan-like fluorescence signal, but humic-like 

fluorescence was generally not observed, indicating that the chemicals responsible for this signal 

were well removed. The fluorescence signals were correlated with various water quality 

parameters including DOC, conductivity and, where possible, pathogens and trace organics. 

While FEEM spectroscopy does not enable individual trace organic monitoring, as a surrogate for 

pathogens and trace organics removal, it gave greater insight into process performance when 

compared with more traditional techniques such as TOC and conductivity. 

230

Biographies: 


Dr. Rita Henderson is a Research Associate at the UNSW Water Research Centre. Her research 

interests focus on water treatment processes, with a particular focus on organic matter 

characterisation and treatment. 

UNSW Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of 

New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Tel: +61 (0)2 9385 5227; Fax: +61 (0)2 9313 8624; Email: 

r.henderson@unsw.edu.au 

Sachin Singh is currently pursuing his PhD at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering 

in the University of New South Wales. He has a MSc in Chemistry and a BSc in Chemistry and 

Biology from the University of the South Pacific. 

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 

Australia. Tel: +61 (0)2 9385 5778; Fax: +61 (0)2 9313 8624; Email: 

sachin.singh@student.unsw.edu.au 

Andy Baker is a Professor of Water Science at the University of Birmingham. His research 

interests focus on water quality, and in particular the characterisation of organic matter in natural 

and engineered systems. 

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Birmingham, 

Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT. Tel: +44 121 415 8133; Fax: +44 121 414 5528; Email: 

a.baker.2@bham.ac.uk; http://www.gees.bham.ac.uk/staff/bakera.shtml 

Assoc Prof Stuetz is co-director of the UNSW Water Research Centre and has research interests 

in water and wastewater treatment and environmental biotechnology. 

UNSW Water Research Centre, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, The University of 

New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia. Tel: +61 (0)2 9385 5944; Email: 

r.stuetz@unsw.edu.au 

Dr Stuart Khan is a Research Fellow at the UNSW Water Research Centre, University of New 

South Wales. There, he leads the research program on trace organic chemical contaminants in 

water. Current research focuses include the fate, removal and risk significance of trace organics 

in recycled municipal wastewaters. 

UNSW Water Research Centre, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, The University of 

New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia. Tel: +61 (0)2 9385 5082; Fax: +61 (0)2 9313 

8624; Email: s.khan@unsw.edu.au 

231


Enantiomeric Fraction Analysis of Pharmaceuticals in 

Wastewater and Environmental Samples 

N. H. Hashim and S. J. Khan, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New 

South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia, Telephone: +61 2 93855082, Fax: +61 2 93138624, Email: 

nor.hashim@student.unsw.edu.au; s.khan@unsw.edu.au 

Enantiomeric fraction analysis of chiral pharmaceuticals has recently been proposed as a 

potential indicator of biological transformations of environmental pollutants. In this study, the 

enantiomeric compositions of three commonly used non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs 

(NSAIDs) were investigated in a variety of samples. These NSAIDs were ibuprofen, ketoprofen 

and naproxen. 

Enantiomeric separation of the NSAIDs was achived by derivatisation to diastereomers, which 

were then resolved on an achiral gas chromatography (GC) stationary phase. Quantitative 

detection was undertaken by electron impact mass spectrometry (MS). 

Amongst several previously developed indirect enantiomeric separation methods, amidation of 

the selected NSAIDs using (R)-(+)-1-phenylethylamines was selected for the diastereomeric 

derivatisation. This two-step derivatisation process requires the inclusion of two catalysts, 

triethylamine (TEA) and ethylchloroformate (ECF). Method refinements were undertaken to 

optimize the ECF/TEA ratio to minimize interfering byproduct formation. 

Optimum selection of reagents used, derivatization time and GC conditions were employed to 

determine the enantiomeric compositions, reported as enantiomeric fractions (EF) of the NSAIDs 

in a variety of wastewater and environmental samples. 

The occurrence and nature of EF changes during biological wastewater treatment processes 

were confirmed using a laboratory-scale membrane bioreactor and a laboratory-scale activated 

sludge reactor, both operated on synthetic wastewater feed formulations. Racemic mixtures of 

the NSAIDs, sourced from pharmaceutical formulations, were included in the feeds to both 

bioreactors. Effluent enantiomer concentrations and EFs were then compared to feed enantiomer 

concentrations and EFs to determine the degree of differential biotransformation and/or 

enantiomeric inversion. 

This research is ongoing, but current results indicate a strong potential for the interpretation of 

these chiral signatures for enhanced environmental monitoring. 

Biosketch: 

Hashim, Nor Haslina has graduated with a M.Eng. degree in Environmental Engineering and a 

B.Sc degree in Chemistry from Malaysia. At present, she is a first year Ph.D candidate at the 

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the University of New South Wales, Australia. 

Her current focus of research is in the chiral pharmaceutical compounds found in the environment 

samples. 

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 

University of New South Wales, 

NSW 2052, Australia. 

Telephone: +61 2 93855082 

Fax: +61 2 93138624 

Email: nor.hashim@student.unsw.edu.au 

232


Natural Degradation of PPCPs in Yodo River System 

Seiya Hanamoto 1, Hiroki Sugishita 1, Naoyuki Yamashita 1, Hiroaki Tanaka 1, Isao Howa 2 and 

Chie Konishi 2; 1-Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Kyoto University, 

Japan (1-2) Yumihama, Otsu-shi, Shiga, 520-0811 Japan); 2-Murata Keishokuki Service CO., 

Ltd., Japan 

PPCPs are emerging contaminants to pose potential adverse effects on ecosystem. Many studies 

focus on their occurrence and their reduction methodology, but the studies on their fate in the 

water environment are still limited. Particularly comparison study between the field survey and the 

degradation experiment in the laboratory is limited. Therefore, degradation of PPCPs in the water 

environment was evaluated in this paper. 

Field surveys in the Yodo River System that supplies drinking water for more than 16 million and 

receives wastewater from more than 4 million in Japan were conducted four times in spring, 

summer and fall. In the surveys 107 PPCP were monitored, 70 were found from discharge from 

municipal wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs) and/or river waters. Based on the data in 

November, degradation rates of 26 PPCPs were estimated assuming that their degradation rates 

follow first-order kinetics. The average reaction constants of individual PPCPs were calculated 

from their mass load entering into the river system including discharge from 8 WWTPs, 12 

tributaries, and 3 head waters of main streams and a downstream point on the main stream. The 

traveling times in the flow from each upstream point to the downstream point was estimated one 

hour to 22 hours. 

Incubation experiments were also conducted to estimate their degradation rates in water column. 

3000ml of MilliQ water, river water that was collected at a representative point on the main stream 

were spiked with 3μg of 26 PPCPs mixture standards. Each test water was stirred in a glass 

reactor that was kept dark to avoid photodegradation and at 15°C that is coincident with the 

average river water temperature in the survey. 100ml of the sample was taken from the reactor at 

0 hr, 0.5hr, 1hr, 3hr, 6hr, 12hr, 24hr, 48 h and analyzed. MilliQ water served as a blank. On the 

assumption that the degradation is a first-order reaction, the reaction constants were calculated. 

The reaction constants calculated by the result of the survey and the incubation experiments 

were greatly different for ketoprofen, azithromycin, diclofenac, furosemide, 2quinoxalinecarboxylic 

acid and levofloxacin, suggesting the other mechanisms of decrease in the 

concentrations such as photodegradation or adsorption to the sediments. 

233

Biosketches: 


Seiya Hanamoto (poster presenter) 

Seiya Hanamoto is a master course student in the Department of Urban and Environmental 

Engineering at Kyoto University, Japan. 

Email:hanamoto@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp 

Telephone:+81-77-527-6223 FAX:+81-77-524-9869 

Hiroki sugishita 

Seiya Hanamoto is a master course student in the Department of Urban and Environmental 

Engineering at Kyoto University, Japan. 

Email:sugishita@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp 

Telephone:+81-77-527-6223 FAX:+81-77-524-9869 

Naoyuki Yamashita 

Naoyuki Yamashita, P.hD., is a lecturer at Research Center for Environmental Quality 

Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Japan. Dr.Yamashita obtained 

his doctoral degree in environmental engineering from Kyoto University. 

Email:yamashita@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp 

Telephone:+81-77-527-6223 FAX:+81-77-524-9869 

Hiroaki Tanaka 

Hiroaki Tanaka, P.hD.P.E. is a Professor at Research Center for Environmental Quality 

Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Japan. 

Email:htanaka@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp 

Telephone:+81-77-527-6222 FAX:+81-77-524-9869 

Isao Houwa 

Isao Houwa is an employee of Murata Keisokuki Service CO., Ltd.,Japan 

Email: houwa@murata-s.co.jp 

Chie Konishi 

Isao Houwa is an employee of Murata Keisokuki Service CO., Ltd.,Japan 

Email: konishi@murata-s.co.jp 

234


Environmental Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Distribution in 

Urban Streams Affected by Combined Sewer Overflows 

Petra Hnaťuková, Libuše Benešová, Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, 

Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic 

Introduction 

The environmental impacts of urban drainage are gaining increased attention internationally. In 

Europe the adoption of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC require not only monitoring of 

water and sediment quality, but it has also emphasised the need for adressing potential problems 

arising from discharge of urban drainage. 

The environment of urban streams is a dynamic system, which present rapid changes of physical 

and chemical conditions mainly due to urban drainage. Urban streams also receive the discharge 

of overflows from the combined sewer system (CSOs) influenced by industry, which affect the 

mobility. 

Methods 

The concentrations of six heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn), chemical fractionation of these 

heavy metals and other physical and chemical parameters were determined in water and 

sediments of three urban streams in Prague (Czech Republic) in oder to assess the impact of 

CSOs. Water and sediment samples were collected at six sampling profiles of each stream. 

Sediment samples were freeze dried, dry sieved. The fraction of grain size Zn> Ni> Cu> Pb> Cr. 

Conclusion 

Combined sewer system significantly deteriorates water and sediment quality in urban streams 

studied. Changes in distribution of Cu and Zn to easily available fractions caused by urban 

drainage were observed. These environmentally dangerous metal fractions are supposed to 

resolve in case of changes of physical and chemical conditions in the stream. 

235

Biosketches: 


Dr. Petra Hnaťuková (presenting author) 

Lecturer at Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, 

Czech Republic, since 2007. Subject of research: Aquatics Sediments, Urban Streams, Behavior 

of Metals and Organic Pollutants in Water Systems, Municipal Wastes. PhD Study on Distribution 

of Heavy Metals in Sediments of Urban Streams. 

e-mail: hnatukova@post.cz 

phone: +420 777216611 

fax: +420 224914803 

Dr. Libuše Benešová 

Senior Lecturer at Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Charles University in 

Prague, Czech Republic, since 1986. Academic teaching subjects: Water Protection, 

Environmental Technologies, Hydrochemistry, Wastes. Subject of research: Drinking Water 

Treatment Technology, Water Quality. 

e-mail: lbenes@natur.cuni.cz 

phone: +420 221951909 

fax: +420 224914803 

236


A Biodegradation Test System to Investigate Microbialy- 

Mediated Transformations of Xenobiotics Under 

Environmentally Relevant Conditions 

Damian Helbling, Kathrin Fenner, Juliane Hollender (presenting author), Hans-Peter Kohler; 

Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland (Eawag) 

Several recent reports confirm that transformation products (TPs) of many xenobiotic compounds 

released to the environment are being found at higher concentrations than their parent compound 

(PC) in both ground and surface waters. While several physical, chemical, or biological 

mechanisms may contribute to the formation of these TPs, it is believed that microbialy-mediated 

transformations are the most influential. Therefore, to completely assess the risk of xenobiotics 

released to the environment, tools are needed to predict biodegradation pathways and the 

persistence of stable microbial TPs in addition to the persistence of their PCs. Tools currently 

available to predict TPs (e.g., CATABOL, UM-PPS) use as their foundation a database of 

microbialy-mediated metabolic pathways and enzyme-catalyzed reactions built through an 

aggregation of peer-reviewed literature. However, the literature reported pathways and reactions 

are most frequently derived under conditions that are not representative of the environment, but 

rather in experimental test systems employing pure cultures and dosed with relatively high 

compound concentrations. In this type of experimental system, the pure culture species will use 

the dosed compound as a growth substrate and energy source and thus preferentially selects for 

the most thermodynamically favorable transformations. In ground and surface water systems, 

xenobiotics and their TPs accumulate through runoff or sewer systems and are exposed to a 

diverse microbial biota. Under these true environmental conditions, microbialy-mediated 

transformations are likely under kinetic control through co-metabolic processes and stable TPs 

may differ from those generated under thermodynamic control. The objective of this work was to 

develop a robust biodegradation test system that generates TPs of xenobiotics via co-metabolism 

under environmentally relevant conditions to validate the predictions made by existing 

biodegradation pathway prediction tools. 

The biodegradation test system consisted of low volume batch reactors seeded with diluted 

activated sludge and spiked with xenobiotic compounds at concentrations in the range of parts 

per billion. Activated sludge was chosen as the microbial inoculum as wastewater treatment 

plants are the major biodegradation compartment for pharmaceuticals, personal care products, 

and other industrial chemicals released to the environment. Biodegradable organic carbon 

concentrations in the test system were 3-4 orders of magnitude greater than the spiked 

compound concentrations to ensure co-metabolic transformations. Abiotic and blank controls 

were established to ensure that observed losses of the PCs and formation of the TPs were 

microbialy-mediated (and not attributable to sorption or other physical or chemical transformation 

processes). Activated sludge was collected from multiple sources throughout a 12-month period 

to test for sludge variability effects. Degradation of PCs and identification of microbial metabolites 

were measured and identified using liquid chromatography coupled to a high-resolution mass 

spectrometer. Sequential samples were withdrawn from the batch reactors over a 21-day period 

and kinetic rates of PC degradation and TP formation were determined by fitting the experimental 

data to appropriate kinetic models. Data was compared across the varying experimental 

conditions to test for system robustness and to predictions generated by the UM-PPS to test for 

incidences of false positives and negatives. 

Results show that degradation rates are dependent on the concentration of activated sludge 

inoculum and the concentration of the compounds studied. However, sludges collected at 

varying times and locations generated similar rates of PC degradation and TP formation. The 

measured TPs were consistently identical for a given PC, regardless of the specific experimental 

conditions indicating that specific pathways are of importance in the transformation of xenobiotics 

237


under environmental conditions. For a given PC, the UM-PPS predicts many likely microbialymediated 

TPs. The TPs generated by the test system were always products that were predicted 

by the UM-PPS, but only a small subset of the overall number of products predicted. Therefore, 

future work in this project is aimed at developing experiments that will lead to the formulation of 

new transformation rule priorities developed to constrain the UM-PPS and reduce the incidents of 

irrelevant TP prediction. 

Biosketches: 

Damian E. Helbling, P.E., Ph.D. (presenter) 



CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland 

Phone: +41 44 823 5071; Fax: +41 44 823 5028 

damian.helbling@eawag.ch 

Dr. Helbling holds a B.S. (1998, Penn State), M.S., and Ph.D. (2005 and 2008, Carnegie Mellon) 

in civil/environmental engineering. He has five years of experience as a consultant on water and 

wastewater projects and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of 

Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). 

Kathrin Fenner, Ph.D. 




Phone: +41 44 823 5085; Fax: +41 44 823 5471 

kathrin.fenner@eawag.ch 

Dr. Fenner completed studies in Chemistry (1997, University of Zürich) and holds a Ph.D. from 

the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences at ETH-Zürich (2001). She is currently a 

research assistant professor in the Department of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics 

(ETH-Zürich) and the Department of Environmental Chemistry at the Eawag. 

Juliane Hollender, Ph.D. 




Phone: +41 44 823 5493; Fax: +41 44 823 5311 


Dr. Hollender (chemist, Ph.D., 1994 - Technical University of Berlin; venia legendi, 2002 - 

Environmental Chemistry and Environmental Hygiene) was a senior researcher at the RWTH 

Aachen from 1994 - 2005 and is currently the head of the Environmental Chemistry Department 

at Eawag. 

Hans Peter Kohler, Ph.D. 




Phone: +41 44 823 5521; Fax: +41 44 823 5028 

hkohler@eawag.ch 

Dr. Kohler is the leader of the Environmental Biochemistry Group within the Environmental 

Microbiology Department at Eawag. 

238


Fate and Removal of Estrogens and Pharmaceuticals During 

One Improved Reverse A 2 /O Nitrogen and Phosphorous 

Removal Process in Beijing 

Jianghong Shi*, Jinling Cao, Rui Han, Hongchao Shi, Lingyan Xu, Yingxia Li and Zhifeng Yang; 

School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China 

Background 

Estrogens E1, E2, E3 and EE2 are excreted by humans and animals and then discharged into 

sewage. These estrogens at the lower ng/L are already major compounds responsible for 

feminization of mail fish in aquatic environment. Pharmaceuticals such as ibuprofen (I), 

ketoprofen (K) and naproxen N are frequently used as anodynes and then enter the domestic 

sewage. However, these compounds are not completely removed by wastewater treatment plants 

(WTPs) and are often detected in ng/L range in the aquatic environment. There is growing 

concern about fate and removal of estrogens and pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment 

processes. On the other hand, In order to minimize accelerated eutrophication of lakes and rivers, 

A 2 /O biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal process has been recently used as municipal 

design in several WTPs in Beijing. The quantification limit of three estrogens ([E1]/3+E2+10[EE2]) 

is suggested as below 1ng/L in Britain WTPs effluents. How to tackle jointly endocrine disruption 

as well as eutrophication in wastewater? Little is known concerning the actual behavior of the 

compounds above in improved reverse A 2 O process. Accordingly, here we investigated the 

behavior of four estrogens and three analgesics in one improved reverse A 2 O process in Beijing, 

and then assess removal affect of compounds above in anaerobic, aerobic and anoxic units. 

Results and discussions 

The wastewater treatment process consists of primary settling tank, improved reverse A 2 O 

activated sludge system (anoxic-anaerobic-aerophile-anoxic-aerophile), secondary settling tank, 

and reclaimed water system in one municipal WTP in Beijing. The average concentrations of E1, 

E2, E3 and EE2 in the raw and secondary effluent ranged from 1.53 to 2.63 ng/L, 0.27 to 2.09 

ng/L, 7.14 ng/L to ND and ND to 1.26 ng/L, respectively. The concentrations of E1, E2 and EE2 

were not decreased along the A 2 O treatment but even increased. It is most likely that inactive 

estrogen conjugates (glucuronides and sulfates) in sewages cleaved into active estrogens mainly 

during the A 2 O system. The removal effect of the four estrogens significantly went up after adding 

reclaimed water system. The variety of the three estrogen concentration ([E1]/3+E2+10[EE2]) 

ranged from 0.78 ng/L in the raw to 15.57 ng/L in the secondary effluent, and was 0.22 ng/L in the 

reclaimed water effluent which is below the quantification limit of 1 ng/L of Britain. Meanwhile, the 

average concentrations of anodynes I, K and N in the raw and secondary effluent ranged from 

2.93 to 1.04 ng/L, 25.16 to 25.8 ng/L and 0.15 ng/L to 0.10, respectively. The concentrations of I, 

K and N were not significantly decreased along the A 2 O treatment. It is also perhaps that inactive 

I, K and N conjugates (glucuronides) in sewages converted into active that during the A 2 O 

activated sludge system. 

Biosketch: 

Jianghong Shi 

Bachelor at Tsinghua University, China; doctor and master at Tokyo University of Technology & 

Agriculture, Japan; associate professor now at School of Environment, Beijing Normal University; 

and Dean of department of environment system engineering; St. Xinjiekouwai 19, Beijing 100875, 

China; tel/fax: 0086-10-58802846; email: shijianghong@bnu.edu.cn 

239


A Case Study: Crop (Lettuce, Spinach, and Carrots) Uptake of 

Three Macrolide Antibiotics (Azithromycin, Clindamycin and 

Roxithromycin) and Other Drugs 

Tammy L Jones-Lepp*, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Chemist, Office of 

Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory-Environmental Sciences 

Division, Las Vegas, NV 89119, (702)798-2144, jones-lepp.tammy@epa.gov; Charles A 

Sanchez, University of Arizona, Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Sciences, Yuma 

Agricultural Center, Yuma, AZ 

It has been shown that human-use macrolide antibiotics (azithromycin, clindamycin, and 

roxithromycin) are environmentally available in wastewaters, source waters, and biosolids. In 

order to better understand the fate of these compounds into food crops via root migration, we 

conducted a controlled greenhouse study and then exposure studies on crops grown in soils that 

are watered with treated wastewater effluent from a medium population southwestern city (~ 1 

million population, July 2008). 

A new analytical extraction method had to be developed to extract the antibiotics from the 

complex matrix of crop samples. We used a modified pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) 

technique, followed by a rigorous hexane clean-up. Subsequent PLE extracts were analyzed by 

liquid chromatography-electrospray-ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-ITMS/MS) in the positive 

ionization collision induced mode (CID) for greater specificity. 

Initially, under controlled greenhouse conditions, three crops (lettuce, spinach, and carrots) were 

watered with varying concentrations of the three macrolide antibiotics (azithromycin, clindamycin 

and roxithromycin). After harvest, the plants were dissected and separated into leaf and root, 

then freeze-dried. The freeze-dried samples were homogenized and 1-g subsamples were 

extracted and analyzed by LC-ESI-ITMS/MS. 

In order to groundtruth our methodology, we applied the methods to crop samples (carrots, 

watermelon, tomatoes, cantaloupe) that were grown in fields that use treated municipal 

wastewater effluent for watering. The treated wastewater effluent had previously been 

characterized, and was known to contain the macrolide antibiotic azithromycin, the over-thecounter 

drug pseudoephedrine, the illicit drug methamphetamine, and an industrial flavoring 

agent n,n-dimethylphenethylamine (n,n’-dmpea, an isomeric compound to methamphetamine). 

The results of the studies indicate the uptake of azithromycin, clindamycin, roxithromycin and 

n,n’-dmpea, albeit at very low-levels (low ppt), into several of the crops species. 

NOTICE: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through its Office of Research & 

Development funded this research and approved this abstract as a basis for a platform 

presentation. 

240

Biography: 


Tammy Jones-Lepp is a Research Chemist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 

National Exposure Research Laboratory in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she has worked since 

1978, with the majority of her career as a Research Chemist. She received her B.S. in Chemistry 

and M.S. in Environmental Analytical Chemistry from the University of Nevada Las Vegas in 1982 

and 1992, respectively. Current research efforts involve development of new analytical 

approaches for identifying pharmaceuticals, and nanomaterials, in a wide variety of environmental 

matrices (wastewaters, source waters, plants, sediments, soils, and biosolids); and subsequently 

extrapolating the environmental data to the resultant exposure on ecosystems and ultimately 

humans. 

241


Effect of Inoculum Sources on Degradation of Dyes Using 

Mix Culture 

Kapil Kumar (presenting author) 1 ** and T.R. Sreekrishnan 2 ; 1 Centre for Energy Studies; 

2 Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology; Indian Institute of Technology, 

Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi - 110 016, India 

Synthetic dyes such as acidic, reactive, basic, disperse, azo and metal-complex based are widely 

used in textile, paper, food and cosmetic industries as coloring agents. Wastewater generated 

from these industries are often contaminated with dyes, acids, alkalis, salts, surfactants, 

dissolved and suspended solids and other toxic compounds. The contaminated wastewater can 

deteriorate the aquatic environment, if discharged directly without any treatment. Various 

physicochemical techniques such as chemical coagulation/flocculation, precipitation, flotation, 

advanced oxidation processes and adsorption have been employed to treat the dye contaminated 

wastewater. However, these techniques are associated with high consumption of energy and 

generation of secondary pollutants which require further treatment. Over the years, the use of 

various types of microorganisms such as algae, fungi and bacteria have been used for 

decolorization of dye contaminated wastewater. The present study was carried out with inoculum 

of mixed culture procured from three different sources for the removal of Remazol Black B (RRB) 

and Methylene Blue (MB) dyes from aqueous solutions. The sludges used in the present study as 

inoculum were collected from effluent treatment plant (ETP) of textile (TSL) and paper mill 

industries (PSL). Besides, soil (SO) from the premises of the textile industry ETP was also used 

as inoculum. The inoculums used in the present study were gradually acclimatized separately 

with 25 ppm of MB and RBB dyes using 1% glucose media at 30°C and 180rpm. The control 

experiments were also performed without inoculum and glucose in a similar manner. The results 

of the present study show that source of inoculum plays a vital role and each inoculum exhibits 

different specific activity in degradation of dyes. TSL yielded highest degradation rate for both the 

dyes (RBB & MB). Degradation rate for RRB was lower than that for MB. PSL was able to 

degrade RBB (50 %) and MB (56%) up to 100 ppm concentration. The degradation of RBB was 

inhibited at 125 ppm concentration, whereas the degradation of MB could be achieved at 

concentration up to 150 ppm. SO was able to degrade RBB (62%) and MB (65%) at 

concentrations up to 175 and 225 ppm respectively. TSL showed the highest colour removal 

efficiency and was able to degrade both the dyes (> 80 %) upto 300 ppm. The higher degradation 

rates of the dyes were likely due to the acclimatization of TSL to different dyes showing faster 

acclimatization rate and higher degradation. 

242


Dr. T.R.Sreekrishnan 

Professor 

Department of Biochemical Engineering & Biotechnology 


Hauz Khas, New Delhi – 110016 

Phone: +91 11 2659 1014 & 2659 1001; Fax: +91 11 2658 2282 

Home Phone: +91 11 2659 1659 

Email: sree@dbeb.iitd.ac.in 


Dr. T.R. Sreekrishnan is professor at Department of Biochemical Engineering and 

Biotechnology, IIT Delhi. His research interest includes waste engg. & environmental biotech. 

development, modelling and optimization of aerobic and anaerobic biological treatment processes 

for high strength and toxic industrial waste streams, biodegradation of xenobiotic compounds, 

production of biodegradable polymers, development of biosensors for monitoring environmental 

pollutants. 

Dr. M. G. Dastidar 



Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, 

Hauz Khas, New Delhi-110016 

Office Ph No. 011-26591267; Fax: 011-26591251 

Email id: mgdastidar@gmail.com 

Dr. Manisha Ghosh Dastidar is professor at Centre for Energy Studies, IIT Delhi. Her research 

interests include Coal and Biomass Conversion Processes, Physical and Microbial Deashing of 

Coal, Coal Biodesulphurization, Solid Waste Processing, and Waste Management as well as 

Industrial Effluent Treatment. She has teaching and research experience for more than 25 years. 

She has guided a number of M.Tech. and Ph.D. students and published more than 80 research 

papers in various national and international journals and conference proceedings. 

Mr. Kapil Kumar 

Research Scholar 




Office Ph No. 011-26596246; Fax: 011-26591251 

Email id: kapil.iitd05@gmail.com 

Mr. Kapil kumar is a PhD candidate and working in the field of Environmental Biotechnology. 

Presently, he is working on “Biological Treatment of Dye Contaminated Wastewater” for his Ph.D. 

His career interest includes Biological Wastewater and Waste Treatment, Pollutants Monitoring, 

Waste to energy and Environmental management. 

243


Assessment of Marine Algal Toxins in Desalinated Seawater 

Stuart Khan, Richard Stuetz, James McDonald (presenting author), UNSW Water Research 

Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia; Telephone: 

+61 2 93855036; Fax: +61 2 93138624; Email: jamesmcdonald@unsw.edu.au 

Marine algal toxins are intermittently produced by-products of marine phytoplankton growth. They 

include chemicals with extreme toxicity to humans and which are known to cause a range 

illnesses and death. The emergence of seawater desalination as an important drinking water 

source in Australia may open a new exposure route for these toxins to humans. 

Seawater pumping and micro-filtration for desalination pre-treatment are high-pressure and highshear 

processes. Algal cells are relatively thin and fragile, and standard drinking water treatment 

processes including flocculation and filtration have previously been shown to cause cell rupturing 

(of freshwater species) resulting in the release of intracellular algal toxins. Accordingly, it seems 

likely that the much higher-pressure and physically shearing processes of desalination pumping 

and pre-treatment may cause similar cell rupture of marine species. 

Accordingly, there is a pressing need to assess the removal of these toxins by desalination 

treatment processes. The key treatment process for seawater desalination is reverse osmosis 

and thus, a very high rejection of marine algal toxins is crucial for the protection of human health. 

Three important algal toxins; domoic acid, anatoxin-a and saxitoxin were investigated in this 

study. Their extraction from seawater matrices was optimised and a sensitive analytical method 

developed using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. 

The outcomes of a source water survey of these contaminants will be presented. 

Biosketches: 

Stuart Khan, UNSW Water Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New 

South Wales 2052, Australia; Telephone: +61 2 93855082; Fax: +61 2 93138624; Email: 






James McDonald, UNSW Water Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 

New South Wales 2052, Australia; Telephone: +61 2 9385 5097; Fax: +61 2 9313 8624; Email: 

jamesmcdonald@unsw.edu.au 

Dr James McDonald is a Research Fellow at the UNSW Water Research Centre. His research 

involves the development and application of analytical methods to detect and quantify trace 

contaminants in aqueous environments. 

Richard Stuetz, UNSW Water Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New 

South Wales 2052, Australia; Telephone: +61 2 9385 5944; Fax: +61 2 9313 8624; Email: 


Assoc. Prof Richard Stuetz is the Director of the UNSW Water Research Centre, University of 

New South Wales. Research interests include water and wastewater treatment and 

environmental biotechnology. 

244


Occurrence and Fate of Micropollutants During their Passage 

from a Wastewater Effluent Through Lake Geneva into Finished 

Drinking Water 

Tamar Kohn (presenting author) and Barbara Morasch; École Polytechnique Fédérale de 

Lausanne (EPFL), Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Station 2, CH-1015 

Switzerland 

Background 

The city of Lausanne has one centralized wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) which treats the 

wastewater of 130’000 inhabitants, as well as several hospitals. This WWTP discharges 

wastewater effluent at a depth of 30 m into the Vidy Bay of Lake Geneva. During rain events, 

untreated wastewater is released into the lake along with storm water runoff. Only 3 km 

downstream of the WWTP is the intake of the St. Sulpice drinking water production plant, which 

pumps up to 60’000 L of water per minute from the Vidy bay. As a result of this proximity it can be 

expected that micropollutants originating from the WWTP are also found in the drinking water. 

Knowledge gaps 

The available data regarding micropollutants in the Vidy Bay are currently insufficient to establish 

whether the drinking water is influenced by the nearby WWTP. This scarcity of data is in part due 

to the difficulty of analyzing a wide range of micropollutants. The current practice is to test for a 

small and not necessarily representative subset of compounds for which detection methods are 

readily available. 

Objectives 

For this study, we developed and analytical screening method based on UPLC-MS/MS to 

simultaneously detect 50 priority micropollutants at low ng/L concentrations. This screening 

method includes various pharmaceuticals, hormones and biocides. We are using this method to 

monitor the passage and fate of micropollutants from the WWTP to the drinking water plant and 

into the finished drinking water. In addition, we are studying the most relevant degradation 

processes (in particular indirect photolysis) that these contaminants undergo during their passage 

through the lake. 

Results 

Our data show that both the WWTP effluent as well as the raw and finished drinking water 

contain measurable levels of several pharmaceuticals, including X-ray contrast media, antiepileptics 

and beta-blockers. Because X-ray contrast media are only released from hospital 

wastewater, this strongly points at WWTP as an important input of micropollutants into the lake 

water. Furthermore, in the wastewater effluent, higher concentrations of X-ray contrast media 

were found compared to anti-epileptics. In the drinking water, however, the concentrations of antiepileptics 

were higher. This indicates that either X-ray contrast media are more readily degraded 

during passage through the lake, or that other inputs besides the WWTP exist for anti-epileptics. 

245

Biosketches 

Tamar Kohn 


Contact info: ISTE-LCE, Station 2, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 

Lausanne, Switzerland. Phone: +41 21 693 0891. Email: tamar.kohn@epfl.ch 

Tamar Kohn received her MS in Environmental Sciences from ETH Zurich and her PhD in 

Environmental Engineering in 2004 from Johns Hopkins University. She then worked at UC 

Berkeley as a postdoctoral researcher. Since 2007 she is an assistant professor of environmental 

chemistry at EPFL. 

Barbara Morasch 


Lausanne, Switzerland. Phone: +41 21 693 8036. Email: barbara.morasch@epfl.ch 

Barbara Morasch is an environmental microbiologist and obtained her PhD from the University of 

Constance, Germany, in 2003. Then she worked as a postdoc at the Center for Hydrogeology in 

Neuchatel, Switzerland. In 2008 she joined the Environmental Chemistry Group at EPFL. 

246


Effects of Surface Properties of Filter Media on Removal of 

Hydrocarbons and Heavy Metals in Urban Storm Runoff 

Kang-woo Cho (presenting author), Kyung-guen Song, Kyu-hong. Ahn; Center for Environmental 

Technology Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 131, Cheongryang, 

Seoul 130-650, Korea 

Storm runoff, especially from the areas with high traffic density, generally contains a large fraction 

of fine particles. It has been noted that significant amounts of heavy metals and hydrocarbon, 

including phenolic compound, are bound to these fine particles to impart significant impairment 

and toxicity to surface water. This study investigated the effects of surface properties of filter 

media on filtration and adsorption of non-point source pollutants in urban runoff. Batch sorption 

tests as well as column experiments were performed for perlite and synthetic resin (Abtech, 

USA). The hydrophobicity and surface charge was determined in terms of contact angle and zetapotential, 

respectively. Several microscopic observations were done by a scanning electron 

microscopy (SEM). 

The cation exchange capacity was measured to be greater and the zeta-potentials at several pH 

values appeared more negative for the perlite samples, which allows perlite a superior feature to 

synthetic resin in adsorption of cationic pollutants including heavy metals. The Freundlich 

isotherm for dissolved heavy metals (Pb2+, Zn2+, Cu2+) also demonstrated that the adsorption 

capacity of perlite exceeds that of synthetic resin with greater rate constants. On the other hand, 

the water repellency of the synthetic resin was about two times of magnitude higher than that of 

synthetic resin. Batch tests using highway runoff suggested that the enhanced hydrophobicity 

affects the adsorption of particle-bound hydrocarbon, mainly bisphenol-A, nonylphenol, tbutylphenol 

and n-butylphenol. 

The hydrophobic nature of the synthetic resin had an influence on the hydraulic conductivity, slow 

decrease over time, in column experiments. The removal of oil/grease (O/G) was slightly better in 

the column packed with the synthetic resin, which was a good agreement with the batch test. The 

SEM analysis confirmed the adsorption of fine solids to the surface of synthetic resin. However, a 

differential impact of the surface charge was not apparent in heavy metal removal because a 

large fraction was trapped in particulate matter. 

Author's Full Name and Affiliation 

1) KANG-WOO CHO, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Center for Environmental 

Technology Research, P.O. Box 131, Cheongryang, Seoul 130-650, Korea (kwcho@kist.re.kr), 

+82-2-958-6838 (+82-2-958-6854) 

2) KYUNG-GUEN SONG, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Center for Environmental 

Technology Research, P.O. Box 131, Cheongryang, Seoul 130-650, Korea (kgsong@kist.re.kr), 

+82-2-958-5842 (+82-2-958-6854) 

3) KYU-HONG AHN , Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Center for Environmental 

Technology Research, P.O. Box 131, Cheongryang, Seoul 130-650, Korea (khahn@kist.re.kr), 

+82-2-958-5832 (+82-2-958-6854) 

Affiliation of presenter 

KANG-WOO CHO 

Water Environment & Remediation Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 

131, Cheongryang, Seoul 130-650, Korea 

kwcho@kist.re.kr 

Tel : 82-2-958-6838; Fax : 82-2-958-6854 

247


Chemical Contaminants in Beef Cattle Feedlot Wastes 

Stuart Khan*, Heather Coleman, Gwenaelle Richard, Gregory Peters, Richard Stuetz; UNSW 

Water Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, 

Australia, in collaboration with The Meat and Livestock Association of Australia; Telephone: +61 2 

93855082; Fax: +61 2 93138624; Email: s.khan@unsw.edu.au 

Commercial feedlots for beef cattle finishing are potential sources of a range of trace chemical 

contaminants. Meat and Livestock Australia aims to ensure adequate protection of human and 

environmental health from exposure to these chemicals and has funded a research project at 

UNSW to determine whether actual exposures may be expected to have human health and 

environmental significance and identify best practices for the management of contaminants in 

feedlot . This involves studying the fate and analysis of key contaminants of concern in manure, 

composted waste and soils on feedlot operations. 

Steroidal hormones and ectoparasiticides were identified as chemical contaminants of warranting 

close scrutiny and careful management. Sensitive analytical methods for trace analysis from 

manure and other feedlot wastes were developed and used to survey the residues associated 

with various waste management practices on Australian feedlots. Analytical methods involve a 

combination of biological and chemical methods, including oestrogenic and androgenic yeast 

screen bioassays, Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry-Mass Spectrometry and High 

Performance Liquid chromatography-fluorescence spectroscopy. 

The specific steroidal hormones include natural oestrogens (17β-oestradiol, 17α-oestradiol, 

oestrone), natural androgens (testosterone, testosterone metabolites-dihydrotestosterone) and 

synthetic androgens (testosterone, testosterone propionate, 17β-trenbolone, 17α-trenbolone) 

which are administered as hormone growth promoters. These compounds are of concern to 

environmental science due to their endocrine disrupting properties. 

Ectoparasiticides are commonly used as anti-parasitic agents to control ticks, flies and lice. These 

include the synthetic pyrethroids (deltamethrin, cypermethrin, flumethrin) and macrocyclic 

lactones (abamectin, doramectin, eprinomectin and ivermectin). Good management of 

ectoparasiticides is important for the prevention of potential ecological implications, particularly 

towards dung beetles. 

Very few of these chemical contaminants have previously been thoroughly investigated in terms 

of concentrations, effects and attenuation in feedlot wastes. The outcomes of this research will 

aid in the development of best practice guidelines for the safe management of Australian feedlot 

wastes. 

248

Biosketches: 


Stuart Khan, UNSW Water Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New 

South Wales 2052, Australia; Telephone: +61 2 93855082; Fax: +61 2 93138624; Email: 






Heather Coleman, UNSW Water Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New 


h.coleman@unsw.edu.au 

Dr Heather Coleman is a Research Fellow at the UNSW Water Research Centre, University of 

New South Wales. Her research interests include understanding the fate of trace chemical 

contaminants in water treatment processes and the environment 

Gwenaelle Richard, UNSW Water Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 

New South Wales 2052, Australia; Email: gwenaeller@hotmail.fr 

Ms Gwenaelle Richard was a practicum research student at the UNSW Water Research Centre, 

University of New South Wales during 2008. Gwenaelle has now returned to complete here 

studies in Chemistry at Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier (The National 

Graduate School of Chemistry, Montpellier). 

Gregory Peters, UNSW Water Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New 


g.peters@unsw.edu.au 

Dr Greg Peters is the Manager of the Sustainability Assessment Program at the UNSW Water 

Research Centre. His published research relates to the fate of chemical contaminants, 

sustainable decision-making frameworks, ecological footprint analysis and life cycle assessment 

of products and processes. 

Richard Stuetz, UNSW Water Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New 



Assoc. Prof Richard Stuetz is the Director of the UNSW Water Research Centre, University of 

New South Wales. Research interests include water and wastewater treatment and 

environmental biotechnology. 

249


Synergetic Effects of Physicochemical Processes Combined 

with UV, O3 and H2O2 on Pharmaceuticals Removal 

IIho, Kim (presenting author, Naoyuki Yamashita, Hiroaki Tanaka; Graduate School of 

Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan 

Objective and methods 

UV- and O3-based processes have been applied for the removal of organic compounds over the 

past years. However, limited information is available on the removal of pharmaceuticals by the 

processes. The effectiveness of UV- and O3-based processes (UV, UV/H2O2, O3, O3/H2O2 and 

O3/UV) for the removal of 41 pharmaceuticals in secondary effluent of wastewater treatment 

plant was examined in this study using continuous experimental setup, which consists of 2 

reactors (HRT at each reactor: 5 min.). 

Results and conclusion 

Considerable UV dose of more than 2,768 mJ/cm2 would be necessary for the effective removal 

of a variety of pharmaceuticals by UV alone process although several pharmaceuticals including 

ketoprofen and diclofenac showed a good removal at relatively low UV dose of 923 mJ/cm2. As a 

result, typical UV disinfection process requiring for UV dose of 40 - 140 mJ/cm2 is not likely to 

contribute so much to the removal of residual pharmaceuticals in secondary effluent. Contrarily, 

more than 90% removal efficiency could be achieved in most of pharmaceuticals even at UV 

dose of 923 mJ/cm2 when H2O2 was combined with UV process, showing that electrical energy 

required for UV process can be reduced considerably. O3 process showed significant removal 

ability for most of pharmaceuticals at O3 dose of 6 mg/L. Generally, O3 doses of 3 - 6 mg/L are 

applied for removing color etc. at wastewater treatment plant. It was, therefore, considered that 

conventional ozone process would ensure a reliable tool for removal of many pharmaceuticals. 

Moreover, the removal of several O3-resitant pharmaceuticals including cyclophosphamide 

improved significantly by H2O2 addition for O3 process. O3/UV process also showed significant 

ability of pharmaceuticals removal thanks to the contribution of OH radicals and direct UV 

photolysis as well as O3 molecules. Especially, no bromate was observed for UV/H2O2 and 

O3/H2O2 processes. While, O3 and O3/UV processes brought the formation of bromate 

concentrations of 4.4 μg/L and 2.3 μg/L, respectively. Consequently, UV/H2O2 and O3/H2O2 

processes will be advantageous in both aspects of bromate suppression and pharmaceuticals 

removal. 


Ilho Kim received B.E. (1998) and M.E. (2000) degrees in environmental engineering from 

University of Seoul and D.E. (2008) from Kyoto University. His current interests include 

physicochemical water / wastewater treatment. Email : jinker123@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp; - Tel.: 

+81-77-527-6223; Fax: +81-77-524-9869 

Naoyuki Yamashita received B.E. (1990) degree in civil engineering from Okayama University, 

M.E. (1994) from Tsukuba University and D.E. (2001) from Kyoto University. He is a Lecturer of 

Kyoto University. His current interests include water pollution and biological water treatment. 

Email: yamashita@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Tel.: +81-77-527-6223; Fax: +81-77-524-9869 

Hiroaki Tanaka received B.E. (1978) and M.E.(1980) degrees in Department of Sanitary 

Engineering from Kyoto University, M.S. (1993) in Department of Civil and Environment 

Engineering from University of California, Davis and D.E. (2002) from Kyoto University. He is a 

Professor of Kyoto University. His current interests include wastewater engineering, water reuse, 

environmental risk management. Email: htanaka@biwa.eqc.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Tel.: +81-77-527- 

6222; Fax: +81-77-524-9869 

250


Application of Fluorescent Nano-Particles to Inspect the Surface 

Integrity of Membrane used in Water Treatment 

Ki-Pal Kim, Kyu Hwan Shim, Jinwoo Cho (presenting author); Center for Environmental 

Technology Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Seoul, Korea 

The membrane filtration is being utilized widely to the liquid-solid separation process in water 

treatment. In general, a membrane tends to be damaged in its operation and have an opening 

hole in the surface or sometimes a crack in the frame. The observation of these defective points 

by the naked eyes requires very time spending and laborious work considering hundreds to 

thousands membranes installation in real process. To overcome this problem the optically 

functionalized silica nanoparticles are applied to inspect the membrane surface integrity in this 

study. 

Silica nanoparticles are synthesized with narrow size distribution through the modification of 

method known as Stöber process, which involves hydrolysis and condensation of 3mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane 

(MPTMS) in a solution of water and triethylamine (TEA). The 

size of nanoparticles is controlled to have the range of 500nm to 1.5μm in diameter. Then the 

micro-sphere is functionalized by incorporating the fluorescent dye, rhodamine B isothiocyanate 

(RBITC), which can be covalently bound into the particles during the synthesis. The optical 

microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on the synthesized silica nanoparticles 

shows the uniformly distributed sphere with the narrow size range can be made. The Fourier 

transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra of the synthesized particles reveals RBITC can be 

incorporated into the particles with the covalent binding. The confocal laser microscope images of 

particles present the red colour emission from the particles in around 612 nm wavelength of light 

sources. 

The functionalized silica particles synthesized with the size lager than a target membrane pores 

can not penetrate the membrane. However, as holes or cracks are formed on membrane surface 

the injected particles can pass through these defective parts. Thus the passing particles are 

included in the permeate water. When the light source from UV lamp or laser scanner is imposed 

to this permeate the red colour emission from fluorescent particles can be detected and pictured 

by image. Then from the image analysis, an observer can directly notice whether the membrane 

surface is defected and where the defective points exist. Many factors should be considered in 

this detection process to achieve correct and efficient inspection; the effective particle size, hole 

or defection shape and size, concentration of particles injected, amount of injection, chemical 

interaction between membrane and particles such as adsorption and electrical repulsion or 

attraction, and so on. Therefore the intensive calibration work should be strongly required. 

In the conference, Micropol & Ecohazard 2009, this study will present the feasibility of the 

nanoparticles application into the membrane surface inspection and the example of calibration 

results obtained from a batch dead end filtration test. In this example, the intended defective 

holes are made on the surface of polymer membrane with 0.25μm pore size and RBITC doped 

silica particles with the size of 1.0μm is used for inspection. 

Key words—silica particles, nanoparticles, microspheres, membrane, inspection 


Jinwoo Cho (DOB: 1973.05.16); Senior Researcher, Korea Institute of Science and Technology; 

P.O.Box 131, Cheongryang, Seoul 130-650, Korea; (e-mail) cogito1@kist.re.kr; 

82+10+8978+8965; (Fax) 82+2+958+6854 

- Post-Doc. (2006.2~2007.2) Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, U.C. Berkeley 

- Ph.D. (1998.3~2004.2) Civil Urban & Geosystem Dept., Seoul National University 

251


Intercomparative Studies of Multiple Classes of Surfactants in 

Urban Estuarine Settings 

Pablo A. Lara-Martín (presenting author), Xiaolin Li, and Bruce J. Brownawell; School of Marine 

and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5000 

A wide array of synthetic surfactants is used in a large fraction of personal care products and in 

pharmaceutical preparations. Given their high volume use (their worldwide production is greater 

than 10 million tons per year), environmental exposures to these chemicals exceed that of other 

organic contaminants of concern. Most studies have been conducted with a single class of 

surfactants, mainly nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NPEOs) and, to a lesser extent, linear 

alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS). There is less data on environmental levels of a host of other 

surfactants, especially in the case of cationic surfactants, and many are yet to be identified. In this 

presentation we provide an overview on the identification of multiple classes of anionic (LAS and 

alkyl ether sulfates, or AES), nonionic (NPEOs and alcohol polyethoxylates, or AEOs), and 

cationic (a range of quaternary ammonium compounds, or QACs) surfactants in sewage 

impacted aquatic systems in the south of Spain and the NY/NJ metropolitan harbor complex. Our 

objective is to improve the current knowledge on the factors affecting the transport and fate of 

these chemicals in the environment by means of a comparative study of all these different 

surfactants and measurements of selected metabolites. Results show that wastewater discharges 

are the main sources for these compounds in both sampling areas, although nonionic surfactants 

appear also to be related to industrial and naval activities. Analysis of surficial sediments shows 

concentrations of cationic surfactants (some of them used as disinfectants) that can exceed 100 

mg/kg; nonionic surfactants in excess of 50 mg/kg; and anionic surfactants approaching 10 

mg/kg. Significant differences are found between surfactants during their transport along 

estuaries: LAS and AES tend to remain in water in the dissolved form (87-88 %) whereas NPEOs 

and AEOs are usually associated with particulate matter (65-96%). These differences in their 

bioavailability appear to be affecting their in-situ biodegradation in the water column, confirmed by 

the presence of carboxylic metabolites in surface waters, and relative persistence of geometric 

isomers. Sorption to the particulate phase and preservation in sediments are higher for longer 

homologs/ethoxymers due to hydrophobic/hydrophilic interactions, and increases with positive 

charge: cationic > nonionic > anionic surfactants of similar alkyl chain lengths. A similar trend is 

also observed in pore water, where notable differences can be found in partition coefficients when 

comparing nonionic and anionic surfactants (e.g. 553 ± 98 for NPEOs vs. 11 ± 7 for AES). In this 

sense, anaerobic transformation of LAS into sulfophenylcarboxylic acids (SPCs) can be detected 

at anoxic depths and these metabolites show an increase in concentrations over time. On the 

other hand, vertical concentration profiles show a decrease in NPEO levels in the most recent 

sediments, probably due to recent restrictions in their domestic use, but anaerobic biodegradation 

of nonionic surfactants, however, seemso be limited because almost no changes in the average 

length of their ethoxylated chains were observed over several decades. Evidence is presented 

that suggests that many QACs are strongly sorbed and stable once they enter surface waters. An 

exponential increase in the concentration of behentrimonium, a newly discovered cationic 

surfactant used extensively in hair care products, is seen in sediment core records over which 

time other QAC hair conditioners have decreased. 

252



Pablo A. Lara-Martín is a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Marine and Atmospheric 

Sciences at Stony Brook University, under the Fulbright and Marie Curie programs. He received 

his B.S. in Marine Sciences and his PhD in Environmental Chemistry at University of Cadiz 

(Spain). His research is currently focused in the identification, sources and processes affecting 

the environmental behavior of personal care products, mainly several classes of synthetic 

surfactants. 

Address: Dana Hall 165, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, 

Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5000; E-mail: plaramartin@notes.cc.sunysb.edu, Phone: 631-632-3718, 

Fax: 631-632-3072 

253


Relationship Between Natural Organic Matter and Polarity and 

Disinfection Byproduct Formation During Ultraviolet Treatment 

and Disinfection of Drinking Water 

Bonnie Lyon 1 (Presenter), Howard Weinberg 1 , Sara Rodriguez-Mozaz 1 , Jennifer Chu 1 , Ana 

Martinez 2 , Karl Linden 3 ; 1 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC; 2 University of Illinois at 

Urbana-Champaign, IL; 3 University of Colorado at Boulder, CO 

UV irradiation has been proposed as a disinfection pretreatment for reducing potentially harmful 

disinfection by-products (DBPs) formed during chlorination or chloramination practices. Although 

UV treatment is not thought to contribute to the formation of these DBPs at doses typically used 

in drinking water treatment, there have not been any comprehensive studies to evaluate this. 

Moreover, the limited studies that have taken place have not looked at effects on any of the 

emerging, non-regulated DBPs. It is important to understand the implications of a process that is 

being considered as an alternative treatment method. 

UV treatment may result in structural alterations of natural organic matter (NOM), a precursor of 

DBPs. Sunlight photolysis of NOM is known to produce hydroxyl radicals (OH * ), which can react 

to create more bioavailable forms of NOM. Hydroxyl radicals may also be formed through 

sunlight photolysis of nitrate, which is present in many water sources releasing the nitrite radical 

which could act as a source of nitrogen in DBP formation; 

- + * * 

NO3 + hv + H � NO2 + OH 

These processes are likely to be important in UV treatment, because the low and medium 

pressure lamps used in water treatment involve higher energy wavelengths than sunlight. As 

NOM undergoes structural changes, it may become more reactive and amenable to reactions 

with chlorine and chloramine, which are used in combination with UV treatment to ensure a 

residual for distribution of drinking water. Of particular interest, DBPs which could be found 

include the highly geno- and cytotoxic nitrogen-containing DBPs such as nitrosamines, 

halonitromethanes, haloacetonitriles, and haloacetamides, which are likely to be impacted by UV 

initiated photolysis reactions. 

One strategy for understanding mechanisms through which DBPs are formed is to separate the 

organic matter into fractions of varying polarity, and then to look at the interactions of the NOM 

fractions with specific treatments. In order to do this, we concentrated NOM by reverse osmosis 

and fractionated it on XAD resins according to polarity and acid/base/neutral properties. We 

investigated the differences in DBP formation through various combinations of UV, chlorination, 

and chloramination treatments among the NOM isolates. By scaling up the concentrations of 

organic carbon, using high levels of UV fluence and using appropriately higher doses of 

chlorinated disinfectants, we observed differences between treatments, which help us to better 

understand the mechanisms of DBP formation and NOM reactivity as affected by UV treatment. 

254

Biosketches: 


Bonnie Lyon is a second year PhD student in Dr. Howard Weinberg’s lab in the Department of 

Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her 

research interests include water quality and environmental chemistry. She received a BS in 

Chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2007. 

Bonnie Lyon, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, 1210 Michael Hooker 

Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599. 

E-mail: lyonb@email.unc.edu 

Phone: (919) 966-1709 

Fax: (919) 966-1709 

Dr. Howard S. Weinberg is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences 

and Engineering at the University of North Carolina. He studies the chemistry, occurrence, fate, 

transport, and analysis of micropollutants and disinfection by-products in drinking water and 

evaluates alternative treatments for their remediation. 

Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, 1303 Michael Hooker Research Center, 

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599. 

E-mail: weinberg@email.unc.edu 

Phone: (919) 966-3859 

Fax: (919) 966-7911 

Karl Linden is a professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. 

His research focuses on ultraviolet light, oxidation processes, and advanced treatment 

technologies for disinfection, destruction of organic contaminants in water and water reuse. 

Karl G. Linden, Ph.D. Professor, Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of 

Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309 

E-mail: karl.linden@colorado.edu 

Phone: (303) 492-4798 

Fax: (303) 492-7317 

255


Characterization of the Wastewater Organics as the Precursors 

of Disinfection-By-Products in Drinking Water 

Jinlin Liu (presenting author), Xiaoyan Li, The Department of Civil Engineering, The University of 

Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China 

Due to the water shortage, wastewater reuse has become a growing portion of fresh water 

supplies. Many surface water bodies are used for both wastewater disposal and fresh water 

withdrawal. Organic materials in the raw water supply are the main precursors of disinfection 

by-products (DBPs) in finished drinking water. Many chlorination DBPs, such as 

trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs), are potential carcinogens and mutagens, 

and hence DBP formation is currently one of major water quality concerns in drinking water 

supply. Nonetheless, little is known about the impact of wastewater disposal into the surface 

water resources on the DBP formation in drinking water. 

In the present experimental study, wastewater organics were characterized for their reactivity with 

chlorine and DBP formation potentials (DBPFP). In addition, several model organic compounds, 

including glucose, glycine, starch, protein and humic acid, were tested for their DBP formation 

behavior after various levels of biodegradation. The results show that biological wastewater 

treatment for organic removal is able to largely reduce the overall DBPFP of the wastewater, from 

286.8 µg/L to 178.6 µg/L on average. However, compared to the organics in the raw sewage, the 

organic residue in the treated effluent has a much higher reactivity with chlorine to form more 

THMs and HAAs. Glucose and starch solutions (200 mg/L) have low DBPFPs of 5.6 µg/L and 

17.2 µg/L, respectively; however, their DBPFPs increase to 82.4 µg/L and 63.3 µg/L after the 

biodegradation process. This is likely attributed to the organic materials, such as soluble microbial 

products (SMP), released by the microorganisms during biodegradation. Glycine which is of small 

molecules containing N has a low and nearly consistent DBPFP throughout the biodegradation 

process. The protein solution (200 mg/L) has a high initial DBPFP of 758.8 µg/L, which however 

can be decreased rapidly to 41.2 µg/L by biodegradation. This is apparently caused by the 

hydrolysis of protein into amino acids. Humic acid (10 mg/L) has a high DBPFP of 1247.7 µg/L, 

which can be somewhat decreased to 1055.7 µg/L due to the possible adsorption of humic acid 

by the biomass. In future studies, the transformation of different model organics during 

biodegradation under natural conditions, the kinetics and influential factors of the biodegradation 

processes, and the resulting DBPFPs of the intermediate and end products of organic 

degradation will be investigated. 

256


The Combined Colloid-Organic Fouling on Nanofiltration 

Membrane for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse 

Cecilia M.C. Law, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, 

Hong Kong, China, Master of Philosophy student, Flat C 20/F Viking Court, 165 Connaught Road 

West, Hong Kong, (852) 61800353, cecilawmingchu@gmail.com / h0419338@hkusua.hku.hk 

Dr XY Li, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong 

Kong, China. Associate Professor 

Introduction 

Scarcity of water resources and pollution of natural water resources calls for more reuse of 

secondary effluent from municipal wastewater treatment plants. Nanofiltration (NF) is being 

increasingly used for this purpose (Lee et al., 2005; Chen et al., 2004). However, NF membrane 

fouling has been the major barrier for the application of NF membrane technology (Li et al, 2007; 

Haberkamp, 2006). Colloid particles and soluble organic matter are the two main types of 

membrane foulants present in wastewater effluent. Many studies have been carried on 

membrane fouling caused by either colloidal particles or organic materials. However, little 

investigation has been conducted on the combined effect of colloidal fouling and organic fouling. 

Limited tests suggest that there are differences between the combined effect of colloid-organic 

fouling and the sum of the individual effects. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect 

of combined colloidal and organic fouling on the performance of thin film composite NF 

membrane filtration. 

Materials and Methods 

The fouling experiments of this study were conducted using a crossflow flat-sheet membrane 

apparatus (0.01 m 2 , OptisSEP 200, NC, USA). The laboratory scale tangential flow filtration 

device consisted of two end plates, while only one end was used. The setup contained a flow 

channel distributor, a membrane backing plate, and a pressure gauge to monitor the transmembrane 

pressure (TMP). The cross flow circulation was maintained by a pump and the 

permeate was withdrawn by another pump. The amount of the permeate production was 

measured by a balance that was connected to a PC for continuous recording. 

A commercial thin-film composite NF membrane denoted as NF270-400 (Dow-FilmTec, 

Minneapolis, MN, USA) was used for the fouling study. Synthetic wastewater effluent was 

prepared with DI water and model foulants, sodium alginate and bovine serum albumine (BSA) 

for organic substances and 100 nm microspheres (Fluoresbrite® YG Carboxylate Microspheres, 

Polyscience, Inc, PA, USA) for colloidal particles. Three model wastewater feeds were tested: (1) 

a solution of 20 ppm sodium alginate, (2) a solution of 20 ppm BSA, and (3) a solution containing 

20 ppm sodium alginate and 20 ppm BSA. Two membrane conditions, the fresh NF270-400 

membrane and the membrane with a layer of microspheres deposited on the surface, were 

experimented for comparison of the fouling development. The colloidal fouling layer was formed 

on the membrane surface by pre-filtration of 500 ml of 23.4 NTU (correspond to SS=5 

mg/L)solution formed by diluting the microsphere solution with cross flow velocity of 2.2 cm/s 

under cell pressure of 3 bars. 

During the filtration experiments, the permeate and the recirculation streams were sampled 

regularly for water quality analysis. The membrane fouling rate was evaluated based on the rate 

of organic deposition on the membrane surface. The feed water had a pH=6.8 and no salt 

addition. The cross flow velocity was 1.1 cm/s, and the filtration flux was set at 50 L/m 2 -h. 

Result and Discussion 

For the NF membrane with a colloidal fouling layer, membrane fouling became much more 

serious (Figure 1). For the same feeding water, the organic deposited on the colloidal-fouled 

membrane at a rate many time faster than that on the fresh membrane. It is apparent that the 

257


particle attachment on the membrane would increase the surface roughness of the membrane, 

which could increase the thickness of the hydraulic boundary layer over the membrane surface. 

The reduction in flow velocity in a thicker boundary layer would reduce the hydraulic cleaning 

action and allow easier and faster deposition of organic foulants on the membrane surface. 

For individual organic foulants, alginate or BSA, the organic deposited on the membrane at a 

slow rate during filtration (Figure 2). However, for the mixture of alginate and BSA, the organic 

deposition rate increased dramatically. When the two foulants were mixed, the rate of the total 

organic deposition was many times faster than the arithmetic sum of the deposition rates of the 

individual foulants. This could likely due to the conglomeration of alginate and BSA molecules in 

the mixture resulting in larger-sized organic clusters. 

The colloidal fouled membrane attained a higher rejection ratio of organics at the beginning; 

however, the difference between them became smaller as the filtration prolonged (Figure 3) 

which is in agreement with the fouling rate. It is apparent that the organic deposited on the 

membrane surface forms another barrier which increase the resistance of the membrane. 

References 

Li QL, Xu Z, Pinnau I, (2007) Fouling of reverse osmosis 

membrane by biopolymers in wastewater secondary effluent, 

Journal of Mem, Sci., 290:173-181 

Haberkamp J, Ernst M, Makdissy G, Huck PM, Jekel M,(2006) 

Impact of membrane characteristics, solute properties and 

pump-induced shear fouces on organic fouling of 

ultrafiltration membranes in tertiary wastewater treatment, 

Journal of Mem Sci ( Manuscript) 

Nghiem LD, Schafer AI, Elimelech M, (2005) Nanofiltration of Hormone Mimicking Trace Organic 

Contaminants, Separation Sci and Tech. 40:2633-2649 

Lee AY, Cho J, Elimelech M, (2005) Combined influence of natural organic matter (NOM) and 

colloidal particles on nanofiltration membrane fouling, Journal of Mem. Sci., 262:27-41 

Li QL, Elimelech M, (2004) Organic fouling and chemical cleaning of nanofiltration membranes: 

Measurements and mechanism, Environ. Sci. Technol., 38:4683-4693 

Chen JC, Li QL, Elimelech M, (2004) In situ monitoring techniques for concentration polarization 

and fouling phenomena in membrane filtration, Advances in Colloid and Interface Sci, 

107:83-108 

Hoek EMV, Elimelech M, (2003) Cake enhanced concentration polarization, Environ. Sci. 

Technol, 37:5581-5588 

Biographies: 

Miss Cecilia (Ming Chu) Law is currently a Master of Philosophy student in the Department of 

Civil Engineering, the University of Hong Kong. Her research interests mainly focus on membrane 

filtration for wastewater reuse and membrane fouling mechanisms in nano-filtration and reverse 

osmosis. She received her Bachelor degree in the same university in 2007 with awarded final 

year report entitled by “Comparison of Sedimentation and Dissolved Air Flotation for Wastewater 

treatment and Reuse”. 

Dr. X.Y. Li joined The University of Hong Kong in 1996 after receiving his Ph.D. in Environmental 

Engineering from the University of Arizona, USA. His research interests include particle transport 

processes in natural waters; coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation of solid pollutants in 

water and wastewater treatment facilities; sediment-water-pollutant interactions; membrane 

application and advanced oxidation processes in water and wastewater treatment and 

disinfection. Dr. X.Y. Li's main areas of teaching are in water quality measurement, water and 

wastewater treatment and water quality modelling. 

258


Rejection of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents by 

Reverse Osmosis Membranes – A New Tool for Assessing 

Membrane Integrity 

Michael Lawrence (presenting author) 1 , Jurg Keller 1 , Yvan Poussade 2 , 1 The University of 

Queensland, Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC), QLD 4072, Australia; 2 Veolia 

Water Australia, 20 Wharf Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia 

A major barrier towards community acceptance of indirect potable reuse of water is the 

perception that the produced water may contain micropollutants. The chemicals of main concern 

in this regard are those that are toxic or bioactive at low concentrations, such as pharmaceuticals 

and endocrine disrupting chemicals. Despite these concerns, to the best of our knowledge, there 

are no published examples of the rejection efficiency of process relevant concentrations of 

micropollutants across reverse osmosis (RO) membranes in either pilot or full-scale plants. This 

is an analytical problem related mainly to method detection limits. 

Whilst neither bioactive, nor toxic, gadolinium contrast agents (Gd-CAs) used in magnetic 

resonance imaging (MRI) are known micropollutants in wastewaters from regions with advanced 

medical technologies. There are 14 medically approved complexes in this class; all are large (> 

550 Da), 6-coordinate, highly stable organo-metallic complexes. The structures are based on 

either a macrocyclic ring, or a linear structure, and may be either neutral, or charged. All of the 

complexes have high stability constants (log K ~ 20), rendering the complexes biologically inert. 

Because these complexes are organo-metallic, it is possible to detect the metal centre by utilizing 

Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS). 

Chemically, the REE are intimately related to each other; the “natural” concentration of one 

element can be interpolated from the concentrations of the neighbouring elements. As such, it is 

also possible to quantify the amount of MRI contrast agents present in the sample, defined as 

anthropogenic Gd as the difference between the interpolated natural, and the measured 

concentrations. Further, because we have achieved detection limits in the sub-pico-molar (pM) 

range, we have been able to determine the fate of process relevant concentrations of 

anthropogenic Gd through the various barriers (coagulation, microfiltration, reverse osmosis, 

UV/H2O2) of both a pilot scale, and a full scale Advanced Water Treatment Plant (AWTP). 

Specifically, there is no detectable removal of the anthropogenic Gd component during iron 

flocculation and sedimentation, or during microfiltration. There is significant removal across the 

reverse osmosis membranes, and we have determined that 99.84% of the anthropogenic Gd is 

removed at the full-scale plant, whilst 99.95% is removed at the pilot-plant using a different RO 

membrane. As a result the inlet concentrations of ~ 0.3 - 1.7 nM are reduced to 1 pM or less in 

the RO-permeate. The contrast agents are directed into the RO concentrate stream, which is 

treated for the removal of nutrients (with no detectable concurrent removal of anthropogenic Gd) 

prior to environmental discharge, potentially providing an excellent tracer of the environmental 

distribution of many other micropollutants. 

The RO permeate immediately undergoes advanced oxidation, consisting of UV-irradiation in the 

presence of hydrogen peroxide but, from this point, it is no longer possible to measure the 

anthropogenic Gd component due to the addition of rare earth elements (as a trace component of 

the added hydrogen peroxide). The REE concentrations are further increased by the addition of 

lime as a stabilizing agent. Nonetheless, we contend that the determination of anthropogenic Gd 

in purified recycled water represents an effective new tool for evaluating membrane integrity. If, 

for example, anthropogenic Gd were to be detected in purified recycled water, it would be an 

indicator of a breach of the reverse osmosis barrier. 

259

Biosketch: 

Dr Michael Lawrence 


The University of Queensland 


Brisbane QLD 4072, AUSTRALIA 

+617 33466252 (telephone) 

+617 33654726 (fax) 



Michael obtained an MSc in Chemical Oceanography in Vancouver in 1998, and completed his 

PhD in Earth Sciences in Brisbane in 2007. His research in the biogeochemical cycling of ultralow 

concentrations of trace metals has led to his current interests in the fate of organometallic 

micropollutants. 

260


Abiotic Processes Involved in the Removal of Estrogens 

from Wastewater 

Ruth Marfil-Vega, marfilr@email.uc.edu, 765 Baldwin Hall, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, 

University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 5227-0071, Phone# 513-556-3638/513-807-5332, Fax# 513-556- 

2599; Makram T. Suidan, Makram.Suidan@uc.edu, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, 

University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221 USA; Marc A. Mills, Mills.Marc@epamail.epa.gov, US EPA 

Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, Ohio 

45268 USA 

Despite the efforts made in recent years to better understand the behavior of micropollutants in 

environmental matrices, the mechanisms for their transformation are often not known. The exact role of 

adsorption and other abiotic processes in attenuating micropollutants along wastewater treatment trains 

need to be understood in depth before sustainable processes can be developed to optimize these 

mechanisms and better control discharges (as effluent and sludge) of estrogens to the environment. 

Our current study of the fate of 14 C-17ß-estradiol in synthetic wastewater (containing soluble and nonsoluble 

fractions) under laboratory-controlled conditions will provide new insights about the behavior of this 

compound in the presence of solid matter. These findings may be also applied to structurally related 

compounds that can present similar chemical behavior and endocrine disrupting effects. 

To fulfill our goal, batch experiments, assuring the absence of biological activity, are run under several 

conditions over time. Radioactivity measurements are performed in gas, liquid, and the extractable and nonextractable 

solid phase of each sample. Moreover, the concentration in liquid and extractable solid phases 

of 14 C-17ß-estradiol and estrone are measured by LC/MS/MS analysis. 

Preliminary results have shown that part of the radioactivity (from 14 C-17ß-estradiol or an unidentified 

byproduct) stays in the non-extractable fraction of the solid phase. Differences in the concentration of 14 C- 

17ß-estradiol calculated from the radioactivity measurement and obtained from the LC/MS/MS analysis have 

been encountered, too. Present work is focused on confirming and explaining these facts. 

Biography: 

Ruth Marfil-Vega is a PhD candidate in Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of 

Cincinnati. Currently, she is investigating the fundamental behavior of estrogens in wastewater-related 

matrices, as main topic of her doctoral work. She is working also in the development of new analytical 

methods for other emerging contaminants, such as glyphosate, atrazine, aldicarb and several 

pharmaceuticals. Previously, she collaborated in different projects including the determination of 

pharmaceuticals in leachate, and the study of the fate of alkylphenolic surfactants during wastewater 

treatment. 

261


Biodegradation of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products 

by White-Rot Fungi: From Fungal Screening to Lab-Scale 

Bioreactor 

Ernest Marco-Urrea a , Paqui Blánquez a , Jonathan P. Aceves-Martínez a , Teresa Vicent a , 

Gloria Caminal b ; a Department of Chemical Engineering and Institute for Environmental Science 

and Technology (ICTA). Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB); b Unitat de Biocatàlisis 

Aplicada Associada al IIQAB (CSIC-UAB) 

The occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP) in waters is an emerging 

environmental issue. The development of strategies to remove PPCP from either point source 

contamination such as the health care industry and hospital wastewaters as well as from effluents 

of wastewater treatment plants or sludge provide a new challenge in the bioremediation field. 

White-rot fungi (WRF) are a group of microorganisms that possess the unique ability to degrade 

lignin in nature by means of their relatively non-specific extracellular enzymatic system (mainly 

laccase, manganese peroxidase and lignin peroxidase). This enzymatic system together with 

other intracellular enzymes like cytochrome P450 allows WRF to degrade a wide array of 

pollutants. However, the capability of WRF to remove PPCP is not yet enough studied. 

In this work we test the ability of three worldwide distributed WRF (Trametes versicolor, 

Ganoderma lucidum and Irpex lacteus) to degrade 10 mg/L of ibuprofen (IBU, analgesic), 

carbamazepine (CARBA, antiepileptic), clofibric acid (CLOFI, lipid regulator), atenolol and 

propranolol (ATE and PROPRA, beta-blockers) in a defined medium. IBU was completely 

degraded by all the fungi tested. T. versicolor was selected for further degradation experiments 

with IBU, CLOFI and CARBA due to their high degradation potential (100, 91 and 58%, 

respectively) whereas G. lucidum was chosen for ATE and PROPRA degradation studies (38 and 

60% degradation, respectively). 

Since laccase and manganese peroxidase activities were detected in the extracellular medium of 

WRF during the incubation period, we carried out some in vitro assays with these purified 

enzymes in order to elucidate the enzymatic mechanism involved in PPCP degradation. 

However, any of the PPCP tested were oxidized under the presence of manganese peroxidase 

and the laccase mediator system. To examine the role of oxygenases, and particularly the 

cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, the cyt P450 inhibitors 1-aminobenzotriaole and piperonyl 

butoxide were added to fungal cultures containing PPCP. After 7 d of incubation, a noticeable 

inhibition of CARBA, CLOFI and ATE was observed in comparison with inhibitor free controls, 

suggesting the involvement of this oxidative mechanism in their degradation. 

The next step was to examine the ecotoxicity of the resulting effluent after the fungal treatment by 

the use of bioassays (using Vibrio fischeri as test specie) and the tentative identification of 

possible degradation metabolites of PPCP. Thus, for example, a novel degradation pathway of 

IBU by T. versicolor was elucidated, involving a first hydroxylation to 1-hydroxy and 2-hydroxy 

ibuprofen and their subsequent transformation to 1,2-dihydroxy ibuprofen, that was not reported 

in biological systems to date. 

Finally, results of PPCP biodegradation by selected fungi in an air pulsed fluidised bioreactor with 

an useful volume of 500 ml will be shown. The pH was maintained at 4.5 by means of a pH 

controller and the temperature in the system was kept constant at 25ºC. A 9.3 l/h air flow was 

introduced at the bottom of the reactor by pulses. The selected fungi were added in the form of 

pellets and the extracellular enzymatic production and the concentration of PPCP were monitored 

during the degradation process. 

Acknowledgements: This work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Science and 

Innovation (project CTM2007-60971/TECNO), Spanish Ministry of Environment (project 

010/PC08/3-04.1) and by the XRB, Generalitat de Catalunya. 

262



Dr. Ernest Marco-Urrea. Technical Chemical Engineering Degree (Universitat Politecnica de 

Catalunya, ETSEIT) and Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Sciences (Universitat Autònoma de 

Barcelona). He finished his PhD thesis in 2007 which dealt with the aerobic degradation of 

chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (specifically trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene) by whiterot 

fungi. He is a postdoc researcher at the Department of Chemical Engineering of Universitat 

Autònoma de Barcelona. 

Address: Departament d’Enginyeria Química and Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambiental. 


Email: ernest.marco@uab.cat. Telephone: +34.93.5814793. Fax: +34.93.5812013. 

Dra. Paqui Blánquez is lecturer professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering of 

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. She is chemical engineer and finished her PhD Thesis in 

2005 which dealt with the development of a fungal bioreactor pilot-scale process for the treatment 

of textile dyes. Her post-doc research was focused on the biodegradation of endocrine disrupting 

contaminants by white rot-fungi. As a result of her work she has published 9papers. 

Address: Departament d’Enginyeria Química, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria . Universitat 

Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 (Barcelona), Spain. Email: 

paqui.blanquez@uab.cat. Telephone: +34.93.5811879. Fax: +34.93.5812013. 

Jonathan P. Aceves-Martínez. Food Chemistry Degree (University La Salle, Mexico). Part of the 

work presented here constituted the research that he carried out to obtain the Master of Science 

Degree in Environmental Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. 



Email: hemantropo@yahoo.com. Telephone: +34.93.5814793. Fax: +34.93.5812013. 

Dr. Teresa Vicent is professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering of Universitat 


activities have been focused on biological waste treatment. She is now the coordinator of the 

Biodegradation of industrial pollutants and waste valorization Research Group of Universitat 

Autònoma de Barcelona (2005SGR00220). 



Email: teresa.vicent@uab.cat. Telephone: +34.93.5812142. Fax: +34.93.5812013. 

Dra Gloria Caminal is a researcher of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). She is 

graduated in chemistry and PhD in Sciences since 1983. Actually she is working at the Associate 

Laboratory CSIC-UAB in the Chemical Engineering Department of Universitat Autònoma de 

Barcelona. Her research activity in biochemical engineering is focused 

in two areas: process development to obtain recombinant proteins and biodegradation by rotwhite 

fungi of recalcitrant pollutants. 



Email: gloria.caminal@uab.cat. Telephone: +34.93.5812144. Fax: +34.93.5812013. 

263


Development of an Analytical Screening Method for 

Micropollutants in Swiss Lakes 

Barbara Morasch (presenting author), Luiz Felippe De Alencastro, and Tamar Kohn, École 

Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Institute of Environmental Science and 

Technology, Station 2, CH-1015 Switzerland; Nathalie Chèvre, University of Lausanne, Faculty of 

Geosciences, CH-1015 Lausane 

Background 

Reducing the load of micropollutants in the effluents of wastewater treatment plants is of 

particular concern in Western Switzerland, as these effluents discharge directly into lakes which - 

at the same time - are used as drinking water resources. In 2006, the Swiss Federal Office for the 

Environment (FOEN) launched “Strategy MicroPoll”. Dedicated to surveying the current quality of 

Swiss surface waters, the project will ultimately help to reduce the micropollutant load of 

municipal origin. 

Specifically for the demands of this project, we developed an easy-to-apply analytical screening 

tool to simultaneously quantify 50 organic micropollutants in drinking-, surface-, and wastewater. 

Analytical approach 

Based on (1) data on the annual consumption of pharmaceuticals and – as far as available – the 

application of pesticides, (2) monitoring campaigns at Lake Geneva in the past, and (3) extensive 

literature research, more than 50 compounds were considered potentially problematic. Among 

those were pharmaceuticals (analgesics, antibiotics, antiepileptic drugs, lipid lowering agents, 

beta blockers, and x-ray contrast media), endocrine-disrupting compounds (hormones and 

others), and pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, disinfectants, wood protecting agents). Further 

criteria for the relevance of a substance were its ability to be metabolized by human beings, its 

degradability in wastewater treatment facilities, its toxicity, and its persistence in the environment. 

The analytical screening method is based on automatic solid phase extraction (SPE) of water 

samples and subsequent analysis of concentrated extracts by ultra-performance liquid 

chromatography coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer (UPLC-MS/MS). In parallel, samples 

are extracted by passing them over a reversed phase sorbent optimized for hydrophilic and 

lipophilic interactions and over a mixture of three different extraction media (a cross linked 

polystyrene divinylbenzene, a weak anion exchanger, and a weak cation exchanger). For 

quantification, we are using two parallel methods to cover the entire spectrum of the 50 priority 

substances. Method 1 uses acidic eluents and a silica-based C18 column, method 2 alkaline 

eluents and a reversed phase C18 column. 

In spite of the highly diverse physico-chemical characteristics of the selected micropollutants, the 

screening method allowed detection in the lower ng/L range. 

Outlook 

The screening method will be used to monitor the performance of the Lausanne wastewater 

treatment plant, as well as and the micropollutant concentrations in Lake Geneva over time. 

Furthermore, we intend to survey the water quality of remote Swiss mountain lakes and of karstic 

springs. 

264

Biosketches: 


Barbara Morasch 


Lausanne, Switzerland. Phone: +41 21 693 8036. Email: barbara.morasch@epfl.ch 

Barbara Morasch is an environmental microbiologist and obtained her PhD from the University of 

Constance, Germany, in 2003. Then she worked as a postdoc at the Center for Hydrogeology in 

Neuchatel, Switzerland. Since 2008 she is part of the Environmental Chemistry Group at EPFL. 

Luiz Felippe De Alencastro 

Contact info: ISTE-CEL, Station 2, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 

Lausanne, Switzerland. Phone: +41 21 693 2729 Email: felippe.dealencastro@epfl.ch 

Luiz Felippe De Alencastro holds a PhD in analytical chemistry. He is a Senior Scientist and 

Director of the Central Environmental Analytical Laboratory at EPFL. He has over 25 years of 

experience in in the field of inorganic and organic analytics and environmental micropollutants. 

Tamar Kohn 


Lausanne, Switzerland. Phone: +41 21 693 0891. Email: tamar.kohn@epfl.ch 

Tamar Kohn received her MS in Environmental Sciences from ETH Zurich and her PhD in 

Environmental Engineering in 2004 from Johns Hopkins University. She then worked at UC 

Berkeley as a postdoctoral researcher. Since 2007 she is an assistant professor of environmental 

chemistry at EPFL. 

Nathalie Chèvre 

Contact info: University of Lausanne, Faculty of Geosciences, CH-1015 Lausane, Switzerland. 

Phone: +41 21 692-35-50. Fax: +41 21 692-35-55; E-mail: nathalie.chevre@unil.ch 

Nathalie Chèvre has a background in environmental engineering and received her PhD in 

ecotoxicology from EPFL Lausanne in 2000. Afterwards she worked as a post-doc at 

Environment Canada in Montreal and at EAWAG in Zurich and the University of Lausanne, 

Switzerland, as scientist and group leader. 

265


Energy and Operating Cost Saving by Implementing an Interim 

Fixed-Biofilm BNR Process for Retrofitting Existing Korean 

Sewage Treatment Plant 

Mi-Hwa, Dr. Kim 1 , Seyong, Park 2 , Tae-Joo, Park 3 and Moonil, Kim 4 ; 1 Research Professor, 

Department of Civil Engineering, Hanyang University, 1271 Sa 3-dong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, 

Gyeonggi-do, 426-791, Korea (Tel. +82 31 400 4096, Fax. +82 31 502 5142, E-mail: 

tea5421@hanyang.ac.kr); 2 Master Degree Course Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, 

Hanyang University, 1271 Sa 3-dong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, 426-791, Korea; 

3 President, Korea Environment Institute (KEI), 290 Jinleungno, Eunpyeong-Gu, Seoul, 122-706, 

Korea; 4 Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental System Engineering, 

Hanyang University, 1271 Sa 3-dong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, 429-791, South Korea 

In 1996, total nitrogen (T-N) and phosphorus (T-P) concentration levels in final effluent of sewage 

(STPs) and municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWTPs) were included in water quality 

regulations by the Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea. By 2008, all STPs and MWTPs 

must be satisfied to these discharge regulations which will be set to T-N=20mg/L and T-P=2mg/L. 

Nowadays, in order to satisfy these stricter regulations regarding nitrogen and phosphorus, existing 

plants must be upgraded and/or retrofitted by constructing a new tertiary or implementing an 

interim biological nutrient removal (BNR) systems. There were four major limitations for upgrading 

+ 

by introducing a tertiary process: (1) no extra site, (2) very low COD/NH4 -N ratio (< 3.0), (3) 

seasonal high fluctuation of nitrogen loads and (4) more strict discharge regulation. 

Considering dynamic and variable sewage characteristics as well as site limitations, the best 

strategy for retrofitting existing STPs and MWTPs is implementing an interim BNR process, 

especially a fixed-biofilm. In order to satisfy those situations, a new fixed-biofilm BNR process 

was designed for enhancing an internal carbon source usage. Throughout lab-scale study over 

2.0years, the new biofilm process was consisted of first anoxic/first aerobic /second 

anoxic/second aerobic reactor. The reproducibility of the performance of the developed biofilm 

process was confirmed with a pilot plant treating screened raw sewage and effluent of primary 

settling tank of ‘S’ STP in Busan, Korea. The pilot was operated over 2.5years. The denitrification 

in the first anoxic reactor using internal carbon sources (raw sewage) was kept over 70%. Also, 

the residual nitrified nitrogen was fully removed in the second anoxic reactor with 50% of 

theoretical methanol dosage. Throughout operating of the pilot plant, it was determined that the 

useful internal carbon source was disappeared in the primary settling tank and was 30.1% in 

accordance with comparison soluble BOD before and after the primary settling tank effluent. 

In order to estimate cost-effectiveness of introducing the developed interim fixed-biofilm BNR 

process, two retrofitting scenarios were set up: one is introducing a tertiary process of MLE 

(Modified Ludzack-Ettinger), which designed by U.S. EPA Manuel (EPA/625/R-93/010) and 

another is implementing the developed interim fixed-biofilm BNR process. Under same design 

considerations of organic removal and nitrification rates, it was estimated that the final effluent 

concentration of T-N and NH4 + -N in MLE and the interim fixed -biofilm process was 5.89mg/L and 

1.81mg/L. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the amount of additional methanol for removing the 

residual NOx-N of the interim fixed-biofilm process could be reduced up to 50% of the MLE 

process required. On the other hand, for guarantying the same effluent quality after retrofitting by 

MLE process, MLSS concentration should be kept over 3000mg/L with huge enlargement of 

existing ‘S’ STP. As results of reducing methanol dosage and excess wasted sludge, the 

operating and maintenance cost could be saved 22.9% annually. The highest cost capital cost of 

the fixed-biofilm process was media purchase and installing cost, but it was estimated that the 

capital cost could be recovered after 2years by saving the maintenance cost. Consequently, it 

was decided that retrofitting by implementing a new interim fixed-biofilm BNR process for 

upgrading ‘S’ STP is best way with fully reuse internal carbon source and existing facilities’ 

capacity. 

266

Biography: 


Name: Mi-Hwa Kim 

Title: Ph.D. 

E-mail: tea5421@hanyang.ac.kr 

Tel. +82 400 4096, FAX. +82 502 5142 

Current Position: Research Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Hanyang University, 

Korea 

Interesting Fields 

There are three interesting research fields. The first is the optimization, upgrading and/or 

retrofitting existing sewage (STPs) and municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWTPs) by 

implementing an interim fixed-biofilm BNR process. There are several considerations: 

maximization of internal carbon source usage in relation to energy (electronics and chemicals) 

saving and reducing GHGs (greenhouse gases), especially CO2 emission from the STPs and 

MWTPs, and no more enlargements of unwanted facilities. The second is environmental and ecofriendly 

reuse of reclaimed industrial wastewater as other industries’ process water considering 

worldwide water shortage condition. The main goal is a residual nutrients removal process using 

microalgae, especially diatom, in order to protect freshwater (river, lake, stream, and so on) and 

estuary ecosystem from the pollution by eutrophication and unexpected algae bloom. 

Educations 

Ph.D., 2001. “A Study of a Fixed-Biofilm BNR Process to Upgrading Existing Sewage Treatment 

Plants”, Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea 

M.D., 1997. Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University 

B.A., 1990. Marine Science, Pusan National University 

267


Continuous Bioelectrical Perchlorate Remediation 

J. Cameron Thrash (presenting author), Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of 

California, Berkeley; and John. D. Coates, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University 

of California, Berkeley and Earth Sciences Division, Earnest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley 

National Laboratory 

Reduction of perchlorate by microorganisms has been demonstrated as the most effective means 

of remediating this toxic compound from waste streams and contaminated water. Previous 

studies in our laboratory have demonstrated that dissimilatory perchlorate-reducing bacteria 

(DPRB) are ubiquitous, dependent on molybdenum for their metabolism, and that oxygen and 

nitrate negatively regulate perchlorate reduction. A wide range of organic substrates can be 

oxidized by DPRB as an energy source for reducing perchlorate. However, growth associated 

with the metabolism of these compounds can lead to biofouling of in-line treatment systems, 

resulting in poor water quality, increased costs, and eventual treatment failure. 

To address these issues, we have developed a novel means of stimulating DPRB using a 

bioelectrical reactor (BER) in which a cathodic working electrode supplies the necessary energy 

source for perchlorate reduction. Native DPRB populations were successfully stimulated in initial 

cathodic chamber studies containing graphite working electrodes poised at -500mV vs. an 

Ag/AgCl reference electrode and the soluble electron shuttle anthroquinone-2,6-disulfonate 

(AQDS). A novel organism, strain VDY, was isolated from the cathodic working electrode surface 

of this perchlorate-degrading reactor and found to be most closely related to Dechlorospirillum 

strain WD by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Strain VDY was capable of perchlorate 

reduction in the cathodic chamber of a BER both with and without AQDS in batch culture and was 

therefore used as the model organism to inoculate novel continuous up-flow BERs for the 

treatment of perchlorate. Since batch culture experiments showed superior perchlorate removal 

rates in the presence of AQDS, the shuttle was initially included in the influent. These reactors 

were able to continuously remove 100mg/L perchlorate over the course of three weeks compared 

to open-circuit controls. Importantly, there was no observable biofouling of the system. 

Subsequent removal of AQDS showed the reactors to be capable of operating without the 

mediator similarly to the batch system. In this mediatorless configuration, BERs inoculated with 

VDY were capable of continuous treatment of perchlorate at 100% efficiency with loading 

capacities of up to 60mg perchlorate L -1 day -1 . In addition, the reactors could effectively remove 

low (100ppb) perchlorate concentrations and also remediate mixed nitrate/perchlorate influent at 

100:1 molar ratio, both conditions which are relevant to common contaminant scenarios in the 

environment. Collectively, the mediatorless reactors were operated for almost two months free of 

biofouling. Together, these results demonstrate the ability of BERs inoculated with strain VDY to 

be capable of effective perchlorate remediation over a range of conditions. This technology 

provides an attractive alternative to chemical amendment for in-line treatment of perchlorate 

contamination. 

Biosketches: 

J. Cameron Thrash is a Ph.D. candidate at UC Berkeley. His work has investigated the 

electrochemical stimulation of dissimilatory perchlorate-reducing bacteria (DPRB) and included 

isolation and characterization of novel DPRB. University of California, Berkeley; Department of 

Plant and Microbial Biology; 271 Koshland Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720. 

jthrash@nature.berkeley.edu 

John D. Coates is a Professor of Microbiology at UC Berkeley and a Geological Scientist Faculty 

in the Earth Sciences Division of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. University of 

California, Berkeley; Department of Plant and Microbial Biology; 271 Koshland Hall, Berkeley, 

CA, 94720. jcoates@nature.berkeley.edu 

268


Removal of Bromate, Perchlorate and Nitrate from Water 

Streams Using the Ion Exchange Membrane Bioreactor 

Cristina T. Matos 1,2* , Svetlozar Velizarov 2 , João G. Crespo 2 , Maria A. M. Reis 2 (presenting 

author); 1 IBET – Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, P-2781-901 Oeiras, Portugal; 

2 CQFB / REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, P-2829-516 

Caparica, Portugal 

The contamination of water resources with micropullutants such as perchlorate, bromate and 

nitrate represents a concern for public health even at extremely low levels. Development of 

technologies that can completely remove these pollutants from water streams to such low 

concentrations is imperative. 

The ion exchange membrane bioreactor (IEMB) arose from the necessity of finding a technology 

able to remove these anionic pollutants from water streams, avoiding both secondary 

contamination of the treated water and the formation of a brine stream requiring further treatment 

before disposal. The traditional technologies used in water treatment as single unit operations are 

not always efficient for achieving this goal. The IEMB is a patented membrane-based technology 

for drinking water treatment. It combines the transport of charged pollutants through an 

appropriate dense ion exchange membrane with their simultaneous biodegradation to harmless 

products, by a suitable microbial culture in a separated biocompartment. The membrane used is 

positively charged and allows the transport of anions such as nitrate, perchlorate and bromate, 

from the water stream to a biocompartment, where they are biologically reduced to nitrogen, 

chloride and bromide, respectively. The target anions transport, which is governed by the Donnan 

equilibrium principle, can be improved by using a driving counter-ion (chloride) added in excess to 

the biocompartment. 

This work demonstrates the applicability of the IEMB concept for the removal of the referred 

micropollutants from drinking water to concentrations below the recommended levels. Perchlorate 

and bromate in ppb range were removed even in the presence of high concentrations of nitrate (3 

orders of magnitude difference- ppm range), without transport competition. 

In the case of bromate removal, the results showed that the biological reduction rate of bromate 

under stirred batch conditions was low and only possible after the complete reduction of nitrate, 

because the reduction of nitrate appears as the most favorable reduction. On the other hand, the 

IEMB was able to simultaneously reduce nitrate and bromate due to two main reasons: a 

controlled anion exchange membrane-assisted transport of the pollutants and a biofilm which 

develops on the membrane surface contacting the biocompartment. Additionally, the low 

biological reduction rate of bromate did not affect the IEMB water production rate, due to the 

independent operation of the biocompartment. 

Ongoing research is focus on the removal of other charged anionic drinking water pollutants, 

such as arsenate and cationic pollutants, e.g. ionic mercury, the results achieved demonstrate 

that this hybrid ion exchange membrane process can be extended for the removal of this 

pollutants. 


Cristina T. Matos acknowledges Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Portugal for the 

Pos-Doc scholarship . 

269

Biosketches: 


Cristina T. Matos 1,2 (Presenting author) holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Faculdade 

de Ciências e Tecnologia, UNL, Portugal. 

Present research is focus on development and validation of hybrid systems for Drinking/Waste 

water treatment and Membrane processes for product valorisation. 

e-mail: cristina.matos@dq.fct.unl.pt 

Telephone: +351 212948385 

Fax: +351 212948385 

Svetlozar Velizarov 2 , Auxiliary researcher at Associated Laboratory REQUIMTE. 

Present research is focus on development of clean membrane-based processes and integrated 

technologies such as: membrane bioreactors, electro-membrane processes (Donnan dialysis, 

bio-fuel cells), pressure-driven membrane processes (nanofiltration). 

e-mail: velizarov@dq.fct.unl.pt 

Telephone: +351 212948385 

Fax: +351 212948385 

João G. Crespo 2 , Full Professor Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, UNL, Portugal. 

Responsible for the research group of Membrane Processes in the Associated Laboratory 

REQUIMTE. 

Present research is focus on recovery of molecules with biological activity from complex media; 

development of membrane separation processes and membrane (bio)reactors; development of 

techniques for on-line, monitoring. 

e-mail: jgc@dq.fct.unl.pt 

Telephone: +351 212948385 

Fax: +351 212948385 

Maria A. M. Reis 2 , Associate Professor of Biochemical Engineering at Faculdade de Ciências e 

Tecnologia, UNL, Portugal. 

Responsible for the research group of Biochemical Engineering in the Associated Laboratory 

REQUIMTE. 

Present research is focus on development of environmentally sustainable bioprocesses for water 

and wastewater treatment. 

e-mail: amr@dq.fct.unl.pt 

Telephone: +351 212948385 

Fax: +351 212948385 

270


Occurrence, Fate & Transport of Steroid Hormones in 

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and Irrigated 

Pastures 

Scott Mansell 1 (presenting author), Thomas Harter 2 , Reid Bryson 2 , Ed Kolodzeij 3 , David Sedlak 1 ; 

1 Dept of Civil & Environmental Engineering University of California, Berkeley; 2 Dept of Land, Air, 

& Water Resources University of California, Davis; 3 Dept of Civil & Environmental Engineering 

University of Nevada, Reno 

Steroid hormones pose potential risks to fish and other aquatic organisms at extremely low 

concentrations. Research conducted in urban watersheds indicates that steroid hormones in 

municipal wastewater effluent are the cause of endocrine disruption in fish. However, steroid 

hormones also have been detected in surface waters in agricultural watersheds. Concentrated 

animal feeding operations generate large volumes of steroid hormone-containing wastes and 

release of these wastes could be an important source of steroid hormones through overland flow. 

To assess the importance of flood irrigation of pastures on steroid release, water samples were 

collected before, during, and after irrigation at an experimental pasture system where animal 

waste was applied. Results indicate that steroid hormone concentration in runoff often approach 

or exceed the thresholds for biological effects. Complimentary experiments, in which steroid 

hormones were measured in a feedlot before, during, and after a simulated rainstorm provide 

additional insight into the mechanism of overland flow and its role in the transport of steroid 

hormones. 

Biosketches: 

Scott Mansell; 207 Obrien Hall University of California Berkeley, CA 94720; (510) 643-0355 

phone; (510) 642-7483 fax scottmansell@berkeley.edu 

Scott Mansell is a graduate student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at the 

University of California Berkeley. His research has focused on endocrine disrputors from 

agricultural sources. He received his M. S. from UC Berkeley in 2007, and his B. S. from the 

University of Utah in 2006. 

Thomas Harter, PhD; 113 Veihmeyer Hall University of California Davis, CA 95616-8628; (530) 

752-2709 phone; (530) 752-5262 fax Thharter@ucdavis.edu 

Thomas has been a professor in the Land, Air, and Water Resources Department at the 

University of California Davis since 1995. His research has focused on pollutant transport 

processes in groundwater. He received his PhD from the University of Arizona in 1994. 

Reid Bryson; 229 Veihmeyer Hall University of California Davis, CA 95616; (530) 752-8577 

phone; (530) 752-5262 fax Rbryson@ucdavis.edu 

Reid is graduate student in the Land, Air, and Water Resources Department at the University of 

California Davis. His research has focused on the transport of non point-source pollution. He 

received his B. S. from Samford University in 2001. 

Edward Kolodzeij, PhD; 349B SEM University of Nevada Reno, NV 89557; (775) 682-5553 

phone; (775) 784-1390 fax koloj@unr.edu 

Edward has been a professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the 

University of Nevada, Reno since 2007. His research has focused on occurrence and 

environmental fate of endocrine disruptors. He received his PhD from the University of California 

Berkeley in 2004. 

271


David Sedlak, PhD; 657 Davis Hall University of California Berkeley, CA 94720; (510) 643-0256 

phone; (510) 642-7483 fax sedlak@ce.berkeley.edu 

David has been a professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the 

University of California Berkley since 1994. His research has focused on environmental 

chemistry. He received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin in 1992. 

272


Source Tracking of Conductivity for Reusing Treated Food 

Industry Wastewater as Paper Making Process Water 

Mi-Hwa, Dr. Kim 1 , Taekyong Kim 2 , Dukgyu Han 3 and Moonil Kim 4 ; 1 Research Professor, 

Department of Civil Engineering, Hanyang University, 1271 Sa 3-dong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, 

Gyeonggi-do, 426-791, Korea (Tel. +82 31 400 4096, Fax. +82 31 502 5142, E-mail: 

tea5421@hanyang.ac.kr); 2 Master Degree Course, Department of Civil Engineering, Hanyan 

University, 1271 Sa 3-dong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, 426-791, Korea; 3 Researcher, 

Korea Industrial Complex Corp. (KICOX), 773-2 Wonsi-dong, Danwon-gu, Ansan City, Gyeonggido, 

425-852, Korea; 4 Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental System Engineering, 

Hanyang University, 1271 Sa 3-dong, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, 429-791, South Korea 

According to surface water pollution and developing industries, Korea also has been a member of 

water shortage countries in the world since 1993. There were various industrial complexes in 

Korea, which could be characterized by the major public products such as iron and steel, petrochemistry, 

semi-conduct, constructing ship, leather and dying, pulp and paper and so on. Those 

complexes consumed huge process water in a unit process in each industry and discharged 

various wastewater and waste. In order to protect environment and considering accelerated water 

shortage condition, all kinds of materials have been recycled and recovered, especially reclaimed 

water reuse as an irrigation of agriculture, groundwater recharge, industrial process water, and 

gray water. Since 2003, 

Eco-Industrial Park (EIP) constructing project started in 5 huge industrial complexes by Korean 

government. The aim of the EIP project was ‘no discharge waste’ by reusing and recycling all 

kinds of used water and materials. Banwol·Sihwa industrial complex is the one of those. In the 

complex located near Seoul and Yellow Sea, there were three major water-consumed industrial 

groups: pulp and paper making, leather processing, and beverage and dying making. Especially, 

pulp and paper making industries in the complex consumed 11.1% of total industrial process 

water, which is over 2 million ton per year. According to water price and supplying conditions, the 

operating and maintenance cost of pulp and paper making industries is gradually increasing. The 

process water has been recycled in several unit processes and amount of the recycled water was 

70% of used process water. As the results, scales forming materials and SS have been 

accumulated in the recycled water filtering system and then water conductivity was accumulated 

resulting in no more recycle without additional treatment. The required water quality for recycling 

is relatively worse than other main pulp and paper making unit processes. Considering above, the 

treated wastewater with high quality from food making industries was recommended as a 

substitute of the recycled water. In order to reuse the treated wastewater, conductivity must be 

satisfied to customer’s needs. Unfortunately, conductivity is not an item of discharge regulations, 

thus there was no data base. There are various cause materials of increasing conductivity such 

as cations (Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Fe 2+ , Na + ), TDS (total dissolved solids), colloidal particles, and so on. TDS 

could be converted and be contributed 75% of the conductivity considering common ‘rule of 

thumb’ of conductivity. 

The treated wastewater quality of ‘S’ food making company is very good and perfect except 

conductivity. The final effluent conductivity was 849~1620μS/cm. It was slightly higher rather than 

‘D’ pulp and paper making company’s requirement (less then 1000μS/cm). In order to identifying 

the main materials, a source tracking was carried out. In the source tracking, the drain lines of 

raw wastewater including manholes were checked and analyzed of the quality. There are two 

main plants in ‘S’ food making company, one was constructed in 1985 and the other was done in 

1993. By the source tracking, it was identified that the main point was the manholes located in 

older plant (constructed in 1985) of ‘S’ company and two of them were determined as major 

points of high fluctuated and level conductivity. The main material of arising conductivity was TDS 

(total dissolved solids) and the fraction was 86.8%. The value of the manholes from older plant 

273


was 1125~2010μS/cm and the value were 3.8 times of new one. Also, TDS concentration was 

very high and 1828.1~3504.2mg/L. The fraction of FDS was 80.8%, thus additionally metal ions 

was analysed and Ca 2+ was detected with 17.03~ 43.99mg/L. Moreover, Na + concentration was 

very high and was varied from 15.57mg/L to 213.8mg/L in the manhole 3, which connected in a 

cheese processing line. Also, Na + of the treated wastewater was high and was 120.4~279.2mg/L. 

Throughout the source tracking, it was determined that Na + concentration could be directly affect 

on conductivity increase rather than those of Ca 2+ . Consequently, Na + was the main cause 

material of conductivity increase of ‘S’ food making company. Also, it was decided that ‘S’ 

company’s treated wastewater could be substituted as a paper and pulp making industries’ 

recycled water with using small equalizing tank. 

Biography of Presenting Author 

Name: Mi-Hwa Kim 

Title: Ph.D. 

E-mail: tea5421@hanyang.ac.kr 

Tel. +82 400 4096, FAX. +82 502 5142 

Current Position: Research Professor in Department of Civil Engineering, Hanyang University, 

Korea 

Interesting Fields 

There are three interesting research fields. The first is the optimization, upgrading and/or 

retrofitting existing sewage (STPs) and municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWTPs) by 

implementing an interim fixed-biofilm BNR process. There are several considerations: 

maximization of internal carbon source usage in relation to energy (electronics and chemicals) 

saving and reducing GHGs (greenhouse gases), especially CO2 emission from the STPs and 

MWTPs, and no more enlargements of unwanted facilities. The second is environmental and ecofriendly 

reuse of reclaimed industrial wastewater as other industries’ process water considering 

worldwide water shortage condition. The main goal is a residual nutrients removal process using 

microalgae, especially diatom, in order to protect freshwater (river, lake, stream, and so on) and 

estuary ecosystem from the pollution by eutrophication and unexpected algae bloom. 

Educations 

Ph.D., 2001. “A Study of a Fixed-Biofilm BNR Process to Upgrading Existing Sewage Treatment 

Plants”, 

Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea 

M.D., 1997. Environmental Engineering, Pusan National University 

B.A., 1990. Marine Science, Pusan National University 

274


Sonoelectrochemical Treatment to Remove Cr(VI) from 

Wastewaters 

Martínez-Delgadillo, S.A. a *, Rodríguez, M.G. b , Mendoza, Víctor X. c , Puebla Héctor a and 

Barceló, Icela. D. d ; a Depto. Energía. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana –Azcapotzalco. Av. 

San Pablo 180. Azcapotzalco. CP 07740, México D.F. México; b Depto, ISA, ENCB, Instituto 

Politécnico Nacional. Av Wilfrido Massieu s/n U. P. Adolfo Lopez Mateos. México D.F.; c Depto. 

Electrónica. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana –Azcapotzalco. Av. San Pablo 180. 

Azcapotzalco. CP 07740, México D.F. México; d Depto. Ciencias Básicas. Universidad Autónoma 

Metropolitana –Azcapotzalco. Av. San Pablo 180. Azcapotzalco. CP 07740, México D.F. México 

In Mexico, most of the electroplating, leather tanning, and textile industries are small facilities, 

which release relatively large amounts of chromium in surface waters. In addition, solid wastes 

from chromate-processing facilities have been disposed of improperly in landfills, being sources 

of contamination for groundwater. The removal of Cr(VI) from metal-finishing liquors and 

wastewaters is necessary due to its toxicity. Certain compounds of Cr(VI) are carcinogenic, and 

the health effects of the chromium are closely related to its valence state and time of exposure. 

Electrochemical Cr(VI) reduction, with iron electrodes, is an alternative process, which has been 

studied and applied with success to remove Cr(VI) from wastewaters: However, the electrode 

passivation affects the performance and efficiency of the process. 

In this work, ultrasound was applied during the electrochemical process to reduce the passivation 

effect. Tubular and CSTR electrochemical reactors were used. Tests were performed operating 

the reactors in batch and continuous conditions. In addition, tests were carried out applying the 

ultrasound directly to the electrode and to the reactor tank. Ultrasonic power was applied by using 

40kHz ultrasonic transducers. A 300W time programmable generator was used to drive it. 

The results obtained have demonstrated that the ultrasound caused the Fe release rate, from the 

anode, increased; therefore the treatment time was reduced in more than 20%. Moreover, it was 

demonstrated that the pH have a strong influence in the sonoelectrochemical treatment because 

affects the solubility of the chemical chromium and iron species formed during the process. Cr 

(VI) concentration of the industrial wastewaters was reduced from about 1000 mg/L to values 

lower than 0.5 mg/L (maximum concentration permitted by the Mexican environmental 

regulations). 

The wastewater treated can be reused and the generated sludge was treated to recover the 

Cr(III), because it was separated from de Fe compounds. The sonoelectrochemical treatment can 

be applied to different waters and wastewaters to reduce the Cr(VI). 

* Martínez-Delgadillo, S. A a *, is the presenting and correspondence author. 

Email samd@correo.azc.uam.mx. Tel.52 5 53189044, Fax:52 5 53947378 

275

Biosketches: 


Martínez-Delgadillo, S. A a *. Ph D. He has different papers published in the wastewater 

treatment field, specifically at electrochemical wastewater treatment to remove Cr(VI). Currently, 

he is professor at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana. In addition, is member of the IWA 

and the American Chemical Society (ACS). 

Rodríguez, M.G. Ph. D candidate. She has publications in the wastewater treatment field, 

specifically at electrochemical wastewater treatment to remove Cr(VI). Currently, she is assistant 

professor at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional. She is a member of the IWA and the ACS. 

Mendoza, Víctor X. He is M. Sc in Control and Information Technology. He is working in chemical 

equipment instrumentation and control. Currently, he is professor at the Universidad Autónoma 

Metropolitana. 

Puebla Héctor, Ph D. He has different papers published in the control and automation field, 

specifically at chemical engineering processes. Currently, he is professor at the Universidad 

Autónoma Metropolitana. 

Barceló, Icela.. Ph D. She has publications in the wastewater treatment field, specifically at 

Chemical speciation Currently, she is professor at the at the Universidad Autónoma 

Metropolitana. In addition, is member of the IWA. 

276


Mechanisms Underlying the Effects of Membrane Fouling on the 

Nanofiltration of Trace Organic Contaminants 

Long Duc Nghiem (presenting author) 1, Poppy Jane Coleman 1, Christiane Espendiller 1,2; 1 

School of Civil Mining and Environmental Engineering, The University of Wollongong, 

Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; 2 Institute for Plant and Process Engineering, University of 

Applied Science, Cologne, Germany; * Corresponding author: longn@uow.edu.au; Tel: ++ 61 2 

4221 4590 

Abstract: The influence of membrane fouling on the retention of four trace organic contaminants – 

namely sulfamethoxazole, ibuprofen, carbamazepine, and triclosan – by nanofiltration 

membranes was investigated in this study. Humic acid, alginate, bovine serum albumin, and 

silica colloids were selected as model foulants to simulate various organic fractions and colloidal 

matter that are found in secondary treated effluent and surface water. The effects of membrane 

fouling on the separation process were delineated by comparing retention values of clean and 

fouled membranes and relate them to the membrane properties (under both clean and fouled 

conditions) as well as physicochemical characteristics of the trace organic contaminants. The 

effects of fouling on retention were found to be membrane pore size and foulant dependent. It is 

probable that the influence of membrane fouling on trace organic retention could be governed by 

four distinctive mechanisms: modification of the membrane charge surface, pore blocking, cake 

enhanced concentration polarisation, and modification of the membrane hydrophobicity. The 

presence of the fouling layer could affect the retention behavior of charged solutes by altering the 

membrane surface charge density. While the effect of surface charge modification was clear for 

inorganic salts, it was less obvious for the negatively charged pharmaceutical species 

(sulfamethoxazole and ibuprofen) examined in this investigation, possibly due to the interference 

of the pore blocking mechanism. Evidence of the cake enhanced concentration polarisation effect 

was quite clear, particularly under colloidal fouling conditions. In addition, organic fouling could 

also interfere with the solute – membrane interaction, and therefore, exerted considerable 

influence on the separation process of the hydrophobic trace organic contaminant triclosan. 

Keywords: Nanofiltration, organic fouling, colloidal fouling, trace organics, water recycling. 

277


Removal of Fungicide Residues from Drinking Water by Photo- 

Fenton Treatment Under Sunlight Irradiation 

Navarro S 1 , Fenoll J 2 , Vela N 1 , Ruiz E 2 , Flores P 2 , Navarro G 1 , Hellín P 2 ; 1 Departamento de 

Química Agrícola, Geología y Edafología. Facultad de Química. Universidad de Murcia, Campus 

Universitario de Espinardo. 30100, Murcia, Spain; 2 Departamento de Calidad y Garantía 

Alimentaria. Instituto Murciano de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDA). 

C/Mayor s/n. La Alberca, 30150 Murcia, Spain 

Introduction 

The removal of pesticides from water is a very important strategy from a health and hygienic point 

of view. However, many of them (toxic or refractory) are not amendable to microbial degradation. 

The use of light-induced reactions in water treatments has drawn increasing attention recently. 

Many investigations have been carried out with the aim of understanding the fundamental 

processes and enhancing photocatalytic efficiencies especially for water, air, and soil pollution 

control. Fenton-type systems employing Fe 2+ or Fe 3+ and H2O2 are a source of hydroxyl radicals 

( • OH) and therefore of interest for treatment of waters containing hazardous organic compounds. 

The basis of this chemistry is the Fenton reaction (Fe 2+ + H2O2) which produces • OH 

stoichiometrically and results in oxidation of the iron to Fe 3+ . In the case of Photo-Fenton, Fe 3+ or 

complexes obtained then act as the light absorbing species that produce another radical while the 

initial Fe 2+ is recovered. The main advantage of Fenton’s reagent over other • OH systems is that 

it is cheaper than TiO2 particles or ozone generators. 

Although modelling pesticide behaviour under laboratory conditions is a very useful tool for 

environmental studies, there is a need to conduct photodegradation studies in natural conditions. 

With this aim, in this work we have studied the degradation kinetics of several fungicides in 

drinking water by use of homogeneous photocatalysis and sunlight irradiation. 


The studied compounds were azoxystrobin, kresoxim-methyl, tebuconazole, hexaconazole, 

triadimenol, fludioxonil, cyprodinil, and pyrimethanil, which are fungicides commonly used in 

pepper protection in SE of Spain and considered “leacher” compounds under certain conditions. 

The experiment was carried out in a pilot plant placed in Murcia, SE Spain (latitude 37º59’N, 

longitude 1º08’W) using natural sunlight irradiation during September, 2008. Drinking water used 

had pH of 7.8, and EC of 0.73 dS m -1 . Water samples (150 l, n=3) were spiked with the pesticides 

(0.3-0.6 mg l -1 level) with commercial products. Ferrous salt (FeSO4.7H2O) and H2O2 (30%) were 

used to prepare Fenton´s reagent. Fe 2+ and H2O2 concentrations were 0.2 and 0.4 mM, 

respectively. The water pH was set at 2 by using 4 M H2SO4. Periodically, air was injected in the 

tank. Several samples were taken during the photoperiod (60 min), from 12-13 h. A LL 

microextraction method was used for the isolation of pesticides. Water samples were extracted by 

sonication with n-hexane-dichloromethane 1:1 mixture solvent. Finally, pesticide residues were 

quantified by GC-NPD and confirmed by GC/MS. 


All the curves show a rapid fungicide decay in the first five min followed by a much slower decay 

rate. According to the first order model (Ct=C0·e -kt ), the half lives (t½) for the studied fungicides 

ranged from 0.4 to 1.6 min for azoxystrobin and pyrimethanil, respectively. At the end of the 

process (60 min), about 93-100% of the fungicide residues were removed. The slower decay rate 

observed from the first 3-5 min indicate that both (Fe 2+ and H2O2) were consumable and/or would 

be deactivated in the process. Theoretically, hydroxyl radicals are quickly formed and the 

competition among the sub-reactions, in presence of fungicide residues, leads progressively to 

the loss of the oxidative power of the process, which justifies the deceleration of reaction rates. 

As conclusion we can affirm that Fenton´s process in combination with sunlight (Photo-Fenton) is 

278


an effective and rapid method for the removal of fungicide residues bearing in mind its high 

oxidation power. 

Biosketches: 

Simón Navarro (presenting author), Nuria Vela, and Ginés Navarro develop their work in the 

research group of Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry in the University of Murcia (Murcia, 

SE Spain). 

Phone: +34 968 367477 

Fax: +34 968 364148 


Jose Fenoll, Encarnación Ruiz, Pilar Flores, and Pilar Hellín are researchers of Department of 

Food Quality in the Institute of Agricultural and Food Research (Murcia, SE Spain). 

Phone: +34 968 366798 

Fax: +34 968 366792 



compartments. 

279


Remobilization of Heavy Metals from Sediment of Different 

Characteristics 

Jana Nabelkova (presenting author) and Dana Kominkova, CTU in Prague, Czech Republic 

Heavy metals (HM) are still one of the most serious environmental problems. Anthropogenic 

activities cause sustenance or even increase of HM concentrations in the environment. Urban 

drainage draining industrial waste water and storm water from traffic areas is the main sources of 

HM in aquatic environment in urban areas. Within the aquatic environment HM prefer binding into 

solid phase – suspended solids and mainly bed sediment, where they could be accumulated up 

to very high levels for a long time. The concentrations in sediment directly impact benthic 

organisms and they are potentially dangerous also for other aquatic and terrestrial organisms, 

either because of their transfer in the food chain or during acute events (a storm, an accidental 

release, flooding), when pollutants from sediment could be remobilized to liquid phase of the 

aquatic environment and be directly uptake by organisms. Especially small urban streams are the 

type of the environment that is very sensitive to sudden changes of conditions due to these acute 

events. 

HM behavior has been studied based on interconnection of in situ long term monitoring of three 

small urban streams with laboratory experimentation. The monitored streams run through the 

Prague area. Two of them, the Botic creek and the Rokytka creek, are impacted by combined 

sewer overflows (CSO) as well as storm water drains (SWD), the third creek, the Zatissky creek 

is impacted by SWD only. Beyond the monitoring of basic physico-chemical indicators, HM (Cd, 

Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn) have been monitored in water and sediment for more than three years. 

Concentrations have been compared with chosen EQS. Laboratory remobilization experiments 

examining behavior of Cu, Zn and Pb, metals identified by in situ monitoring as most significant in 

studied creeks, were performed. The equilibrium time has been experimented and factors 

affecting HM behavior: pH and hardness were modified and their effects were investigated. 

Sorption possibilities of metals onto contaminated sediment and metals behavior under conditions 

of limited amount of sediment have been studied as well. Another laboratory testing has been 

focused on studying of a dependence of HM concentrations on various characteristics of the 

sediment material. Distribution of HM among different grain size fractions and the significance of 

the amount of organic matter (OM) in sediment have been studied. Binding strength of metals in 

the sediment has been assessed based on a sequential extraction procedure. 

The results from the field monitoring have shown that the sediment of the creeks impacted by 

CSO (the Botic and the Rokytka creeks) is loaded by HM to higher levels, than the sediment of 

the Zatissky creek, impacted by SWD. In the cases of Cu, Zn and Pb, hazard concentrations 

according to EQS have been analyzed. Laboratory remobilization experiments showed relatively 

long equilibrium time for studied metals, 4 to 7 days, which is insignificant for small streams. 

Though, these tests also showed that the biggest changes (remobilization or sorption) occur in 

first minutes after an impact. As studied factors regards, pH has been recognized as an important 

indicator for Zn and Pb remobilization if its value decreases in water environment below pH 6. 

Studying of binding behavior of metals on sediment of different characteristics has brought also 

some interesting findings. The affinity of HM to bind into the finest fraction (Cu>Pb. Significant differences have been observed also 

among sediments impacted by different sources of pollution. Availability of HM in sediment 

impacted by SWD only (the Zatissky creek) is higher than in that impacted also by CSO (the Botic 

280


and the Rokytka creeks) despite the fact that overall concentrations are higher in sediments from 

the Botic creek and the Rokytka creek. 

Biosketches: 

Jana Nabelkova, Ph.D., CTU in Prague, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Sanitary and 

Ecological Engineering, Thakurova 7, Prague 6, 166 29, Czech Republic, Tel: +420 224 354 350, 

Fax: +420 224 355 474, e-mail: nabelkova@fsv.cvut.cz 

Jana Nabelkova is a research assistant specialized on the risk assessment of small urban 

streams whose natural status (chemical quality and hydraulics conditions) is impacted by urban 

drainage. Focus on chemical quality especially heavy metals. 

Dana Kominkova, Ph.D., CTU in Prague, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Sanitary 

and Ecological Engineering, Thakurova 7, Prague 6, 166 29, Czech Republic, Tel: +420 224 355 

447, Fax: +420 224 355 474, e-mail: kominkova@fsv.cvut.cz 

Dana Kominkova is associate professor at Czech Technical University in Prague. She focuses on 

heavy metals bioavailability and impact of urban drainage on chemical status of creeks and its 

consequence for changes of bioavailability. 

281


Integration of Nanofiltration and UV Disinfection for Drinking 

Water Treatment 

Vanessa J. Pereira (presenting author) 1* , Cristina T. Matos 1,2 , Sandra Sanches 1 , Conceição S. 

Almeida 3 , Luís A. Bucha 3 , Vitor Cardoso 3 , Maria J. Benoliel 3 , João G. Crespo 2 , Maria A. M. Reis 2 , 

Vitória San Romão 1 , Teresa Crespo 1 ; 1 Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica (IBET) 

and Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica (ITQB) - Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL); 2 

REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciência e Tecnologia – UNL; 3 EPAL - 

Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres, S.A. 

Key words: Drinking water treatment; Nanofiltration; Low pressure UV photolysis; Endocrine 

disrupting compounds removal; Microbial inactivation 

Taking into account that water supply can be considered as a potential carrier of contaminants to 

human beings and thus a direct threat to human health, production and distribution of drinking 

water with high chemical and microbiological quality has been object of growing interest by water 

providers and researchers. Attention has been focused in recent years on the effective removal of 

organic and inorganic micropollutants, and microbial inactivation of water pathogens. 

Nanofiltration is a membrane process where the membrane acts as a selective barrier based on 

surface chemical interactions (hydrophobic and electrostatic) as well as on size exclusion 

mechanisms, due to a high control of its structure. 

The introduction of nanofiltration previously to UV radiation/chlorination disinfection step(s) will 

reduce the level of micropollutant contamination of the drinking water supplies due to retention 

based on size exclusion (down to 200 Da molecular weight) and surface chemistry; additionally 

nanofiltration acts as a protective barrier that allows reduction of the microbial contamination in 

the water to be disinfected by retention of water pathogens. As a consequence, the nanofiltered 

water will be effectively disinfected by UV radiation and the level of chlorination does not need to 

be so high, with the corresponding positive impact by reduction of disinfection by-products, 

increased water quality and public acceptance. 

This study evaluated the laboratory scale integration of nanofiltration and UV disinfection for 

drinking water treatment in order to guarantee removal of several endocrine disrupting 

micropollutants and an effective microbial inactivation in terms of bacteria (Escherichia coli, total 

coliforms, and enterococci) and fungi isolated from the source water. The nanofiltration process 

removed all bacteria as well as several regulated and unregulated pollutants, even for a water 

recovery ratio of 98%. Direct photolysis results at UV fluences between 100 and 500 mJ/cm 2 

showed that low pressure lamps are very efficient inactivating the selected bacteria and 

degrading progestrone, while showing negligible removals of 17β-estradiol and 17αethynylestradiol. 

This multiple water treatment barrier approach proved to be extremely effective 

for removal of the selected endocrine disrupting compounds as well as microbial inactivation of 

water pathogens (bacteria and fungi). 


Financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BPD/26990/2006) as well 

as from the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism, EPAL, Município de Almada and 

IBET (through project PT0012) is gratefully acknowledged. We also thank Trojan Technologies 

Inc. for providing the collimated beam bench-scale reactor, VWR for the LaChromUltra system, 

and Idexx Laboratories through Iberlab and Imunoreage for the Quanty Tray Sealer 220. 

282

Biosketch: 


Vanessa J. Pereira is currently a researcher at IBET/ITQB-UNL in Portugal. Her research 

interests include UV photolysis, advanced oxidation processes, nanofiltration and analytical 

method development. She obtained her Masters and PhD degrees at the Department of 

Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 


IBET/ITQB-UNL; Av. da República, Estação Agronómica Nacional, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal; 

Telephone: 351 214469568/52; Fax: 351 21 4421161; email: vanessap@itqb.unl.pt 

283


Low Pressure Direct and Indirect UV Degradation of Priority 

Pollutants in Drinking Water Sources 

Sanches, S. 1 , Ricardo, J. 1 , Leitão, M.C. 1 , Penetra, A.I. 2 , Cardoso, V.V. 2 , Benoliel, M.J. 2 , Crespo, 

M.T.B. 1 , Crespo, J.G. 3 , Pereira, V. J. (presenting author) 1* ; 1 Instituto de Biologia Experimental e 

Tecnológica (IBET)/Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica (ITQB) - Universidade Nova de 

Lisboa (UNL), Oeiras, Portugal; 2 Laboratório Central da Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres 

(EPAL), S.A.; 3 REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciência e 

Tecnologia - UNL 

Key words: UV/LP; direct and indirect photolysis; drinking water; pesticides; PAHs 

Low pressure (LP) ultraviolet (UV) radiation that emit primarily monochromatic light at 254nm, is 

widely used for drinking water disinfection due to its effectiveness against a wide range of 

waterborne pathogens (1). In addition to its disinfection effectiveness, at higher fluences UV can 

also degrade organic compounds by direct photolysis as a consequence of light absorption by 

photolabile compounds or by indirect photolysis that will lead to the formation of highly reactive, 

nonselective, and short-lived hydroxyl radicals (2-4). 

Photocatalysis relies on the formation of strongly oxidative radicals (hydroxyl radicals) that 

inactivate microorganisms and degrade resilient organic micropollutants, and may be carried out 

in the presence of a semi-conductor or in the presence of chemical oxidants such as iron and 

hydrogen peroxide. Photocatalysis using hydrogen peroxide has proven to be efficient for 

application in water disinfection and degradation of pollutants. In other areas of research, titanium 

dioxide revealed to be a very promising material in promoting a good level of disinfection and 

efficient destruction of chemical compounds, having been considered for an extremely wide range 

of cleaning and sterilising applications (5). 

This study reports the effectiveness of LP/UV direct and indirect radiation – using hydrogen 

peroxide and titanium dioxide – in different drinking water sources for degradation of many 

xenobiotics of interest such as substances identified as priority in the European Water Framework 

Directive (2000/60/EC). The selected xenobiotics included pesticides (alachlor, atrazine, 

chlorfenvinphos, diuron, isoproturon, and pentachlorophenol), and polynuclear aromatic 

hydrocarbons (anthracene, fluoranthene, naphthalene, benzo(a)pyrene, and 

benzo(g,h,i)perylene). 


Financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PTDC/AMB/66024/2006 and 

SFRH/BPD/26990/2006) is gratefully acknowledged. We thank Trojan Technologies Inc. for 

providing a collimated beam bench-scale reactor and VWR for a LaChromUltra system. 

References 

(1) Linden, K. G.; Shin, G.; Faubert, G.; Cairns, W.; Sobsey, M. D. (2002): Environ. Sci. Technol. 

36:2519 -2522. 

(2) Sharpless, C. M.; Linden, K. L. (2003): Environ. Sci. & Technol. 37:1933-1940. 

(3) Pereira, V. J., Weinberg, H. S., Linden, K. G., Singer, P. C. (2007): Environ. Sci. Technol. 

41:1682-1688. 

(4) Pereira, V. J., Weinberg, H. S., Linden, K. G. (2007): Water Research, 41:4413-4423 

(5) Fujishima, A. et al., (2000): Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology C: Photochemistry 

Reviews 1:1-21. 

284

Biosketch 


Vanessa J. Pereira is currently a researcher at IBET/ITQB-UNL in Portugal. Her research 

interests include UV photolysis, advanced oxidation processes, nanofiltration and analytical 

method development. She obtained her Masters and PhD degrees at the Department of 

Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. 


IBET/ITQB-UNL; Av. da República, Estação Agronómica Nacional, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal; 

Telephone: 351 214469568/52; Fax: 351 21 4421161; email: vanessap@itqb.unl.pt 

285


Human Waste Stabilization and Heavy Metals in a Public Dry 

Toilet System with Large Storage Capacity Tested in Sweden 

Darlan Pereira a , Jeanger Juanga a , Marcia Marques b , William Hogland a ; a School of Pure & 

Applied Natural Science, Faculty of Natural Science & Technology, University of Kalmar; 

b Dep. of Sanitary & Environ. Engineering, Rio de Janeiro State University-UERJ, RJ, Brazil 

In a water shortage scenario, dry sanitation is an attractive strategy to supply populations with 

sanitation services. Additionally, new sanitation concepts where streams are separated at the 

source and treated according to their characteristics is an important control strategy to avoid 

release of micropollutants and hazards elements as heavy metals to the environment. A public 

toilet based on dry sanitation technology (testing phase) placed at different roadsides in Sweden 

was investigated regarding the degree of stabilization of the waste. The dry toilet system 

evaluated consists of a toilet cabin, storage container underneath, drainage system at the bottom 

of the container to collect percolated liquid, ventilation and heating system inside the cabin. The 

storage container is located in a secondary chamber made of stainless with storage capacity for 

2.8 m 3 of solid waste. Located at the bottom, a bed of filtering material with a perforated screen 

allows drainage of rest liquid (basically urine). The ventilation consists of a channel fan installed 

in the system, which brings air from the outside that moves down to the storage container through 

the latrine to also avoid odor in the toilet cabin. Two toilets and their storage containers under 

operation during 1 and 2 years (RE01 and RE02 respectively) and a third one (RE03) kept closed 

during 1 year, after 7 years in operation were studied. The residues inside the containers were 

divided into layers, according to the amount of waste stored, being one layer for RE01, two layers 

for RE02 and three layers for RE03. The biological stabilization of the human waste was 

assessed through measurements of pH, moisture content, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), 

temperature, total carbon, volatile solids (VS), total solids (TS), P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd, Fe, 

Al, Si, Mo, B in the masses and COD and BOD in the percolated liquid collected underneath the 

container, formed basically by urine. The fate of nitrogen and its transformation process in the 

system was also evaluated. Respirometry tests were carried out with the purpose of assessing 

the aerobic biological activity in the masses. The ORP values from -67 to -330 mV and the high 

moisture content above 78% in all layers and containers indicated unsuitable environmental 

conditions for aerobic decomposition and limited air/oxygen diffusion. High concentrations of 

metals in all layers and containers were found, such as for Zn (210−417 mg kg -1 ), Cu (33.5−79 

mg kg -1 ), Ni (1.0−7.3 mg kg -1 ), Al (265−1,100 mg/kg) and Cd (0.50−0.93 mg/kg), compared to 

concentration values found in the literature for fresh human waste. A process of metal 

accumulation in the system resulting in inhibition of microbiological metabolism is likely to occur. 

The total ammonium nitrogen in the containers varying from 5,400 to 24,600 mg/kg (dry matter) 

suggested also the possibility of methanogenesis inhibition. The values for BOD and COD in the 

percolated liquid, depending on the container varied from 10 to 1700 mg L -1 (BOD) and from 550 

to 2100 mg L -1 (COD). According to the respirometry test carried out in the three layers of the 7 

years-old container (RE03) low level or aerobic metabolism is registered. Apparently, the age of 

the human waste measured by the number of years the containers have been in operation plus 

the post-closure period (in the case of RE03) does not result in considerable difference regarding 

waste stabilization, indicating the interruption of such process due to microbial metabolism 

inhibition. Some improvements to be considered in the case aerobic treatment is targeted are: 

changes in the aeration system to guarantee the air passes through the human waste mass in the 

container; temperature maintenance within optimum range for composting; periodic 

homogenization of the masses; amendment material to reduce moisture content and increase 

porosity and air distribution. In all cases, more energy shall be consumed. 

286

Biosketches: 


Darlan Pereira - PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering and Recycling at the University of 

Kalmar, MSc in Environmental Engineering, University of Porto, Portugal (2007). Pereira research 

at University of Kalmar focuses on fate and degradation of pharmaceuticals and hazards 

compounds in dry sanitation systems. Landgången 3, Kalmar 391 82, Sweden 

darlan.azevedopereira@hik.se, +46 480 44 7355. 

Jeanger Juanga - Master of Engineering in Environmental Engineering and Management at Asian 

Institute of Technology (2005), BSc Engineering Technology, Technological University of the 

Philippines Visayas (2000), Chemical Engineering, Technology Technological University of the 

Philippines Visayas (1998). Landgången 3, Kalmar 391 82, Sweden jeanger.juanga@hik.se, +46 

480 44 7355 

Marcia Marques - Visiting Professor in Ecotechnology, Mid Sweden University (2008), PhD in 

Chemical Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden (2000), Marques research at Rio 

de Janeiro State University focuses on biological processes in soil bioremediation and waste 

treatment. UERJ, S. Francisco Xavier, 524, sl 5024E, RJ Brazil marcia@marques.pro.br, +55 21 

812 423 82 

William Hogland - Professor in Environmental Engineering and Recycling at the University of 

Kalmar, DSc in Civil Engineering-Water Resources Engineering, Lund University, Sweden, 

Hogland’s research area includes waste and wastewater management, landfill mining, baling 

technology for waste storage. Landgången 3, Kalmar 391 82, Sweden. william.hogland@hik.se, 

+46 705 858 352 

287


Predictive Model to Determine Micropollutant Removal by 

Granular Activated Carbon Filtration 

D.J. de Ridder 1) , M. Mcconville 1) 1) 2) 

, A.R.D. Verliefde , S.G.J. Heijman 1) , L.T.J. van der Aa 1) 3) , P. 

Scholte 3) , L.C. Rietveld 1) , G.L. Amy 1) 4) , J.C. van Dijk 1) ; 1) Department of Sanitary Engineering, 

Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands; 2) Faculty of Chemical Engineering, University of 

New South Wales, Australia; 3) Waternet, the Netherlands; 4) Unesco-IHE 

Introduction 

The occurrence of organic micro-pollutants in drinking water sources has opened a new field of 

study related to monitoring concentration levels in water sources, evaluating their toxicity and 

estimating their removal in drinking water treatment processes. Because a large number of 

organic micro-pollutants are present in drinking water sources, only a representative set of 

surrogates can be investigated thoroughly due to time and money constraints. In this work, a 

model is presented predicting the removal of individual compounds by activated carbon. The 

required input parameters are derived from the chemical structure of the compounds . As a result 

an experiment-free method is presented to estimate compound removal in activated carbon 

filtration. 

Experimental set-up 

Removal of 21 pharmaceuticals from different water types by granular activated carbon (GAC) 

has been measured using batch experiments. Compounds with varying charge parameters (pKa), 

hydrophobicity (expressed as log Kow) and size (MW values) were selected, in order to include 

removal mechanisms related to charge attraction/repulsion, size exclusion and hydrophobichydrophobic 

(solute-carbon affinity) interaction. Compound removal was measured on one 

carbon type, both freshly regenerated and preloaded with surface water. Three different water 

matrices were used: ultra pure water, surface water and waste water effluent. For each water 

type, equilibrium removal was determined at 7 carbon doses. Furthermore, competition effects 

during simultaneous spiking of three different compounds were investigated, yielding a total of 70 

individual batch equilibrium experiments. Equilibrium removal rates on preloaded carbon were 

fitted, using a model based on multivariable linear regression. 

Results 

The influence of solute size (MW) on solute removal appeared to be insignificant over the range 

studied (200-300 g/mol), and therefore, MW was excluded as a parameter in the multivariable 

linear regression model. Removal of positively charged solutes was relatively high in all water 

types (surface water: all >50%), while negatively charged solutes generally were poorly removed 

(surface water: 5-60%). Solute hydrophobicity had a relatively large effect on removal of 

negatively charged solutes, while the effect was more limited for positively charged or neutral 

solutes. This effect can be attributed to the higher log Kow values (>3) of negatively charged 

solutes (neutral/positively charged compounds: log Kow

Biosketches: 


David de Ridder (corresponding author) is a PhD student at the Sanitary Engineering 

Department of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at Delft University of Technology. Currently, he 

investigates pharmaceutical removal on activated carbon, in order to construct a QSAR model to 

predict compound removal with this process. Tel. +31 (0)15-2781718; e-mail: 

d.j.deridder@tudelft.nl; Mailing address : P.O. Box 5048, 2600GA Delft, the Netherlands 

Megan McConville works at Ross Environmental Associates in Vermont. She spent September 

2007 through June 2008 in the Netherlands researching emerging contaminants at Delft 

University of Technology and UNESCO-IHE while on a Fulbright Scholarship. She graduated 

with a degree in Environmental Chemistry from Whitman College in May 2007. Tel. 303-880- 

8340; e-mail: megan.mcconville@gmail.com; mailing address: 16 B Pine st., VT 05404, Winooski, 

USA 

Dr. Arne Verliefde just finished his Ph.D. research on removal of organic micro-pollutants by 

high pressure membranes at Delft University of Technology. He is currently working as a visiting 

fellow at the University of New South Wales in the UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science & 

Technology. Tel. +61-2-93854382; e-mail: a.r.d.verliefde@tudelft.nl; Mailing address : P.O. Box 

5048, 2600GA Delft, the Netherlands 

Dr. Bas Heijman is a researcher in at the sanitary engineering department of the faculty of civil 

engineering at Delft University of Technology. His main field of research is membrane technology. 

Tel. +31 15 2781585; e-mail: S.G.J.Heijman@TUDelft.nl; Mailing address: P.O. Box 5048, 

2600GA Delft, the Netherlands 

Rene van der Aa is PhD student at Delft University of Technology. He investigates the efficacy of 

biological activated carbon filters. A model is constructed to describe this, which includes 

parameters as AOC content and specific biological growth rates of different bacteria species. Tel. 

+31 20 5537054; e-mail: Rene.van.der.Aa@waternet.nl; Mailing address: P.O. Box 5048, 


Petra Scholte is a senior researcher/consultant at Waternet. Waternet is a water supply 

company which handles drinking water, waste water and surface water in and around the 

Amsterdam Area. Tel. +31 (0)206087732; e-mail: petra.scholte@waternet.nl; Mailing address: 

P.O. Box 94370, 1090 GJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands 

Dr. Luuk Rietveld is Associate Professor Drinking Water Technology at Delft University of 

Technology and specialises in modelling of drinking water treatment processes. He is (co-)author 

of 25 papers in peer-reviewed journals and over 100 papers in conference proceedings. Tel. +31 

(0)152784732; e-mail: L.C.Rietveld@tudelft.nl ; Mailing address : P.O. Box 5048, 2600GA Delft, 

the Netherlands 

Prof. Gary Amy is a professor of water supply engineering at Unesco-IHE. His main research 

focus is on the fields of QSAR’s and of NOM (characterisation and impact in water treatment 

processes). Tel. +31 (0)152151781; e-mail: g.amy@unesco-ihe.org; mailing address: PO box 

3015, 2601 DA Delft, The Netherlands 

Prof. Hans van Dijk is a professor of Drinking water technology at Delft university of Technology. 

At the moment, he is promoter for 13 PhD students on various aspects of drinking water 

treatment. Tel. +31 (0)152785227; e-mail: j.c.vandijk@tudelft.nl; Mailing address : P.O. Box 5048, 


289


Leaching of Insecticides and Acaricides Through 

Soil Columns 

Ruiz E 1 , Fenoll J 1 , Vela N 2 , Flores P 1 , Navarro G 2 , Hellín P 1 , Navarro S 2 ; 1 Departamento de. 

Calidad y Garantía Alimentaria. Instituto Murciano de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario y 

Alimentario (IMIDA). C/Mayor s/n. La Alberca, 30150 Murcia, Spain; 2 Departamento de Química 

Agrícola, Geología y Edafología. Facultad de Química. Universidad de Murcia, Campus 

Universitario de Espinardo. 30100, Murcia, Spain. 

Introduction 

Adsorption, degradation and transfer processes determine the ultimate fate of the pesticides in 

the environment. Transfer processes move pesticides in the environment. Concretely, leaching 

(the movement of water and dissolved chemicals through the soil) of pesticides into the 

groundwater from agricultural practices is receiving increasing attention. In Mediterranean 

countries a high percentage of the drinking water is subtracted from groundwater. For this reason, 

the EU established the individual (0.1 µg/L) and total (0.5 µg/L) concentrations of pesticides in 

drinking water to safeguard people from harmful effects. Under certain conditions, some 

pesticides may leach to groundwater from normal field applications. In this process, the 

physicochemical properties of the agrochemicals used, as well as soil properties play a decisive 

role. The increased concern over pesticides in surface and groundwaters requires the evaluation 

of their mobility as a basis of risk analysis. Lysimeters and soil columns offer good possibilities to 

conduct such tests, because they constitute closed systems, with the control of water leaching 

through the soil. 

Bearing in mind the above mentioned, we have studied the mobility of pyridaben, pyriproxifen, 

tebufenpyred, buprofezin and pirimicarb, insecticides and/or acaricides used in a wide range of 

crops, using soil columns under laboratory conditions. 


The soil samples were taken from Campo de Cartagena (Murcia, SE Spain), air dried and sieved 

to pass a 2 mm mesh. Texture was clay loam and the soil had a pH of 7.86, OM 1.59%, and EC 

3.54 dS m -1 . Water used had pH of 8.22, EC 0.93 dS m -1 and DOC 1.42 mg l -1 . Downward 

movement of the insecticide was studied in PVC columns (30 cm x 3 cm i.d.) with 150 g of soil. 

Nylon mesh with an effective pore diameter of 60 µm was placed on the base of each column to 

minimizing the dead-end volume. Before the application of the compound, columns were 

conditioned with 100 ml of water and then allowed to drain for 24 h. Five millilitres of a 

methanol/water solution containing 100 µg of each compound were added to the top of each 

column (five replications). Twenty four hours after insecticide application, the compounds were 

leached with water which was applied at a rate of 50 ml daily during 10 days. After this time, the 

columns were opened and the soil separated in two fractions of approximately 10 cm each one. 

Leachates (20 ml) were extracted with 40 ml of n-hexane-dichloromethane 1:1 mixture solvent. 

Soil samples (5 g) were extracted with 30 ml of acetonitrile/water (2/1) by sonication. After 

sonication, 20 ml of dichloromethane were added and then centrifuged for 10 min at 1900xg. 

Finally, insecticide residues were determined in both cases by GC-NPD and confirmed by 

GC/MS. 


Total recoveries of pesticide residues from soil and water were in the range 94-115% for 

pyriproxifen and pyridaben, respectively. Only pirimicarb was found in leachates (48% of the 

initial amount) while 16 and 39% of its residue level was recovered from the upper and lower soil 

layers, respectively. For the other studied pesticides, the percentage remaining in the top soil 

fraction varied from 93-114% for pyriproxifen and pyridaben, respectively. For those compounds, 

no more than 1% of the added amount was recovered from the bottom soil fraction. The 

difference in the insecticide distribution shows that the leaching is inversely related to their soil 

290


adsorption coefficient (as log KOC) having pyridaben and piriproxyfen the higher (>5) and 

pirimicarb the lower value (1.5). Thus, pirimicarb can be denominated as “leacher” compound in 

the used conditions being able to provoke in some cases the pollution of groundwater while 

pyridaben, pyriproxifen, tebufenpyred, and buprofezin behave as “non-leacher” pesticides. 

Biosketches: 

Jose Fenoll (presenting author), Encarnación Ruiz, Pilar Flores, and Pilar Hellín are researchers 

of Department of Food Quality in the Institute of Agricultural and Food Research (Murcia, SE 

Spain). 

Phone: +34 968 366798 

Fax: +34 968 366792 


Simón Navarro, Nuria Vela, and Ginés Navarro develop their work in the research group of 

Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry in the University of Murcia (Murcia, SE Spain). 

Phone: +34 968 367477 

Fax: +34 968 364148 



compartments. 

291


Quantifying Formation of Unregulated Emerging DBPS in 

Chlorinated Water Using Absorbance and Fluorescence Indexes 

Paolo Roccaro (presenting author) and Federico G. A. Vagliasindi, Department of Civil and 

Environmental Engineering, University of Catania, Catania, Italy 95125; and Gregory V. Korshin, 

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 

98195-2700; e-mail: proccaro@dica.unict.it, fvaglias@dica.unict.it, korshin@u.washington.edu 

Background 

Extensive efforts have been made to investigate the occurrence, formation and health effects of 

many species and classes of disinfection by-products (DBP). Among the identified DBPs, several 

classes of unregulated DBPs (e.g. halofuranones, nitrosamines, haloacetonitriles, 

halonitromethanes, haloaldehydes) occur at low-ppt to low-ppb levels. Although these 

concentrations are at least one order of magnitude less than those of regulated DBPs, the toxicity 

of many unregulated DBPs makes it necessary to determine pathways of their formation and 

predict their concentrations. Among these groups of DBP, special attention should be given to 

brominated and N-containing DBP because they tend to be more toxic than their chlorinated 

analogues and C-containing DBP. This study explored the use of spectroscopic indexes to 

quantify the formation of unregulated emerging DBP (brominated and N-containing species) in 

chlorinated raw or treated water from the Ancipa WTP in Sicily. 


Chlorination experiments were conducted using untreated and treated waters from the Ancipa 

drinking water treatment plant (Sicily, Italy). Samples were filtered through a 0.45 μm filter before 

to be chlorinated. The DOC concentrations of the untreated and treated Ancipa waters were 2.9 

and 2.0 mg/L respectively, while SUVA254 values were 2.8 and 1.8 L•mg -1 •m -1 , respectively. 

Chlorination was carried out with free chlorine at pH 7.0 in the presence of 0.03 mol/L phosphate 

buffer and temperatures 3±1, 20±1 and 34±1°C. Initial chlorine doses were 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 

1.5 and 2.0 mg Cl2 per mg DOC and reaction time ranged from 10 minutes to 7 days. Absorbance 

and fluorescence spectra (with excitation at 320 nm) were obtained with a Perkin-Elmer Lamda 

18 spectrophotometer and Perkin-Elmer LS-50B fluorometer, respectively. TOC was analyzed 

using an O.I. Analytical 1010 Total Organic Carbon Analyzer. Concentrations of DBP including 

THMs, haloacetic acids (HAAs), haloacetonitriles (HANs), chloral hydrate and chloropicrin, were 

determined using EPA 551.1 and 552.2 standard methods and a Perkin-Elmer AutoSystem gas 

chromatograph equipped with an electron capture detector. 


Selected differential absorbance and fluorescence indexes, namely differential absorbance at 272 

nm (ΔΑ272), differential position of wavelength that corresponds to 50% of the maximum intensity 

of fluorescence (Δλ0.5) and differential ratio of fluorescence emission intensities measured at 500 

and 450 nm (Δ(Ι500/Ι450)) were found to be strongly correlated with the concentrations of emerging 

DBPs such as chloral hydrate, halocetonitriles, chlorociprin and brominated species. The results 

also indicated that the relationships between concentrations of such DBP or their speciation (e.g. 

halocetonitriles) and these spectroscopic indexes were valid regardless of variations of the 

chlorination conditions (initial chlorine concentration, reaction time and temperature). The 

speciation of the HAN and other DBP groups was observed to be strongly correlated with 

changes of differential absorbance or fluorescence. These changes indicated the prevalence of 

bromination pathway at initial phases of DBP formation. These effects can be used to determine 

fundamental descriptors of the formation of HAN and other emerging DBP species. These 

observations also indicate that the use of the differential spectroscopic indexes is potentially 

attractive for real time monitoring of individual emerging DBP species and their groups that 

comprise brominated species and N-containing DBP. 

292



Paolo Roccaro is Assistant Professor at University of Catania, where he received his Laurea 

(Italian 5 years degree) in Civil Engineering. He also has a PhD degree from University of Salerno 

(Italy). His research interests include water and wastewater treatments, Natural Organic Matter 

and Disinfection By-Products, emerging micropollutants. 

Address: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Catania, Viale A. 

Doria 6, 95125, Catania (Italy). Phone: 0039 095 7382729; fax: 0039 095 7382748. E-mail: 

proccaro@dica.unict.it. 

Federico Guido Adolfo Vagliasindi is Professor at University of Catania, where he received his 

Laurea (Italian 5 years degree) in Civil Engineering. He also has a PhD degree from University of 

Washington in Seattle (USA). His research interests include water and wastewater treatments, 

remediation of contaminated sites and waste management. 



fvaglias@dica.unict.it. 

Gregory Vladimir Korshin is a Professor at University of Washington. He received his PhD in 

physical chemistry and electrochemistry from Kazan State Technological University (Russia). His 

research interests include environmental chemistry, water quality modelling and online 

monitoring, water treatment, corrosion control, nuclear remediation. 

Address: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Box 352700 University of 

Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-2700. Phone (206) 543-2374, fax (206) 685-9185. E-mail: 

korshin@u.washington.edu. 

293


Vanadium Removal from Groundwaters by Adsorption: Bench 

and Pilot Scale Studies 

Paolo Roccaro and Federico G. A. Vagliasindi (presenting author); Department of Civil and 

Environmental Engineering, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy; Phone: 

0039 095 7382704; 0039 095 7382729; fax: 0039 095 7382748; E-mail: proccaro@dica.unict.it, 

fvaglias@dica.unict.it 

Background 

Although the occurrence and removal of Vanadium in industrial wastewater has been widely 

studied, only limited information is available with reference to drinking water supplies. Specifically, 

Vanadium in drinking water sources is not always regulated and, therefore, monitored and 

reported data on its removal were often obtained using synthetic waters. Groundwater of Mount 

Etna (Sicily, Italy), widely used for potable purposes (over 2 m 3 /s), contains high levels of 

Vanadium with peak values over 200 μg/L. Due to the limited epidemiological evidence, at 

present there is not sufficient knowledge to establish the human toxicity of Vanadium. However, 

Vanadium, included by U.S. EPA in the second and third Contaminant Candidate List (CCL), is 

regulated by both the Italian and European rules for drinking water, with a Maximum Contaminant 

Level (MCL) of 50 μg/L. 

In this study the removal of Vanadium naturally present in groundwater (Etna Volcano aquifer) 

has been investigated by adsorption processes in both bench and pilot scale studies. 


Three water sources with different ions concentrations were collected from Etna aquifer and 

tested. Six resins were chosen based on the speciation of vanadium in groundwater (mainly 

anionic form), on results from previous studies conducted on contaminants with similar chemical 

characteristics. Six different types of resin have been used as adsorbent media in packed 

columns including strong/weak anionic with ionic form as shipped Cl - /OH - , and chelating resins. 

Regeneration of resins was also carried out. Batch tests were carried out with a Jar test using 

FeCl3 as coagulant and the effect of the operating parameters such as coagulant dose, time and 

speed of flash/slow mixing, pH, temperature and flocculants dose (cationic polymer) on the 

effectiveness of vanadium removal have been investigated. Based on results obtained from the 

batch tests, bench and pilot scale coagulation plants have been performed in order to verify the 

efficiency of the process and to optimize the operating conditions. 


Column tests using different commercial adsorbents media have shown that Vanadium is well 

removed by chelating and synthetic ion exchange resins; however significant drawbacks have 

been observed employing these processes, such as the frequent regeneration due to the 

presence of competing ions (e.g. SO4 2- and Cl - ) or the stringent operating conditions (pH 5.5) 

required in some cases (e.g. chelating resin). On the other hand, the removal of Vanadium by 

adsorption onto iron hydroxides formed in the coagulated water has been found very effective in 

both bench and pilot scale plants. The treatment chain has been optimized as well as the 

operating parameters during pilot test studies. In particular, since iron oxide particles were found 

difficult to remove by granular filtration (in-line filtration scheme) due to the breakthrough of 

adsorbed vanadium, flocculation basin and polymer addition have been employed to avoid 

vanadium adsorption kinetic limitations and to assure appropriate size of the flocks. Optimal 

removal was obtained employing a direct filtration scheme with 5.0 mg Fe/L of FeCl3 and 0.3 

mg/L of cationic polymer as flocculation aid. The produced sludge has been estimated based on 

pilot plant results. Obtained results highlight that Vanadium can be removed from natural waters 

by sorption on iron oxyhydroxide formed during a conventional coagulation process using FeCl3 

294


as coagulant and at natural pH. This process can be used as a valid alternative to the adsorption 

on packed column systems. 


Paolo Roccaro (presenting author) 

Paolo Roccaro is Assistant Professor at University of Catania, where he received his Laurea 

(Italian 5 years degree) in Civil Engineering. He also has a PhD degree from University of Salerno 

(Italy). His research interests include water and wastewater treatments, Natural Organic Matter 

and Disinfection By-Products, emerging micropollutants. 



proccaro@dica.unict.it. 

Federico Guido Adolfo Vagliasindi 

Federico Guido Adolfo Vagliasindi is Professor at University of Catania, where he received his 

Laurea (Italian 5 years degree) in Civil Engineering. He also has a PhD degree from University of 

Washington in Seattle (USA). His research interests include water and wastewater treatments, 

remediation of contaminated sites and waste management. 



fvaglias@dica.unict.it. 

295


Levels and Isomer Profiles of Dechlorane Plus in Water in 

Songhuajiang River, China 

Nanqi Ren1, Hong Qi1, Liyan Liu1, Xinyuan Shi1, Yi-Fan Li1,2, Ed Sverko2,3; 1 International 

Joint Research Center for Persistent Toxic Substances (IJRC-PTS), State Key Laboratory of 

Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China; 2 

Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, Toronto/Berlington, Ontario, Canada; 3 

IJRC-PTS, Department of Chemistry, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 

Dechlorane Plus (DP), a chlorinated flame retardant (C18H12Cl12) which has been 

manufactured for over 40 years. This formulation is used primarily in products such as cable 

coatings, plastic roofing materials and hard connectors in computers and televisions. While the 

analysis of brominated flame retardants, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), in the 

environment has been a primary focus of environmental scientists during the last decade, DP has 

only recently been reported to be in the environment since 2006. Recent research clearly 

demonstrated the biomagnification of DP for certain trophic relationships in food webs within Lake 

Winnipeg and Lake Ontario in Canada. Based on these data, the bioaccumulation potential of 

DP has been suggested to be re-evaluated. Monitoring of DP has been conducted at the 

International Joint Research Centre for Persistent Toxic Substances (IJRC-PTS) centered at the 

Harbin Institute of Technology in Harbin, China. DP levels in ambient air, together with isomeric 

composition data, from samples collected using a network of passive air samplers (PASs) 

deployed across China was published. In this study, we present DP levels in water of 

Songhuajiang River, located in the Northeast of China. 48 water samples were collected along 

the river in May-October, 2006, among which, 22 samples collected from 10 sites in the section of 

the river passing the City of Harbin (SHJ-Hrb), and 14 from 14 rural sampling sites along the river 

(SHJ-Rural). In comparison, 12 samples were collected from 8 sites in the 2 tributaries of the 

Songhuajiang River passing through the center of the city and the upstreams and downstreams 

of the 2 sewage treatment plants in the City of Harbin (Hrb). DP was detected in 16 of these 48 

samples with a detection rate of 33%; the mean water concentration in Hrb (696 ± 1384 pg L-1) 

was approximately four times greater than the levels measured in SHJ-Hrb (160 ± 514 pg L-1), 

and more than 27 times greater than the levels measured in SHJ-Rural (25 ± 67 pg L-1). 33% of 

the urban samples (Hrb) and the majority of samples in SHJ-Hrb (73%) and in SHJ-Rural (86%) 

were below the detection limit. These DP levels are likely attributable to local sources in urban 

areas, such as the City of Harbin, rather than the sources due to long-range transport. This 

paper represents the first report of DP levels in Chinese water. 

296


Occurrence of Pharmaceutical Products in the Aquatic 

Environment for a Small Island Developing State 

J. A. Radhay (presenting author), Wastewater Management Authority, Mauritius; M. S. Jauffur, 

Wastewater Management Authority, Mauritius 

In developed countries where waterborne sewerage and conventional wastewater treatment 

systems predominate, many micropollutants of pharmaceutical origin transit through wastewater 

treatment plants with little or no alteration and are released into the aquatic environment. A 

number of studies and projects have thus been conducted in developed countries having a 

temperate climate. 

However prevailing conditions can vary considerably for developing countries with a tropical 

climate. Epidemiology varies from region to region. Classes of pharmaceutical products can also 

differ, according to different strains of micro-organisms. Nutritional habits, socio-economic and 

cultural context as well as health care systems can differ significantly. 

Water-borne sewerage and conventional wastewater treatment systems do not prevail in 

developing countries and the discharge of domestic wastewater to septic tanks and cesspits, as 

is the case in Mauritius, can increase the release of pharmaceutical products to ground and 

surface water. Though, in a soil environment, elimination may occur through different processes 

such as biological degradation, some micro pollutants may still persist and occur in potable water 

sources. On the other hand, discharge of treated wastewater from municipal wastewater 

treatment plants and hospital wastewater into water bodies can have severe effects on the whole 

ecosystem. Mauritius is a small island developing state with a very fragile ecosystem. 

The object of this study is to make firstly a survey of the quantity and types of pharmaceutical 

products mostly in use in a tropical country, as compared with the existing situation in developed 

countries found in temperate climates. Samples will be taken from municipal treatment plants, 

hospital wastewater treatment plants, boreholes in regions with high population density and using 

on-site disposal systems, surface water courses and one reservoir used for potable water supply. 

These will be analyzed for the relevant pharmaceutical products. The level of micro-pollutants will 

help to establish whether there are any potential risks to human health and to the aquatic 

environment. The results will spearhead further studies for separate treatment and disposal 

methods of hospital wastewater, including urine separation. It will also be possible to elucidate 

whether irrigation with treated wastewater can lead to groundwater contamination in the long 

term. 

Keywords: Pharmaceutical products, wastewater, small island developing state, tropical climate. 

297

Biosketches: 


Jacques Alexis Radhay (Presentator) 

J. A. Radhay, Principal Engineer, Head of the Pollution Control and Monitoring Division of the 

Wastewater Management Authority in Mauritius. His main area of interest is low-cost and 

sustainable wastewater technologies and he is part of the Municipal Wastewater Task Force for 

the Western Indian Ocean and Eastern African Countries. 

Wastewater Management Authority 

The Celicourt 

Celicourt Anthelme Street 

Port Louis 

Mauritius 

Telephone: +230 206 3023 (Office) 

+230 259 1051 (Mobile) 

Telefax: +230 211 7007 

e-mail: wmalex05@yahoo.com 

Mauhamad Shameem Jauffur 

M. S. Jauffur, Laboratory Manager of the Wastewater Laboratory of the Wastewater Management 

Authority. He is actively involved in the setting up of regional guidelines and methods for water 

and sediment quality monitoring. 

Wastewater Laboratory 

National Laboratories Complex 

Reduit 

Mauritius 

Telephone: +230 466 7131 (Office) 

+230 784 0091 (Mobile) 

Telefax: +230 466 2320 

e-mail: shameem89@yahoo.co.uk 

298


Sorption of Arsenate and Arsenite on a Novel TiO2-Based 

Adsorbent 

Shubo Deng, Zhijian Li, Han Liu, Jun Huang and Gang Yu; Department of 

Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, P.R. 

China, 100084; POPs Research Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing, P.R. 

China, 100084 

Arsenic is known to be a hazardous pollutant in ground and surface waters. 

Arsenic in drinking water may have affected more than 100 million people 

worldwide. Therefore, it is necessary to develop cost-effective technologies for 

arsenic removal from waters. Adsorption is one of the commonly used 

techniques to remove arsenic from water. Some adsorbents including activated 

alumina, iron oxide, mixed metal oxides and resin were reported to be effective 

for arsenic removal, but their sorption capacities are not satisfactory. Recently, 

titanium dioxide has been developed for arsenic removal. The common TiO2 

product has very low adsorptive capacity for arsenic, but the nanocrystalline TiO2 

is a promising adsorbent for arsenic removal. 

In this study, a novel hybrid TiO2–based adsorbent was prepared to enhance its 

sorption capacity for arsenate and arsenite, and the sorption behaviors were 

investigated. The preparation experimental results show that the hydrolysis 

temperature, additive components and drying temperature had significant effect 

on the sorption capacity of the adsorbent, and the optimum preparation 

conditions for the hybrid TiO2 adsorbent with high sorption capacity for arsenate 

and arsenite were obtained. The sorption behaviors including sorption kinetics, 

isotherms, effect of solution pH and temperature as well as competitive ions were 

studied in detail. The sorption experimental results show that the sorption 

capacity on the powder adsorbents was about 7.5 mg/g for As(V) and 6.8 mg/g 

for As( ) when the arsenic equilibrium concentration was 10 µg/L, higher that 

that of other commercial adsorbents. The sorption equilibrium of the adsorbents 

for arsenic achieved after 12 h, and the adsorption kinetics can be fitted well by 

the second order kinetic model. The sorption of As(V) and As(III) on the TiO2based 

adsorbent all decreased significantly at pH above 7, while the higher 

adsorption capacity of As(III) was achieved at neutral pH. Phosphate seriously 

inhibited the sorption of As(V) and As( ), while other co-existing anions had little 

effect. The prepared granular adsorbents had high mechanical strength, and its 

sorption capacity for As(V) reached about 3 mg/g at the equilibrium concentration 

of 10 µg/L. Finally, the novel adsorbent was characterized using XRD, FTIR, and 

XPS analysis, and the possible sorption mechanisms were proposed. 

The TiO2-based adsorbent has the promising application for arsenic removal 

from drinking water. 

299

Keywords: arsenic, TiO2-based adsorbent, sorption behavior, sorption 

mechanism 

Biosketch: 


Dr. Deng Shubo is currently working in Department of Environmental Science 

and Engineering at Tsinghua University as an associate professor. He is serving 

as a member of management committee for specialists on adsorption in 

International Water Association. He received his PhD degree from Northeastern 

University in 1999, and then worked as postdoctoral fellow at Tsinghua University 

from 1999 to 2001. After that, he joined National University of Singapore as a 

research fellow from 2001 to 2005. In 2005, he joined Tsinghua University. His 

research focuses on adsorption technology including novel sorbent preparation 

and application. In past few years, he published more than 20 papers in some 

international journals. 

Mailing address: Department of Environmental Science and 

Engineering,Tsinghua University, Beijing, P.R. China, 100084. Email: 

denshubo@tsinghua.edu.cn. 

Phone: 86-10-62792165; Fax: 86-10-62794006 

300


Sorption of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate and Perfluorooctanoate 

on Activated Carbons and Resin 

Shubo Deng, Qiang Yu, Ruiqi Zhang, Jun Huang and Gang Yu; Department of Environmental 

Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, P.R. China, 100084; POPs Research 

Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing, P.R. China, 100084 

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), two typical perfluorinated 

compounds, have increasingly attracted global concerns in recent years due to their global 

distribution, persistence, strong bioaccumulation and potential toxicity. They had been detected in 

wastewater, surface water, groundwater and even tap water throughout the world. As industrial 

wastewater has been implicated as a point source for PFOS and PFOA as well as their precursor 

entering into natural waters, the development of effective techniques to remove them from 

wastewater becomes crucial. Some conventional techniques including biological degradation, 

oxidation and reduction are difficult to destruct PFOS and PFOA in ambient environments due to 

their stable properties, while adsorption would be an effective technique to remove them from 

aqueous solution. 

In this study, the feasibility of using powder activated carbon (PAC), granular activated carbon 

(GAC) and anion-exchange resin (AI400) to remove PFOS and PFOA from water was 

investigated. The sorption behaviors including sorption kinetics, isotherms, effect of solution pH 

and temperature as well as competitive ions were studied in detail. The experimental results 

show that the PAC was the best adsorbent for PFOS in terms of sorption kinetics and sorption 

capacity, while the AI400 had the highest sorption capacity for PFOA. Sorption kinetic results 

show that the sorption of PFOS and PFOA on the granular porous adsorbents including GAC and 

AI400 was very slow and the sorption equilibrium was achieved after at least 168 h, while the 

sorption equilibrium time was only about 4 h using the powder activated carbons. Obviously, the 

adsorbent size significantly affected the sorption velocity of PFOS and PFOA. Both the pseudosecond-order 

and Elovich models can well describe the sorption kinetics of PFOS and PFOA on 

the three adsorbents, and the intraparticle diffusion model can fit their sorption on the GAC and 

AI400 in the initial stage well. The sorption isotherms show that the PAC and AI400 were the best 

adsorbents for PFOS and PFOA, respectively, and their maximum sorption capacities were 1.04 

and 2.92 mmol g-1 at 25 according to the Langmuir model. Additionally, their sorption capacity 

for PFOS and PFOA all increased with decreasing solution pH and increasing temperature. 

Based on the sorption behaviors and the characteristics of the adsorbents and adsorbates, ionexchange 

and electrostatic interaction as well as hydrophobic interaction were deduced to be 

involved in the sorption. The surfactant PFOS and PFOA may form hemi-micelles or micelles in 

the adsorbent pores and thus significantly affected the sorption kinetic and sorption capacity. The 

appropriate PAC is the promising adsorbent for PFOS and PFOA removal from water or 

wastewater. 

Keywords: PFOS, PFOA, activated carbon, anion-exchange resin, sorption kinetics, sorption 

isotherm 

301

Biosketch: 


Dr. Deng Shubo is currently working in Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at 

Tsinghua University as an associate professor. He is serving as a member of management 

committee for specialists on adsorption in International Water Association. He received his PhD 

degree from Northeastern University in 1999, and then worked as postdoctoral fellow at Tsinghua 

University from 1999 to 2001. After that, he joined National University of Singapore as a research 

fellow from 2001 to 2005. In 2005, he joined Tsinghua University. His research focuses on 

adsorption technology including novel sorbent preparation and application. In past few years, he 

published more than 20 papers in some international journals. Mailing address: Department of 

Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, P.R. China P.R. China, 

100084; Email: dengshubo@tsinghua.edu.cn; Phone: 86-10-62792165; Fax: 86-10-62794006 

302


Determining the Removal Capacity of Hormone Endocrine 

Disrupting Chemicals in South African Wastewater Treatment 

Plants 

S Surujlal 1 , H Basson 2 and F Bux 3 

The adverse effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) have been observed for more 

than 40 years. The true extent of this problem still remains unclear, as only a handful of the 

thousands of chemicals in our environment and in active commercial use have been tested for 

their potential as hormone disruptors. According to many researchers, the effluents emanating 

from the sewage treatment plants primarily with domestic inputs are strongly suspected to be a 

significant source of natural and synthetic estrogens. The hormones 17β-estradiol and estrone 

are naturally excreted by women and female animals, as well as by men. The levels of estrogen 

expected to be found in rivers are in ng/L, taking in to consideration the dilution factor. Studies in 

Europe, Japan and North America have shown that treated sewage effluents contain estrogens. 

Therefore the aim of this research study was to determine the fate of estrogens in different types 

of South African wastewater treatment plants and to then establish the removal capacity for each 

wastewater plant. Enzyme Linked Immunoassays (ELISAs) is a rapid technique that can detect 

levels of estrogens in the ng/L range. 

Samples were taken from wastewater treatment plants which had different unit operations. The 

first plant comprised of an of an activated sludge unit, clarifiers and a chlorine disinfection system 

and the second plant consisted of Primary Settling Tanks, Biofilters, Humus Tanks and a chlorine 

disinfection system. The concentrations of two natural estrogens (Estradiol (E2) and Estrone 

(E1)) were measured. The methods used for extracting and assaying environmental water 

samples for estrogenic compounds were as follows: Water samples were extracted on C-18 

columns. Dried extracts were reconstituted to 1/1000 th of the original volume using DMSO. The 

reconstituted extracts were diluted in a solution containing 0.9 % NaCl (m/v) and 0.1 % (m/v) 

albumin. This diluted extracts were assayed for 17β-estradiol and estrone using commercially 

available ELISA kits. All assays were done in duplicate. Controls were included in all assays. 

The results indicated that the second plant did not have any removal capacity of the hormones. 

The average E2 concentrations were 44.7ng/L and 49.4ng/L for the influent and effluent 

respectively. The increase could be due to the plant configuration and probably inefficient 

retention times; however the exact cause of the increase is yet to be determined. The E1 

concentrations were 45ng/L influent and 54.7ng/L for the effluent. The increase in E1 

concentration is attributed to E2 being oxidized to E1. The activated sludge process in the first 

plant had a removal capacity of 96.5% and 78% for E2 and E1 respectively. The first plant had a 

greater removal capacity than the second plant; this difference in the removal between the two 

plants is linked to plant performance, however according to previous research findings the high 

removal of estrogens in an activated sludge process was due to adsorption to the sludge and 

either to little or no biodegradation. It is postulated, for the second plants inadequate removal; 

that if majority of the hormone removal be due to adsorption to the sludge, then due to this type of 

primary configuration, i.e., there being no activated sludge present, will result in little or no 

removal. Since many wastewater effluents are discharged to a water course like a river, it is 

necessary to establish extent of pollution these waters have on the aquatic life downstream of the 

discharge. Therefore the type of wastewater treatment process/configuration is crucial in 

obtaining the maximum removal capacity of these hormones from wastewater. 

303

Biosketches: 


Mrs. Swastika Surujlal (presenting author) 

Chief of Laboratory Services: Civil Engineering Services, George Municipality and part-time PhD 

student (Durban University of Technology) 

Tel: (+27) 044 – 878 0156, Fax: (+27) 044 – 878 1577, Cell: (+27) 083 566 2464, Email: 

Swastika@george.co.za 

Mr Harold Basson 

Senior Manager: Civil Engineering Services, George Municipality 

Tel: (+27) 044 – 801 9138, Fax: (+27) 044 - , Email: Harold@george.org.za 

Prof Faizal Bux 

Activity Leader: Center for Water and Wastewater Technology, Department of Biotechnology, 

Durban University of Technology. Tel: (27) 031 – 373 2597, Email: faizalb@dut.ac.za 

304


Assessment of Effluent Criteria for WWTPs on Small 

Water Bodies 

David Stransky (presenting author), Ivana Kabelkova, Gabriela Šťastná 1 Vojtech Bares, Czech 

Technical University in Prague, Department of Sanitary and Ecological Engineering, Thakurova 7, 

166 29, Prague 6, Czech Republic 

Wastewater discharges into surface waters have to be controlled by the combined approach to 

ensure good status of surface waters (EC Water Framework Directive 2000/60) by the year 2015. 

In the Czech Republic emission standards for polluters will be replaced by emission limits starting 

January 2010. Within urbanized areas, it is especially significant for waste water treatment plants 

(WWTP). The owners and operators of these facilities are in doubt whether their WWTP will meet 

new criteria. 

Proposed paper is going to demonstrate the first case study where the combined approach was 

implemented in the Czech Republic. As the method of emission limit derivation is still under 

discussion, state of the art methods were used. The procedure is presented on an example of the 

WWTP Caslav (6,500 PE; Qmedian = 25 l/s) and its receiving water body, the Brslenka Creek 

(Qmedian = 101 l/s), for total phosphorus (Ptot). 

Water quality, discharge and macrozoobentos were monitored along the Brslenka stream to 

assess its chemical and ecological status and effects of the WWTP Caslav. Critical parameters in 

the Brslenka appeared to be Ptot, NH4-N and NH3. Their immision standards were violated already 

above the Caslav town and WWTP Caslav further contributed to their exceedance. To reach the 

immision standard of Ptot (C90 = 0.2 mg/l), the average Ptot concentration in the Brslenka above 

the WWTP would have to drop to 0.06 mg/l (from the present average 0.23 mg/l and C90 = 0.36 

mg/l above Caslav and 0.37 mg/l and C90 = 0.65 mg/l above the WWTP, respectively) and the 

average WWTP effluent concentration should be 0.23 mg/l with maximum 0.46 mg/l. The average 

NH4-N concentrations in the Brslenka should decrease from 0.45 mg/l above Caslav and 0.96 

mg/l above the WWTP to at least 0.16 mg/l and the WWTP would have to treat the water to the 

same level. The biological status of the Brslenka is primarily determined by its poor 

ecomorfological status. No effect of the WWTP was observed. 

The application of the stochastic model in the case study showed that even the adoption of the 

very strict emission criteria set by the watershed authority will not lead to success as more than a 

half of Ptot load originates from other sources upstream of the WWTP. Moreover, the watershed 

authority limit is stricter than the best available technology (BAT) values published by the Ministry 

of the Environment of the Czech Republic afterwards. The percentage of complying samples 

would rise from today’s 0 to 9% only. 

Thus, in this specific case the implementation of the combined approach is not meaningful. A 

significant role plays the WWTP effluent vs. receiving water dilution ratio which is 1 : 4 regarding 

median values but just 1 : 1 regarding Q330. Generally, considering Ptot mean concentration of 

0.05 mg/l in a water body (only 10% of all monitored profiles in the Czech Republic have a better 

quality; Ministry of Agriculture, 2007) and BAT values for the WWTP effluent, the dilution ratio for 

a meaningful application of the combined approach is 1 : (20 ÷ 30) depending on the Ptot variation 

coefficient. Therefore, BAT values for Ptot can be prescribed directly to large WWTPs situated on 

small water bodies rather than to undertake a complicated and expensive derivation of emission 

limit. 

305



David Stransky, Ph.D. 

Graduated 1997, doctoral degree 2004 at Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU). Presently 

research assistant at CTU and head of Urban Drainage Specialists Group of Czech Water 

Association. Research work focused on urban hydrology, monitoring and modelling of rainfallrunoff 

processes, hydraulic reliability of sewer systems and integrated urban water management. 

Dr. Ivana Kabelkova 

Graduated 1986 at CTU, doctoral degree 1999 at Swiss Institute of Environmental Science and 

Technology. Presently research assistant at CTU and member of Urban Drainage SG of Czech 

Water Association. Research focused on integrated approach to urban drainage, modelling of 

transport&transformation processes and assessment of ecological status of running waters. 

Gabriela Stastna, Ph.D. 

Graduated 2000 at Charles University in Prague, doctoral degree 2006 at Czech Technical 

University in Prague (CTU). Presently research assistant at CTU. Research work focused on 

assessment of benthic community structure in running waters and its interaction with urban 

drainage. 

Vojtech Bares, Ph.D. 

Graduated 1999, doctoral degree 2006 at Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU). Presently 

research assistant at CTU. Research work focused on waste water hydraulics and quality 

monitoring. 

306


Evaluating Quantitative Structure Property Relationship (QSPR) 

Techniques for Predicting the Removal of Trace Organic 

Compounds (TOrCs) during Wastewater Treatment Processes 

John Stevens-Garmon (presenting author), Eric Dickenson, Jörg E. Drewes, Colorado School of 

Mines, Golden, Colorado, U.S.A.; and Stuart Khan, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 

NSW, Australia 

Most households regularly use products containing trace organic compounds (TOrCs) that 

ultimately end up in municipal wastewater treatment systems. There is evidence that many of 

these TOrCs, including endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) pharmaceuticals (PhACs), 

personal care products (PCPs), and household chemicals (HHCs), disinfection by-products 

(DBPs) are not effectively removed during wastewater treatment, which have not been designed 

to remove these TOrCs, and are subsequently discharged to the environment. Some of these 

TOrCs are of concern due to the increasing number of reports of reproductive disorders in aquatic 

wildlife residing below wastewater outfalls and the continuous creation of new synthetic organic 

chemicals, which precludes comprehensive testing for all potentially toxic compounds. There is 

an ever-present uncertainty of human health and/or environmental risks, thus the absence or 

minimization of certain TOrCs in receiving waters is pertinent for protecting human health and the 

environment. In order to minimize the release of these compounds into the environment, one 

need is to evaluate their removal within conventional wastewater treatment systems. The near 

impossibility of experimentally studying the fate and transport of current and future emerging 

contaminants on an individual basis indicates a need to develop a tool which quickly provides 

guidance on how effectively certain compounds can be removed during wastewater treatment. 

This tool would provide utilities the ability to quickly screen an TOrC of concern and provide a 

meaningful response in regards to exposure assessment and the fate of the compound and, if 

needed, provide the degree of treatment upgrade required for removal or recommend source 

control. Quantitative structure property relationships (QSPRs) are useful and powerful tools that 

can be used to quickly screen the environmental fate of emerging contaminants, and a priori, 

assessing their removal within treatment systems. 

QSPRs work by using measured or estimated physical/chemical structural properties (i.e., log 

Kow) to estimate a fate treatment parameter (i.e., biosolids partitioning coefficient), which in turn 

can serve as an input into a workable mass balance model that predicts the removal of organic 

compounds during wastewater treatment. The biosolids partitioning coefficients and 

biotransformation and chlorination rate constants are essential fate parameters necessary to 

predict the behavior of TOrCs during primary, secondary, and disinfection processes within a 

conventional wastewater treatment plant that incorporates chlorine disinfection. However, 

accurate TOrC fate parameters that serve as the input parameters to mass balance models are 

lacking. A few QSPRs exist that are potentially applicable to wastewater treatment processes, 

but they have not been comprehensively evaluated for today’s relevant TOrCs. 

This study evaluated existing QSPRs for predicting biosolids partitioning coefficients and 

biotransformation and chlorination rate constants for 70+ TOrCs, which consists of EDCs, 

PPCPs, HHCs, and DBPs. First, relevant compound physical/chemical properties for each target 

compound were obtained from the literature and/or estimated from public- or private-domain 2D- 

and 3D-based molecular modeling software. Then treatment fate parameters were obtained from 

the literature or are being measured in this study via bench-scale batch studies. Finally, 

estimated treatment parameters from QSPR models are being statistically compared against 

experimental values. This ongoing study and will be completed in the spring of 2009. Findings 

will determine whether new QSPRs need to be developed for estimating key TOrC fate 

parameters for wastewater treatment processes. 

307

Biosketches: 


John Stevens-Garmon is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Environmental 

Science and Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. He received his B.A. in Biology and 

Environmental Studies from Oberlin College. 






T: (303) 273-3871; F: (303) 273-3413 

E: josteven@mines.edu 


Engineering Division at the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. Dickenson received a B.S. in 

Chemical Engineering at the University of California at Davis and his M.S. and Ph.D. in 

Environmental Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. 






T: (303) 273-3767; F: (303) 273-3413 

E: edickens@mines.edu 

Jörg Drewes is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering and Director of 

the Advanced Water Technology Center (AQWATEC) at the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. 

Drewes received his M.S. and PhD in Environmental Engineering from the Technical University of 

Berlin, Germany. 






T: (303) 273-3401; F: (303) 273-3413 

E: jdrewes@mines.edu 

Stuart Khan is a Senior Research Fellow and the Program Leader for Trace Organics with the 

Centre of Water and Waste Technology at the University of New South Wales. Dr. Khan received 

his B.S. and PhD. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Sydney. 

Centre for Water and Waste Technology 


Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia 

T: +61(2) 9385 5082; F: +61(2) 9313 8624 

E: s.khan@unsw.edu.au 

308


Tomorrow’s Source Control for Today’s Micropollutants: Water 

Reuse and Replenishment Applications 

Christopher Stacklin, P.E. (presenting author) and Jerry Evangelista, P.E.; Orange County 

Sanitation District, 10844 Ellis Avenue, Fountain Valley, CA 92708-7018, USA 

The traditional role of Source Control focuses on controlling conventional pollutants, for example 

heavy metals, that are discharged in wastewater from point sources such as metal finishers and 

circuit board manufacturers. Today, the advent of micropollutants and the incessant need for 

clean water sources is driving Source Control to reshape itself. Practices in strategic 

management of wastewater are emerging as water reuse and replenishment projects start up 

internationally. Regulators have chosen Source Control to assume an essential role to assess 

and protect wastewater as a vital resource. 

In concert with the startup of the largest groundwater replenishment project of its kind in the 

world, Orange County Sanitation District’s Source Control Division has expanded by adding 

several new and innovative programs that address micropollutants. New programs include 

Pollutant Prioritization, Pharmaceuticals, Chemical Inventory-Geographic Information System, 

and Legislative, Regulatory and Tactical Response programs. 

The Pollutant Prioritization program employs novel methodology to rank not only conventional 

constituents that are regulated, but micropollutants which are typically unregulated and do not 

have numerical limits or standards. Pollutant prioritization is essential in identifying pollutants that 

have the potential to affect operations and compliance, and allows Source Control’s resources to 

be focused on specific targets. Regulated constituents are ranked using a deterministic and 

probabilistic approach. Micropollutants which do not have numerical limits or standards and may 

have limited toxicity information can be ranked using a heuristic model. Heuristics are rules of 

thumb or high-level rationalization typically applied by domain experts to solve a problem in 

instances where data is very limited. In this case, several heuristics can be combined together 

with numerical information using Bayesian logic to determine importance relative to toxicity. The 

level of importance achieves ranking. 

Some micropollutants emanate from nonpoint sources, such as urban runoff and residences. 

Nonpoint source control involves forming strategic partnerships with the public, agencies, service 

providers and manufacturing companies. The pharmaceuticals program at OCSD teamed with 

other agencies for an award winning “No Drugs Down the Drain Program” based on public 

outreach. 

The Source Control Division has developed a first-of-a-kind program which combines county-wide 

chemical inventories with a geographic information system to quickly trace potential discharge 

sources. Predictive, stochastic time series tools are currently being developed for real-time and 

pro-active source control. 

Finally, the Legislative, Regulatory and Tactical Response program interfaces with local, state 

and federal agencies to affect administrative source control of micropollutants. Tactical response 

deals with resource-driven response planning based on “what if” scenarios. 

Tomorrow’s Source Control is fast and predictive, combining the Clean Water Act and Safe 

Drinking Water Act to ensure that source water is protected and safe. Aspects of the new Source 

Control programs at Orange County Sanitation District and integration with new rules and 

regulations for micropollutants are presented herein. 

309

Biographical Sketches 

Christopher Stacklin, P.E. (presenting author) 

(714) 593-7403 voice, (714) 962-6957 fax 

cstacklin@ocsd.com 


Christopher Stacklin is a Source Control Engineer for Orange County Sanitation District and is 

presently tasked with developing and executing the Pollutant Prioritization Program and 

subsequent Source Identification and Strategy Assessment Plan for the 70 million gallons per day 

Groundwater Replenishment System. 

Jerry Evangelista, P.E. 

(714) 593-7419 voice, (714) 962-6957 fax 

jevangelista@ocsd.com 

Jerry Evangelista is an Engineering Supervisor at the Orange County Sanitation District. He 

currently leads the Non-Industrial Source Control Group in implementing source control programs 

to minimize discharge of emerging pollutants of concern from commercial and residential 

sources. His leadership and innovation positioned the Source Control Division to receive 

environmental awards. 

310


Bioavailability and Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metal in the 

Aquaculture Pond Sediment 

Dr. Shen-Yi Chen, Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National 

Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology, 2 Jhuoyue Road, Nanzih, Kaohsiung 811, 

Taiwan, Tel: +886-7-6011000ext.2349, Fax: +886-7-6011061, sychen@ccms.nkfust.edu.tw; 

Wen-Hsing Chen, National Ilan University, Taiwan; and Chih-Tien Wang, **National Kaohsiung 

First University of Science and Technology, Taiwan 

Recently, the dense cultivation is widely performed in most of aquaculture ponds to increase the 

farm productivity in Taiwan. In order to control the disease in the aquaculture ponds, unsuitable 

use of aquaculture medicine, i.e. copper sulfate and potassium permanganate, are often found in 

the aquaculture ponds. In addition, water and soils are usually polluted by heavy metals. 

Therefore, sediments sometimes contain high content of heavy metal in aquaculture ponds. 

However, the dissolved metals released from sediment into pond waters are available and will be 

accumulated within the tissues of aquaculture organisms. The sediment containing heavy metal 

will cause poor production, bioaccumulation of heavy metal in living organisms and ecological risk. 

For the sustainable development of aquaculture industry and protection of ecological safety, it is 

very important to shift from traditional to ecosystem-based approaches for management of the 

aquaculture ponds. Generally, bioavailability and bioaccumulation of metals in the sediment are 

generally affected by metal speciation and sediment characteristics. Due to the various 

speciation of heavy metals in sediments, it is not reliable to evaluate the ecological effects of 

heavy metals on aquatic environment with the total concentration of heavy metals in sediments. 

The purposes of this study are to investigate the effects of sediment characteristics on 

bioavailability of heavy metal in the sediment, and to assess the relationship between 

bioavailability and bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the aquatic environment. In this study, 

field collected sediments and biota (shrimps) were determined for physicochemical characteristics 

and metal (Cu, Zn, Pb and Ni) concentrations. The speciation of metals in the sediment was 

also quantified by a sequential extraction method. Meanwhile, the metal bioavailability and 

bioconcentration factor (BCF) in the sediment was calculated to evaluate their relationship with 

sediment characteristics. 

The results indicated that the dominant speciation of Cu in sediments was organic 

matter/sulfide-bound and residual forms and minor Cu was associated with carbonates. Zn 

mainly existed as Fe/Mn oxide-bound and residual speciation. Pb was also found in high 

percentage in the exchangeable and residual speciation. Ni was predominantly found in residual 

form of sediment. The environmental impacts of metal speciation in sediment depend on the 

behavior regarding remobilization and bioavailability. It was observed that Zn and Pb in the 

sediment had high potential bioavailability and mobility. Except Ni, bioavailable metals (Cu, Zn 

and Pb) highly depended on the cation-exchange capacity (CEC), carbonates content and Fe-Mn 

oxides concentration in the sediment. The significant relationships were also found between 

metals (Zn and Pb) in the biota and mobile metals (exchangeable, carbonate-bound and Fe/Mn 

oxide-bound) in the sediment. Metals in exchangeable, carbonate-bound, Fe/Mn oxide-bound 

fractions were confirmed to be mobile and bioavailable in the sediment. Furthermore, metal 

bioavailability models established in this study were useful to describe the relationships between 

metal bioavailability and metal characteristics. 

311

Biography: 


Shen-Yi Chen is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Safety, Health and Environmental 

Engineering at the National Kaohsiung First University (NKFUST) of Science and Technology, 

Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Prior to joining the NKFUST faculty, he was the Visiting Professor of the 

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Iowa State University, USA. His current 

research interests are: sulfur biotechnologies for treatment of metal and organic pollutants, 

pollution characteristics and bioavailability of heavy metal in the environment and treatment of 

heavy metal in wastewater by nanoscale zero-valent iron. He has been director of the 

Environmental Biotechnology Group and principal investigator on several research projects and 

has published more than 100 publications in the area of metal bioleaching, environmental 

biotechnology and other areas. He has served as advisor to undergraduate and graduate 

students. 

Shen-Yi Chen received his B.S. in environmental engineering in 1993 from the National Chung 

Hsing University, Taiwqn. He received his M.S. in 1995 and Ph. D. in 1999 both in 

environmental engineering from the National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan. 

Shen-Yi Chen received a Ph.D. Student Scholarship from the National Science Council of Taiwan 

in 1998-1999, a Post-doc Research Abroad Fellowship from the National Science Council of 

Taiwan in 2004, and an Excellent Industry Academia Collaboration Laboratory Award from the 

Ministry of Education of Taiwan in 2008. 

312


Assessment of Fecal Pollution and Associated Pathogens in 

Natural Waters with Bacteroides–Prevotella 16S rRNA 

Genetic Markers 

Dr Olga Savichtcheva, Nikolay M. Kachurin, Department of Geotechnology and Built Environment, 

Faculty of Mining and Civil Engineering, Tula State University, 300600 Lenin av., 92, Tula, Russia. 

E-mail: sola247@hotmail.com; and Satoshi Okabe, Department of Urban and Environmental 

Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13, West 8, Kita-ku, 

Sapporo 060-8628, Japan 

Rapid and reliable determination of the non-point sources of fecal pollution is a critical issue for 

the environmental microbiologists all over the world. Within regions containing both agricultural 

and urban areas, sources of the fecal pollution are often contested. Problem persists partly due to 

an inability to reliably identify the origin of fecal pollution and associated pathogens which could 

lead to more time- and cost-effective management and remediation efforts. 

The Bacteroides–Prevotella group is one of the several noncoliform bacterial groups, which has 

been proposed as an alternative fecal pollution indicator. To date, molecular-based approaches 

using Bacteroides–Prevotella 16S rRNA-gene-targeted host-specific primers have been 

developed to distinguish between human and other animal fecal pollutions but not for the 

quantification of cow- and pig-specific Bacteroides–Prevotella 16S rRNA genetic markers. 

Applicability of the assay to natural aquatic environments has not been confirmed yet. Moreover, 

to our knowledge there has been little data on the relationships between alternative fecal indicator, 

Bacteroides 16S rRNA genetic markers, and the presence of enteric pathogens. 

In this work we evaluated the use of anaerobic bacterial group Bacteroides–Prevotella as 

an alternative fecal pollution indicator. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T- 

RFLP) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses were used to monitor and 

quantify human-, cow- and pig-specific fecal contamination in natural river waters. We also 

included the analysis of the relationships between occurrence of bacterial pathogens in various 

water samples (Hokkaido, Japan) and alternative/conventional fecal indicators. 

In order to clarify the specificity of each genetic marker revealed by T-RFLP, DNA sequence 

analysis was performed. It was suggested that the most influent peaks for each fecal source 

could be used to identify the source of fecal pollution. Development of specific probes based on 

these markers permit to quantify source of contamination by quantitative RT-PCR. Therefore, we 

combined the T-RFLP results and RT-PCR assay to quantify fecal contamination by certain host. 

Based on the comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of fecal DNAs, we identified one 

human-, three cow-, and two pig-specific Bacteroides–Prevotella 16S rRNA genetic markers, 

designed host-specific real-time PCR primer sets, and successfully developed real-time PCR 

assay to quantify the fecal contamination derived from human, cow, and pig in natural river 

samples in Sapporo and Ebetsu Cities, Hokkaido (Japan). 

The results also showed that a wide range of bacterial pathogens could be detected (by multiplex 

and conventional PCR assays) in both municipal wastewater treatment plant samples (raw 

wastewater, primary clarifier sludge, primary sedimentation tank effluent, biofilms from influent 

pipes, membrane bioreactor (MBR) sludge and the MBR effluent) and in surface water samples. 

Total and human-specific Bacteroides 16S rRNA genetic markers showed significant predictive 

values for the presence of E. coli O-157, Salmonella, heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) of 

enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), and heat-stable enterotoxin for human (STh) of ETEC. 

313


With a combined sample processing and analysis time of less than 8 h, this real-time PCR assay 

is useful tool for monitoring or identifying spatial and temporal distributions of host-specific fecal 

contaminations in natural water environments and probably associated bacterial pathogens. This 

study also has contributed to the investigation of the sequencing of the markers revealed by T- 

RFLP analysis and associated with human, cow and pig source of fecal pollution. 

In this study, we demonstrated that T-RFLP and RT-PCR analyses showed high reproducibility 

and sensitivity during analyzing real water samples and can be used to identify, track and 

quantify host-specific bacterial genetic markers in complex natural water environments, and 

therefore, source of possibly associated pathogens can be predicted. 

Biography: 

Dr Olga Savichtcheva has been awarded the Japanese Government Scholarship by Ministry of 

Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan to perform her PhD study in 

Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan under supervision of Professor Yoshimasa Watanabe and 

Professor Satoshi Okabe on the topic “Application of Bacteroides spp. as alternative indicator of 

fecal pollution in natural waters”. 

After graduation to date, Professor Satoshi Okabe and Dr Olga Savichtcheva have been 

sucsessfully collaborating with publications in water pollution related area. In 2006, one of our 

review papers on fecal indicators was recognized as # 1 among TOP 25 most downloaded 

articles within the “Water Research” journal. 

In 2008, Dr Olga Savichtcheva was invited to the 4 th Young Water Professional Conference 2008 

(16-18 July 2008) at University of California, Berkeley, USA, organized by International Water 

Association (IWA). In 2008 she was nominated to the B&B Daniel I. C. Wang Award for young 

professionals announced by Biotechnology and Bioengineering journal and John Wiley and Sons. 

In 2008, Dr Olga Savichtcheva received the prestigious Grant of Albany Tula Alliance (University 

at Albany, State University of New York, USA) and Grant of Russian Foundation for Basic 

Research. 

Presently, Dr Olga Savichtcheva is working as invited Post-doctoral Scientist at the Center for 

Protein Engineering, Institute of Chemistry at University of Liège in Belgium. 

314


Solar Assisted Photocatalytic Degradation of Structurally 

Related Textile Reactive Dyes 

Saurabh K. Patel (presenting author), Minansha D. Mali, and Dhaval D. Haveliwala; 

saurabh.silvina@gmail.com; Department of Chemistry, Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, 

Surat – 395007, Gujarat, India 

Advanced oxidation, the most potential technique was investigated to decolorize and degrade 

recalcitrant textile dyes. Photo catalytic degradation of Reactive Yellow 84 (RY 84) and Reactive 

Orange 12 (RO 12) was carried out by use of semiconductor ZnO in aqueous solution under 

concentrated solar Irradiation. The decolorization and degradation was studied by monitoring the 

change in absorption and COD during the experimental runs through UV/Vis absorption spectra 

and COD determination respectively. Experiments were conducted to optimize various practical 

parameters such as amount of catalyst and effect of concentration of sunlight on the efficiency of 

decolorization and degradation. The complete decolorization and remeoval of COD well above 

90% indicate that the technique may prove very useful in the textile and other related industries. 

Keywords: Textile Dyes, Decolorization, AOP, Solar Photocatalytic Degradation, ZnO. 

Biosketch: 

Dr. (Mrs.) Saurabh K. Patel 

Department of Chemistry, 

Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, 

Surat-395 007 (INDIA) 

Phone No.: 0261-2258384 

Cell No.: 9374717886 

Email: saurabh.silvina@gmail.com; saurabh@sgu.ernet.in 

Dr. (Mrs.) Saurabh K. Patel is a faculty member at the Department of Chemistry, R.N.S.G. 

University, Surat, Gujarat, India, since 1994. She has beggged several awards at M. Sc. and 

also qualified in the UGC-CSIR joint exam (NET) in 1988. She was awarded Ph.D. degree in 

1992. She has 55 research papers and a project to her credit. She is actively engaged in the 

field of Polymer Science, Synthetic Dyes, Environmental pollution and Medicinal Chemistry. She 

has guided 8 students for M. Phil. and 4 students for Ph.D. degree. 

315


Oxidative and Reductive Degradation of Fluoroquinolone Pharmaceuticals: 

Kinetic Studies and Degradation Mechanisms 

Hanoz Santoke (presenting author), Weihua Song, William J. Cooper; Urban Water Research 

Center, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Irvine 

Irvine, CA, 92697-2175 

Pharmaceutical compounds have recently emerged as contaminants of concern due to their 

detection in both surface and ground water, receiving considerable attention from the 

environmental community. They pose a worldwide problem to developed and developing 

countries alike, having been found in countries ranging from the United States to Italy to India. 

High consumption of pharmaceuticals, standing at $248 billion in the United States alone in 2004, 

provides a steady stream of pharmaceutically active compounds to the environment. 

Pharmaceuticals used for human or veterinary purposes are not degraded inside the body 

completely, and high percentages of active pharmaceutical ingredients can be excreted through 

urine or feces unmetabolized and enter wastewater as biologically active substances. 

Pharmaceuticals are also often released by manufacturing facilities, or even dumped “down the 

drain” by consumers, ending up in municipal water treatment plants. 

Techniques known as advanced oxidation/reduction processes (AO/RPs) are currently under 

development to remove these contaminants from wastewater, as currently utilized treatment 

methods have proven ineffective for various reasons including cost and disposal of retentate. 

Fluoroquinolone antibacterial agents were selected as targets compounds in this study since they 

are a family of antibiotics widely used in human and veterinary medicines and are not effectively 

removed by current methods. This work reports the reaction kinetics of several common 

fluoroquinolones with hydroxyl radicals and hydrated electrons, which are the major reactive 

species involved in advanced oxidation processes. 

The bimolecular reaction rate constants (M -1 s -1 ) for orbifloxacin, flumequine, marbofloxacin, 

danofloxacin, enrofloxacin and the model compound, 6-fluoro-4-oxo-1, 4-dihydro-3- 

quinolinecarboxylic acid for •OH were (6.94 ± 0.08) x 10 9 , (8.26 ± 0.28) x 10 9 , (9.03 ± 0.39) x 10 9 , 

(6.15 ± 0.11) x 10 9 , (7.95 ± 0.23) x 10 9 , (7.65 ± 0.20) x 10 9 , for e - 

aq were (2.25 ± 0.02) x 10 10 , 

(1.83 ± 0.01) x 10 10 , (2.41 ± 0.02) x 10 10 , (1.68 ± 0.02) x 10 10 , (1.89 ± 0.02) x 10 10 and (1.49 ± 

0.01) x 10 10 . To calculate these rate constants, we provide transient spectra for each compound 

and then plot the accumulation or destruction of the species as a function of time. In addition, the 

products of gamma-irradiation degradation of fluoroquinolones were analyzed by LC-MS to 

elucidate the probable pathways of AO/RPs degradation. Results indicate preliminary 

degradation pathways include the hydroxyl radical attack on the aromatic ring and hydroxylation, 

the substitution of a fluorine atom with hydroxyl group, and the cleavage of a piperazine ring side 

chain. 

316

Biosketches: 

Hanoz Santoke (presenting author) 

Urban Water Research Center, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 

254 Social Ecology-I 

University of California, Irvine 

Irvine, CA, 92697-2175 

Tel. (714) 330-7520 

hsantoke@uci.edu 


Hanoz Santoke is a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Irvine, in the environmental 

engineering program. He is the recipient of a 2008 ARCS Foundation Orange County Chapter 

Scholarship. His research concerns the removal of emerging pollutants of concern, such as 

pharmaceuticals and personal care products, from drinking water. 

Weihua Song 




Irvine, CA, 92697-2175 

Tel. (949) 824-3442 

Fax. (949) 824-2056 

wsong@uci.edu 

Weihua Song is a postdoctoral researcher at UC Irvine, working in the laboratory of Professor 

William Cooper. He holds a Ph.D. in environmental chemistry from Florida International 

University and master’s and undergraduate degrees from Nanjing University in China. 

William Cooper 




Irvine, CA, 92697-2175 

Tel. (949) 824-5620 

Fax. (949) 824-2056 

wcooper@uci.edu 

William Cooper is Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the Urban 

Water Research Center at UC Irvine. His background includes running a water reuse program for 

the U.S. Army and serving as a consultant to the IAEA, and he is involved in several international 

cooperative research projects. 

317


Removal of Pesticides and Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons 

by Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis 

Sanches, S. (presenting author) 1 , Pereira, V.J. 1 , Crespo, M.B. 1 , Cardoso, V.V. 2 , Penetra, A.I. 2 , 

Granado, C. 2 , Benoliel, M.J. 2 , Ferreira, F.C. 3 , Crespo, J.G. 4 ; 1 Instituto de Biologia Experimental e 

Tecnológica (IBET)/Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica (ITQB)- Universidade Nova de 

Lisboa (UNL); 2 EPAL - Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres, S.A.; 3 ICEMS/DEQB, Instituto 

Superior Técnico - Universidade Técnica de Lisboa; 4 REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, 

Faculdade de Ciência e Tecnologia - UNL 

Key words: Drinking water treatment; Nanofiltration; Reverse Osmosis; Pesticides; PAHs 

Abstract 

In recent years a large group of organic compounds have been labelled as emerging 

contaminants. The European Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, identifies 33 priority 

substances which include pesticides and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These 

xenobiotics have been detected in drinking water sources and are characterized by high toxicity, 

high environmental persistence, bioaccumulation potential and high lipophilicity. Therefore, the 

concentrations of these compounds in water intended for human consumption should start to be 

monitored (1,2). 

Membrane processes such as nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) have become 

increasingly widespread in water and wastewater treatment due to high water quality 

requirements. NF and RO processes were found to be particularly effective to remove trace 

contaminants such as pesticides (atrazine, simazine, metazachlor, pyridine) from surface and 

ground waters (3). Although relatively high rejection values have been observed for most organic 

micropollutants, some pollutants can still be found in the NF/RO permeates. The persistence and 

bioaccumulation characteristics of organic micropollutants have been reported as a problem in 

drinking water, wastewater and waters intended to reuse due to their potential to cause adverse 

effects in health. Since the removal of these compounds in water treatment systems is of crucial 

importance, a better understanding of the factors affecting the permeation of this kind of solutes 

in pressure-driven membrane systems such as NF and RO is needed (1,3). 

This study reports the characterization of NF (NF-90, NF-270 and Desal 5-DK) and RO (SW-30 

and BW-30) membranes in terms of permeability and rejection at different pressures using a 

dead end cell. The nanofiltration membrane Desal 5-DK was found to be the most appropriate for 

studying the effect of solutes and membrane interactions on membrane rejection. This membrane 

was then used to address the removals of pesticides (atrazine, alachlor, and pentachlorophenol) 

and PAHs (anthracene, fluoranthene, naphthalene, benzo(a)pyrene, and benzo(g,h,i)perylene) 

spiked at occurrence levels in deionised water and real water matrixes with very different 

compositions (surface water, spring water and groundwater). Extremely high rejection values 

were obtained for all the PAHs tested while variable rejections were observed for the selected 

pesticides which may be correlated with the compounds functional groups and properties. 


Financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PTDC/AMB/66024/2006 and 

SFRH/BPD/26990/2006) is gratefully acknowledged. 

References 

(1) Verliefde, A.R.D., Cornelissen, E.R., Amy, G.L., Van der Bruggen, B., van Dijk, J.C. 2007. 

Environmental Pollution 146 (1), 281-289. 

(2) Belgiorno, V.; Rizzo, L.; Fatta, D.; Rocca, C.D.; Lofrano, G., Nikolaou, A.; Naddeo, V.; Meric, 

S. 2007. Desalination 215, 166-176. 

318


(3) Van der Bruggen, B., Vandecasteele, C. 2003. Environmental Pollution 122, 435–445. 

Biosketch: 

Sandra Sanches is working towards her PhD in IBET/ITQB-UNL. Her research involves studying 

the integration of membrane filtration processes as well as direct and indirect UV photolysis to 

address the removal of organic pollutants with different structures from drinking water. 

Contact Information: IBET/ITQB-UNL, Av. da República Estação Agronómica Nacional, 2780- 

157, Oeiras, Portugal, Phone: (351) 214469552; Fax: (351) 214421161, sandras@itqb.unl.pt 

319


Assessing the Removal of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care 

Products from Wastewater Treatment Plants: A Comparison of 

Different Sampling Approaches 

Salgado R. 1,3 Marques R. 2 Noronha J.P. 1 Oehmen A. 1 Carvalho G. 1,2 & Reis M.A.M. 1 , 

1 REQUIMTE/CQFB, Chemistry Department, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 

Caparica, Portugal; 2 IBET/ITQB, UNL, 2781-901 Oeiras, Portugal; 3 Computing and Systems 

Department, EST, IPS Setúbal, Campus IPS, Estefanilha, 2910-761 Setúbal, Portugal 

Assessing the removal of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCP) from wastewater 

treatment plants (WWTP) is a challenging task, where little consensus exists among researchers 

and engineers concerning the best sampling strategy. One method of assessing PPCPs is based 

on grab samples from the influent, effluent and waste activated sludge from the WWTP. However, 

this does not take into account the highly variable loading of WWTPs. Wastewater plants are 

known to receive discharges that vary widely according to the time of day; and micropollutants 

are subject to high short-term variations that make it difficult to representatively quantify and 

assess their occurrence and fate. Another strategy is to obtain a composite sample of the influent, 

thus providing a daily average of the diurnal variations. However, it is currently unknown if such a 

strategy is the most appropriate means of assessing micropollutants. Further, little is known about 

the diurnal variations of most micropollutants in WWTPs, which can differ from the typical 

patterns of traditional macropollutants. This study addresses these issues by comparing the 

results obtained through different sampling approaches in an intensive sampling campaign. The 

aim of the work is to provide insight into how the removal of PPCPs can be most representatively 

assessed in real WWTPs, taking into consideration our limited resources available to analyse 

these compounds. 

Samples were collected from an activated sludge plant in the south of Lisbon, Portugal with an 

average daily influent flowrate of 2800 m 3 /d. In total, measurements were performed for 84 

different PPCPs. A sampling campaign of 3 days per week for 2 weeks was conducted in this 

study. Diurnal variations have been evaluated through collecting influent samples every 2 hours. 

Composite influent samples (sampling interval = 1 hour) were also taken regularly for comparison 

purposes. The effluent samples were taken one day following the influent samples, which 

corresponded to approximately one hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the plant. This enabled the 

incorporation of HRT into the calculation of PPCP removal, which is necessary to account for the 

assessment of PPCP occurrence and fate. Samples of primary and secondary sludges were also 

analysed, and the fraction of each compound adsorbed to the sludge was quantified. Further, 

effluent samples were taken before and after UV disinfection in order to assess the quantity of 

each compound that was transformed by UV radiation. 

The results of the study showed that a similar trend was observed with respect to the influent 

dynamics of certain groups of compounds. Expectedly, a decrease in the concentration of many 

compounds could be observed late at night, with a corresponding increase again in the early 

morning. Nevertheless, numerous other PPCPs (approximately 20) were detected punctually or 

periodically throughout the sampling days of both weeks, with no readily apparent pattern. 

Detailed mass flux calculations from the analytical data are currently ongoing, and will describe 

the PPCP removal fraction attributable to biodegradation, adsorption and UV degradation for the 

most recurrent compounds. 

Overall, this work facilitates the design of appropriate sampling strategies for PPCP compounds 

and the assessment of peak vs. average mass fluxes. This study is expected to be useful towards 

the development of appropriate models to describe the fate of PPCPs in WWTPs. 

320


Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) is gratefully acknowledged through the project 

PTDC/AMB/65702/2006 and post-doc grant SFRH/BPD/30800/2006. 

Biosketch: 

Dr. Maria A.M. Reis (presenting author) 

Departamento de Química, 

Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT), 

Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL) 

2829-516, Caparica 

PORTUGAL 

Ph: +351 212 948 385 

Fax: +351 212 948 385 

E-mail: amr@dq.fct.unl.pt 

Prof. Maria A.M. Reis is a chemical engineer from Lisbon, Portugal. She is currently a Professor 

at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa in Portugal and an editor of Water Research. Her research 

interests include wastewater treatment and other environmental biotechnological processes. 

321


Coagulation and Flotation Preliminary Experiments for the 

Development of a Treatment Process for the Removal of 

Nanoparticles from Liquids Wastes 

Mallorie Tourbin*, Yanping Liu*, Sébastien Lachaize**, Pascal Guiraud (presenting author)*; 

*Université de Toulouse; INSA,UPS,INP; LISBP, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, F-31077 Toulouse, 

France; INRA, UMR792 Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés, F-31400 

Toulouse, France; CNRS, UMR5504, F-31400 Toulouse, France; **Université de Toulouse; 

INSA,UPS; LPCNO, 135 avenue de Rangueil, F-31077 Toulouse, France; CNRS; LPCNO, F- 

31077 Toulouse, France 

The recovery of nanoparticles from wastewaters will be an important challenge in the near future 

because of the rapid development of nanotechnology. Indeed, this type of particles will inevitably 

be found in growing quantities in the industrial and domestic wastes, and thus possibly in water 

resources. 

Nanoparticles differ from classical particles by their size, smaller by several orders of magnitude, 

and their specific properties due to their high surface over volume ratio. Few studies were yet 

pursued on the subject and the specific properties of the nanoparticles could induce the 

inefficiency of classical water treatments processes among which principally coagulation and 

flotation processes. 

The objective of this work is thus to develop a specific treatment technique (coagulation and/or 

flotation for instance) with the suitable additives for nanoparticles. 

The validation of the characterization techniques used to measure the physical and 

physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles suspensions (particle size, surface charge and 

concentration) is presented in another communication in this congress (see Yanping Liu). 

In the present work, preliminary experiments of coagulation and flotation are performed in order 

to design a suitable experimental pilot. For both processes, the evolution of the physicochemical 

properties of the suspensions (pH, conductivity, particle and bubble diameters and turbidity) is 

followed during the colloids destabilisation. 

The treatment are applied to a colloidal silica suspension (Klebosol ® 30R50, Rohm and Haas, 

France) of averaged particle diameter 80 nm. The coagulation is induced by the addition of 

monovalent to trivalent salts (NaCl, MgCl2 and AlCl3) or of a surfactant (CTAB). 

As expected, the higher the valence of the cation, the lower the critical coagulation concentration 

and the more efficient the nanoparticles aggregation are. Moreover, a monitoring of the 

physicochemical properties of the treated suspensions, especially of the pH, was important. As a 

matter of fact, different chemical species can be formed by the cation as a function of the pH and 

depending on the species, the addition of salt can actually stop the aggregation of the particles. 

The surfactant CTAB, which acts by steric destabilisation, also gives an important aggregation of 

the particles but it increases more the turbidity of the treated water than the salts do. 

These experiments were realised for different initial concentrations of nanoparticles in the 

suspensions because, as identified in previous works, this parameter has an important impact on 

the destabilisation efficiency. 

This first step of the experiments afforded access to suitable additives for the treatment by 

coagulation or flotation of these nanoparticles suspensions. Consequently, treatments by 

coagulation were carried out with the additives with their concentrations being optimized to form 

322


large aggregates that quickly settle to give a relatively clear water. In the same time, treatments 

by flotation were carried out with the additives but now with their concentrations being optimized 

to form smaller aggregates to allow a good floatability if they latter are captured by bubbles of 

about 30-70 µm in diameter. 

The efficiencies of the nanoparticles recovery during the two treatments are compared. 

Subsequently, other silica colloids of either smaller mean diameter or different surface charge 

and some titanium oxide suspensions will be tested too. 

323


Domestic Wastewater for Fertigation: A Solution for Water 

Recycling and Irrigation 

Alka Thapliyal (presenting author) a *, Padma Vasudevan b and M.G. Dastidar a **; a Centre for 

Energy Studies; b Centre for Rural Development and Technology; Indian Institute of Technology, 

Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi-110016, India 

Freshwater resources are vital for meeting basic needs; however, inadequate protection of the 

quality and supply of fresh-water resources can set limits to sustainable development. Water 

scarcity is a serious problem, especially in countries like India where almost 70% of surface water 

resources and a number of groundwater reserves have been contaminated by biological, organic 

and inorganic pollutants. Moreover, because of their geological, topographical and climatic 

conditions, these sources face severe constraints in terms of both the quality and quantity of fresh 

water. This is evident particularly in areas where ground water supplies are limited and are 

protected only by a thin permeable soil. Even where rainfall is abundant, access to clean water 

has been restricted by lack of adequate storage facilities and ineffective delivery systems. The 

situation becomes more grim when on the one hand the land availability is reduced and degraded 

due to various factors, and on the other hand the water available for irrigation is not only scarce 

but also the quality is degraded. The three main problems, i.e., irregularity of water distribution on 

the earth’s surface, problems of wastage and the pollution arising from economic and social 

activities call for water resource management especially in agricultural sector which consumes 

the maximum share of water. To address these issues, questions of efficiency on the part of 

using the recycled wastewater has to be assessed in the context of water management. The new 

approach should be based on assessing the efficient utilization of water of low quality including 

treated waste water, saline water, and polluted water for environmental protection, agriculture, 

forestry activities and landscaping. The present study envisages the use of treated wastewater for 

irrigation in agriculture. The present paper targets two issues: firstly, the feasibility of using 

wastewater for irrigation and secondly, utilizing the nutrients present in wastewater for fertigating 

the crops and plants. For good crop yield the water and soil quality should be sufficient to provide 

essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium required for plant growth. In case 

these nutrients are insufficient, they need to be incorporated in the form of the fertilizers. 

Wastewater is generally rich in these nutrients and if applied directly for irrigation, it would be 

beneficial for plant growth. Wastewater can partly meet the plant’s requirement for nutrients, 

reducing the application of chemical fertilizers. Water scarcity along with wastewater disposal 

problem and associated vector proliferation could thus be solved. Keeping this in view 

wastewaters from different sources in the domestic sector were characterized and evaluated for 

“fertigation” in terms of water quality and quantity. 

324


Dr. Padma Vasudevan 

Emeritus Professor 

Centre for Rural Development and Technology, 



Ph No (Off.): 91-11-26591156; Fax No (Off.): 91-11-26591121 

Email id: padmav10@hotmail.com 


Dr. Padma Vasudevan is currently an UGC Emeritus fellow at IIT Delhi. She is on the faculty of 

IIT Delhi since 1968 and has served in the Department of Chemistry and Centre for Biomedical 

Engineering before moving to Centre for Rural Development and Technology. She has a wide 

range of interests with special focus on application of Science and Technology for Rural 

Development. She has authored more than 100 research papers, guided more than 50 doctoral 

and post doctoral students. 

Dr. M. G. Dastidar 






Email id: mgdastidar@gmail.com 

Dr. Manisha Ghosh Dastidar is professor at Centre for Energy Studies, IIT Delhi. Her research 

interests include Coal and Biomass Conversion Processes, Physical and Microbial Deashing of 

Coal, Coal Biodesulphurization, Solid Waste Processing, and Waste Management as well as 

Industrial Effluent Treatment. She has teaching and research experience for more than 25 years. 

She has guided a number of M.Tech. and Ph.D. students and published more than 80 research 

papers in various national and international journals and conference proceedings. 

Miss Alka Thapliyal 

Research Scholar 





Email id: alka.thapliyal@gmail.com 

Miss Alka Thapliyal is a PhD candidate at Centre for Energy Studies, IIT Delhi, and working in the 

field of Water and Wastewater Conservation and its Management. Her career interest includes 

use of traditional irrigation practices, treatment of wastewater through constructed wetlands and 

use of treated wastewater for irrigation in agriculture. 

325


Environmental Behavior of Biosolids-Borne Triclosan (TCS) 

Manmeet Waria and George O'Connor, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida-32611. 

Triclosan (TCS) is an antimicrobial compound and is a common constituent of domestic 

wastewater. Wastewater is treated in treatment plants where solids (sludge) are separated and 

liquids (effluent) are discharged to surface waters. The sludge is often processed to produce 

biosolids, which may then be land applied and constitute an important source of TCS to 

agricultural soils and the environment. Numerous reports of wastewater effluent TCS effects on 

aquatic organisms are reported, but the effects and fate of biosolids-borne TCS are largely 

unknown. 

Our research focuses on the environmental fate and ecological effects of biosolids-borne TCS 

under normal land application of biosolids scenarios, with the ultimate goal of performing an 

applicable environmental and human health risk assessment. We began by analyzing 15 

anaerobically digested biosolids from around the US for TCS content. The TCS concentrations 

ranged from 1 to 40 mg kg -1 , with a mean of 17.8 ± 12.2 mg kg -1 . The values are consistent with 

other tabulations of published values, which indicate a range of 3-30 mg kg -1 and an average of 

~10 mg kg -1 . 

Besides total concentration, water solubility is expected to be important in determining TCS 

retention in soils and, thus, risk to surface and ground water supplies. Water solubility values 

reported in the literature (both measured and calculated values) vary widely (1.97-17 mg L -1 ), 

perhaps in part because TCS is a weak acid with a pKa of 8.14. Increased dissociation of the acid 

at pH values near and above the pKa are expected to increase TCS solubility. We measured the 

TCS solubility at various pH values. At two pH units below pKa, measured TCS solubility was 9 

mg L -1 ; at pH equal to pKa, solubility was 27 mg L -1 ; and at two pH units above pKa, solubility 

increased to nearly 800 mg L -1 . Increased solubility at high pH portends greater concentration in 

the aqueous phase (effluent) during the sewage treatment process in plants using lime 

stabilization (pH » 8). The higher concentrations reaching the surface waters from effluents could 

pose a threat to aquatic organisms. Questions have also been raised about potential ecological 

effects of TCS to amphibians at measured environmental concentrations as low as 0.15-1.4 ug L - 

1 (Veldhoen et al., 2005). 

The prime factor affecting TCS environmental fate and ecological effect is likely persistence; how 

long the compound is expected to remain in the environment and its form. A laboratory 

biodegradation study was conducted using a biosolids spiked with 14 C-TCS (final concentration = 

41 mg kg -1 ) amended to a Florida sand and an Illinois loam at agronomic rates to yield a final 

amended soils TCS concentration of 0.41 mg kg -1 . To date, the incubation has continued for 9 

weeks and there has been minimal (


+ - 

activity such as N transformation (NH4 and NO3 production) over time. Soil column leaching 

studies and plant uptake of TCS from biosolids-amended soils will also be quantified. The results 

from our study will contribute to an improved TCS risk assessment for the routine land application 

of biosolids to agricultural soils. 

Biosketch: 

Manmeet Waria (presenting author) 

106 Newell Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL- 32611 

Email- mwaria@ufl.edu 

Phone 352-392-1803 ext 327 

Fax 352-392-3399 

Manmeet Waria obtained her Masters degree in Environmental Soil Science from University of 

Nebraska-Lincoln and is now a PhD student in the Department of Soil and Water Science at 

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. Her research topic is determining the “Environmental 

behavior of biosolids-borne Triclosan (TCS)” 

Author- George O’Connor 

106 Newell Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL-32611 

Email- gao@ufl.edu 

Phone 352-392-1803 ext 329 

Fax 352-392-3399 

George A. O’Connor, PhD is a Professor of Environmental Soil Chemistry in the Soil and Water 

Science Department at the University of Florida. He served as Chair of the department from 1990 

to 1994. His research focuses on the fate, transport, and bioavailability of contaminants in soils. 

327


Removal of Nanoparticles from Liquid Wastes: a State of Art and 

the Development of Characterization Techniques 

Yanping Liu (presenting author)*, Mallorie Tourbin*, Sébastien Lachaize**, Pascal Guiraud*; * 

Université de Toulouse; INSA, UPS, INP; LISBP, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, F-31077 Toulouse, 

France; INRA, UMR792 Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés, F-31400 

Toulouse, France; CNRS, UMR5504, F-31400 Toulouse, France; ** Université de Toulouse; 

INSA, UPS; LPCNO, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, F-31077 Toulouse, France; CNRS; LPCNO, F- 

31077 Toulouse, France 

Nanotechnology is a very active research field and new applications based on nanoparticles are 

under development everyday. It is then reasonable to think that water resources pollution with 

nanoparticles is a possible risk in the future. Although their direct harmful impact is still argued, 

these ultra-small particles with large surface to volume ratio can possibly form undesirable 

oxyradicals (ROS), bind with transition metals or organic chemicals. Such nanoparticles would 

behave like vectors on which hazardous compounds may be concentrated, causing cell injuries 

by attacking DNA, proteins and membranes. 

Some researches are being performed on coagulation and flotation processes to address this 

pollution problem, especially for the treatment of chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) 

wastewater whose composition generally includes nanosized particles (5 to 10% and mainly 

SiO2). Chang and al. (2007) have studied the structure of agglomerate nanoparticles obtained 

from coagulation. They demonstrated the interest of addition of coagulant for a better recovery of 

nanoparticles. Nguyen et al. (2006) have explored the efficiency of flotation as a function of the 

bubble to particle diameters ratio. Furthermore, many works have showed the significant effect of 

colloidal forces on the capture of micro and nanoparticles. On these basis, we apply flotation 

and/or coagulation to eliminate nanoparticles from water, keeping the processes as “green” as 

possible. The first part of our project was to find what the key factors in the flotation process were 

and how to control them. We focus our investigation on colloidal silica of different mean diameters 

and concentrations. 

In the flotation process, Nguyen has shown that a key factor is the diameter ratio between 

nanoparticles and bubbles. It is then necessary to measure the size distribution of the particles in 

order to tailor the size of the bubbles if possible. Nanotrac from Microtrac and Zetasizer NanoS 

from Malvern Instruments were used to measure nanoparticle size distributions from solutions by 

dynamic light scattering (DLS). For comparison purpose, transmission electron microscopy 

micrographs of the same nanoparticles deposited on a substrate were analysed too. Another key 

factor is the surface charge density which is usually given by the zeta potential value: if the 

nanoparticles and bubbles charge signs are opposite to each other and the charge densities are 

large enough to overcome other barriers, it is then easy to aggregate particles on bubbles and to 

remove them by flotation. If not, surface charge modification is required. This can be achieved by 

changing the solution pH, adding well-chosen surfactants or salts (Na + , Mg 2+ , Al 3+ ). The challenge 

is to alter the charge densities of particles and bubbles in different ways to finally get opposite 

signs. The zeta potential value of the particles also gives useful information about their tendency 

to self-aggregate in solution. 

Turbidity of colloidal silica was measured too. It gives a quick access to the nanoparticles 

concentration in the treated water: a linear correlation law of the evolution of turbidity as a 

function of the concentration was obtained. 

In conclusion, the goals of our work are to improve the efficiency of flotation for removing 

nanoparticles from water, and to develop characterization techniques. The first step was to 

measure the size distributions, the pH, the turbidity, the zeta potential and the conductivity of 

328


suspensions as a function of the mean diameter and the concentration of SiO2 nanoparticles. The 

next step will be to extend these measurements to other nanoparticles and to change the zeta 

potential by controlled addition of surfactants or salts. We are also designing a new laboratory 

flotation machine to test and optimize the whole process with nanoparticles solutions. This pilot 

plant and the first tests are presented in the paper. 

References: 

Chang M.R., Lee D.J., Lai J.Y. (2007). Nanoparticles in wastewater from a science-based 

industrial park-Coagulation using polyaluminium chloride, J. of environmental Management, In 

press. 

Nguyen A.V., George P., Jameson G.J. (2006). Demonstration of a minimum in the recovery of 

nanoparticles by flotation: Theory and experiment, Chem. Eng. Sci., 61, 2494-2509. 

Biosketches: 

Yanping Liu, PhD student working on removal of nanoparticles from liquids wastes, Laboratoire 

d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés, Institut National des Sciences 

Appliquées (INSA) de Toulouse, France. M.E. Technology of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin 

University, China 

Address: 135 Avenue de Rangueil, F-31077 Toulouse, France 

Email: yaliu@insa-toulouse.fr 

Phone: +33(0)561559798 

Mallorie Tourbin, Post Doctorant working on removal of nanoparticles from liquids wastes, 

Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés, Institut National des 

Sciences Appliquées (INSA) de Toulouse, France. Dr. in Chemical Engineering, Institut National 

Polytechnique de (INPT) Toulouse, France. 


Email: Mallorie.Tourbin@insa-toulouse.fr 

Phone: +33(0)561559798 

Sébastien Lachaize, Assistant Professor, Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie des Nano-Objets, 

Institut National des Laboratoire Appliquées (INSA) de Toulouse, France. Dr. in chemistry, Institut 

National Polytechnique de (INPT) Toulouse, France. 


Email: slachaiz@insa-toulouse.fr 

Phone: +33(0)561559652 

Pascal Guiraud, Pr., head of the research group ''Transfer, Interfaces, Mixing'' Laboratoire 

d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés, Institut National des Sciences 

Appliquées (INSA) de Toulouse, France. Dr. in Chemical Engineering, Institut National 

Polytechnique de (INPT) Toulouse, France. 


Email: pascal.guiraud@insa-toulouse.fr 

Phone: +33(0)561559686 

Fax: +33(0)561559760 

329


Perfluorinated Chemicals in Minnesota: Lessons Learned 

Regarding Environmental Fate & Transport, Treatment, and 

Source Identification 1 

Virginia Yingling 2, 3 , James Kelly 3 , Chad Kolstad 3 , Michael Convery 3 , Ingrid Verhagen 4 

Since 2002, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 

(MPCA) have investigated perfluorochemical (PFC) contamination in public and private drinking 

water supplies in eleven suburban communities located east and southeast of St. Paul, 

Minnesota. Nearly 100 square miles of groundwater and thousands of wells have been impacted. 

The major sources of the contamination were three large waste disposal sites that received PFCbearing 

waste from the 3M Corporation (3M). 3M produced PFCs since the late 1940s at their 

facility in Cottage Grove, one of the affected communities, and also disposed waste at that 

property. 

The 3M-Cottage Grove investigation detected PFCs in most environmental media (soil, 

groundwater, surface water, sediments, and fish) at and near the site. Investigations at the three 

disposal sites have provided important information regarding PFC environmental chemistry, fate 

and transport and also demonstrate the unique behavior of this class of chemical. In particular, 

groundwater-surface water interactions and human manipulation of local hydrology, as well as 

local bedrock structures, have resulted in far larger and more complex plumes than were 

anticipated based on modeling and previous investigative experience. Evaluating the chemical 

signatures of the source areas and resulting plumes has helped to unravel some of this 

complexity. 

The primary contaminants of concern in the affected area are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), 

perfluoro-octane sulfonate (PFOS), and perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA). Of these, PFBA is the 

most abundant and widespread. However, trace levels of other PFCs have been detected and 

may be related to local fire fighting training and a large industrial fire, both of which involved the 

use of PFC-bearing aqueous film forming foams (AFFF). Investigations into this possibility are 

on-going and point to the need for better tools to analyze PFC chemical signatures. 

The presence of multiple PFCs presents a particular challenge for reducing public exposure. 

Granular activated charcoal (GAC) filters effectively remove PFOS and PFOA, but PFBA breaks 

through more rapidly, particularly on municipal scale systems. Reverse osmosis has proven 

extremely effective on a residential scale and may be a treatment option for certain PFCs, but 

does not appear to be the most cost effective treatment for PFOS and PFOA. 

The extreme persistence and mobility of PFCs in the environment, and the ubiquity of PFOA, 

PFOS and other PFCs in the blood of humans and wildlife, has led MDH and MPCA to 

investigate other potential sources and pathways for PFC entry into the environment. These 

other investigations will be touched on briefly. 

1 

Supported by the Minnesota Remediation Fund and a Cooperative Agreement with the Agency 

for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). The contents are solely the responsibility 

of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the MDH, MPCA, or ATSDR. 

2 

Presenter 

3 

Minnesota Department of Health, Environmental Health Div., 625 N. Robert St., St. Paul, MN 

55155 

4 

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Remediation Div., 520 Lafayette Rd., St. Paul, MN 55155 

330

Biographies: 


Virginia Yingling is a hydrogeologist for the Minnesota Department of Health. She has a B.S. in 

geology from the Pennsylvania State University and an M.S. in geology from the University of 

Wyoming. Ms. Yingling previously worked as an environmental consultant and at the Minnesota 

Pollution Control Agency. 

virginia.yingling@state.mn.us 



St. Paul, MN 55155 

Phone: 651-201-4930 

James Kelly is an Environmental Research Scientist at the Minnesota Department of Health. He 

received his M.S. in environmental health from the University of Minnesota. His responsibilities 

include preparing public health assessments and health consultations on state and federal 

Superfund sites, dump sites, and industrial facilities. 

james.kelly@state.mn.us 




Phone: 651-201-4910 

Chad Kolstad is an engineer with the Minnesota Department of Health – Drinking Water 

Protection Section. He has a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota. His 

current duties include water system inspection, sample collection and evaluation, and treatment 

plant co-plan review. 

chad.kolstad@state.mn.us 


1645 Energy Park Drive 


Phone: 651-643-2103 

Michael Convery is a hydrologist supervisor with the Minnesota Department of Health’s Water 

Well Program. He has a B.S. in Earth Science from the S.U.N.Y at Stony Brook and a M.S. in 

Hydrogeology from the University of Minnesota. He is a licensed Professional Geologist, is 

certified by the American Institute of Professional Geologists, and serves on the Water Quality 

Association’s Public Health Review Board. 

michael.convery@state.mn.us 




Phone: 651-201-4586 

Ingrid Verhagen is a hydrogeologist for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. She has a B.S. 

in geology from Grand Valley State University and a M.S. in geology (chemistry minor) from the 

University of Minnesota-Duluth. Ms. Verhagen has worked in the MPCA’s Superfund, Solid 

Waste permitting, and Closed Landfill programs. 

ingrid.verhagen@state.mn.us 

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 

520 Lafayette Road 


Phone: 651-296-7266 

331


Microbial Degradation of Micropollutants: Chlorophenoxy Acids, 

Sulfamethoxazole and Carbamazepine 

Viviane Yargeau, Sarah Evangelista, Hervé Gauthier and David G. Cooper 

Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Quebec, Canada 

Introduction 

The presence and fate of micropollutants in the environment has been of great concern. 

Microorganisms are ubiquitous in the environment and can play an important role in influencing 

the persistence of these contaminants because of their capacity to degrade them. The 

biodegradation of xenobiotics was studied in presence of an easily biodegradable carbon source. 

Methodology 

Chemicals - CA - clofibric acid (2-(4-chlorophenoxy)-2-methylpropanoic acid), MCPP - (R)mecoprop 

((R)-(+)-2(2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxy) propionic acid), MCPA - (4-chloro-2methylphenoxy)acetic 

acid, SMX - sulfamethoxazole and CBZ - carbamazepine were obtained 

from Sigma-Aldrich Canada Ltd. Microorganisms Rhodococcus rhodochrous (13808), 

Pseudomonas putida (12633), Pseudomonas fluorescens (13525), Bacillus subtilis (6051), 

Aspergillus niger (16888) and Sphingomonas herbicidovorans (700291) were all purchased from 

ATCC, USA. 

Cultures - Microorganisms were first grown in their optimal media as recommended by ATCC. 

Only axenic cultures were used in the trials. When stationary phase was attained, a 1-ml sample 

was transferred to a 500-ml shake flask containing 100 ml of minimal mineral salts media, yeast 

extract (0.1 g/l), glucose (2.5 g/l) and the micropollutant studied: CA (0.1 g/l), MCPA (0.1 g/l), 

MCPP (0.1 g/l), CBZ (12 mg/l), SMX (55 mg/l). The cultures were kept at 26°C in an incubator 

shaker at 150 rpm for times appropriate to the rate of degradation of the compound studied. 

Sample Analysis - For the chlorophenoxy acids (CA, MCPA, MCPP), samples were extracted 

using chloroform containing benzoic acid (1 g/l) as internal standard, in a 1:2 (solvent:broth) 

volume ratio. Extracted samples were analyzed using gas chromatography (Varian GC equipped 

with a flame ionization detector - FID). For SMX and CBZ, samples were analyzed using an 

Agilent 1100 HPLC with a variable wavelength detector. Metabolite identification was performed 

by comparison with analytical standards obtained from Sigma-Aldrich Canada Ltd on the GC as 

well as by mass spectrometry coupled to GC and LC. 


No toxic effects, such as slower growth, were observed for the chlorophenoxy acids at the 

concentrations tested. The growth rates of the microorganisms were a bit slower in the presence 

of the antibiotic compared to the controls. Abiotic degradation and adsorption was shown to 

account for less than 5% in the decrease in concentration for all the xenobiotics and 

microorganisms tested. 

The only microorganism able to degrade or transform CBZ was Rhodococcus rhodochrous for 

which a decrease in concentration of 15% (4% in control) was observed over 15 days. A 

degradation of SMX of 20% was observed in presence of Rhodococcus rhodochrous. Other 

microorganisms were not tested for SMX. All microorganisms tested on CA were incapable of 

degrading it although Rhodococcus rhodochrous transformed CA into its ethyl ester, ethyl 

clofibrate. MCPP and MCPA were degraded by Sphingomonas herbicidovorans at approximately 

the same rate. The very similar structures of CA, MCPA and MCPP suggest that the recalcitrance 

of clofibric acid is due to an additional methyl group adjacent to the ether bond. 

332


For all systems in which degradation was indicated, several new peaks were observed in the 

chromatograms and some metabolites were identified. The nature and toxicity of these 

metabolites must be studied further in order to fully assess the potential toxicity of these 

xenobiotics on the environment. 

Biosketch: 

Viviane Yargeau (presenting author) 

3610 University 

Department of Chemical Engineering 

McGill University 

Montreal, Quebec 

Canada 

H3A 2B2 

Tel (514) 398-2273 

Fax (514) 398-6678 

viviane.yargeau@mcgill.ca 

Dr. Yargeau is an Assistant professor and is the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department 

of Chemical Engineering at McGill, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her research on treatment and 

valorization of wastewater has a main focus on the fate of pharmaceuticals in the environment as 

well as in engineered systems including biological and chemical treatment of municipal and 

industrial wastewaters. 

333


Bioremediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 

Polluted Marine Sediment by Denitrification 

Tong Zhang, Lu Xiaoying, and Herbert H. P. Fang, Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, 

Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, 

Hong Kong SAR, China, e-mail: hrechef@hkucc.hku.hk 

Contaminated sediment is an increasing environmental threat due to the recalcitrance and the 

ecotoxicity of its accumulated pollutants. Sediment is conventionally treated by oxidation using 

strong chemicals or oxygen. However, bioremediation using nitrate as oxidant has become an 

emerging technology for its reduced cost and improved effectiveness. Polycyclic aromatic 

hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are mainly produced from combustion of petrochemicals, have 

recently been found in the coastal sediment of Hong Kong. They are known as priority pollutants 

for their carcinogenic and mutagenic properties, and pose a potential threat to the water 

environment. This research has thus been conducted to study the feasibility of removing PAHs in 

the local contaminated sediment by denitrification. 

Take naphthalene as the model target, which is the simplest in the PAHs group, two tasks have 

been carried out so far, including conducting denitrifying batch experiments on the degradation of 

naphthalene and analyzing the dynamic change of naphthalene-degrading microbial population in 

sediment. Results of batch experiments showed that under denitrifying condition the half-life of 

the naphthalene was 17-20 days. Analysis based on PCR-DGGE showed a gradual shift of 

microbial population in the naphthalene-containing sediment during the denitrifying treatment. 

The new bands appeared in the DGGE were possibly responsible for the degradation of 

naphthalene. Identifications of these new species warrant a further study. 

334


Effects of NOM and Colloids on the Adsorptive Behavior of 

Bisphenol A in Modified Solid Phase Micro-Extraction 

Feidie Zhu a , Hyun-shik Chang a , Kwang-Ho Choo (presenting author) a , Sang-June Choi a , 

Byunghwan Lee b; a Department of Environmental Engineering, Kyungpook National University, 

1370 Sankyeok-Dong, Buk-Gu, Daegu, 702-701, Korea; b Department of Chemical System 

Engineering, Keimyung University, 1000 Shindang-Dong, Dalseo-Gu, Daegu, 704-701, Korea 

The behavior of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in aquatic environment has been 

extensively studied in recent years. As a part of the study, the effect of various environmental 

factors (salinity, pH, temperature, etc.) on the analysis and removal methods of EDCs has been 

also investigated. However, a limited number of examinations have been conducted on the impact 

of natural organic matter (NOM) and colloids in spite of that they are ubiquitous and considered as 

one of the important factors in water chemistry. Thus, in this work, the interactions of EDCs with 

NOM were investigated using 2,2-Bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) propane (Bisphenol A, BPA) as a 

representative EDC with a modified solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) method. In addition, the 

effect of colloidal particles existing in natural water was studied. 

The SPME method was modified to intensify the role of NOM during the adsorption of BPA onto 

the SPME fiber. Then, the changes of BPA peak area measured by GC/MS were investigated with 

water samples with various NOM properties. Two different water samples (NOM1, NOM2) were 

used to study the influence of NOM sources. The former (NOM1) was the influent of a drinking 

water treatment plant, and the latter (NOM2) was the secondary effluent of a wastewater treatment 

plant in Daegu, Korea. Due to the relatively low NOM content in both samples, a reverse osmosis 

(RO) system was employed to increase the DOC level up to about 6 mg/L. Then, several samples 

containing varying amount of NOM and BPA were prepared with a spike of BPA standards by the 

dilution of pure water. 

The adsorption of BPA on a SPME fiber was greatly affected by the presence of NOM. The 

identified BPA peak area decreased with the increase of NOM amount when the same amount of 

BPA was spiked. For the samples spiked with 100 ppb BPA, the decrease of the peak area ratio to 

the BPA standard for NOM1 and NOM2 samples reached 8% and 18%, respectively. In addition, 

the ratio of the sample peak area to the 10 ppb BPA standard decreased by 9% and 10% for each 

NOM source. The results showed that NOM molecules had an effect on BPA adsorption, 

especially with higher BPA concentrations. 

The experimental results imply the interactions between BPA and NOM in water. It can be 

explained by two scenarios. One is defined as “competition” between BPA and NOM with the 

available adsorption sites on the SPME fiber. NOM and BPA may adsorb independently on a fiber, 

but due to the limited number of available adsorption sites, the number of BPA molecules 

adsorbed may decrease with the increase of NOM amount in water samples. The other is 

“inhibition” which means that in spite of a sufficient number of available adsorption sites on the 

fiber, the NOM in water phase could form a complex with BPA, which may inhibit the adsorption of 

BPA on the fiber. As a result, the measurable peak area of BPA may decrease. To confirm which 

scenario dictates the adsorption of BPA on a SPME fiber in the presence of NOM, several 

additional experiments were designed and conducted. Through the analysis of the experimental 

results, the predominant scenario controlling the BPA-NOM system was concluded as “inhibition”. 

The formation of complexes between BPA and NOM in natural water may result from hydrophobic 

interactions between aromatic moieties between two entities. Further studies on complex 

formation are needed. 

The effects of colloidal particles, present in water samples, on BPA adsorption were also 

investigated. The experimental results showed a significant drop of BPA peak area for the particle 

335


containing samples. The peak area was approximately 60% compared to that of 100 ppb BPA 

standard. The removed BPA might be adsorbed on colloidal particles in water. The degree of 

adsorption of BPA by particles needs to be further examined for implications of analysis and 

removal systems. In summary, the analysis and removal of micropollutants such as BPA can be 

affected significantly in the presence of macromolecules (e.g., NOM) and colloids. Particularly, the 

interaction of BPA with NOM and colloids are more important than that with fibers with respect to 

the consistency of BPA recovery. 

Biography: 

Kwang-Ho Choo is an associate professor of environmental engineering at Kyungpook National 

University, Korea. He received his Ph.D. degree from Chemical Technology at Seoul National 

University, Korea in 1996. He has been working on water chemistry, photocatalysis, nano-particles 

separations, adsorption/chelation reactions, membrane-based hybrid systems for water and 

wastewater treatment. He has received several awards from universities and societies for his 

scientific achievements, while serving as a regular or board member for professional societies 

such as IWA, AMS, KMS, KSIEC, KSEE, etc. 

Contact 

Address: Department of Environmental Engineering, Kyungpook National University, 1370 

Sankyeok-Dong, Buk-Gu, 702-701, Korea. 

Phone: +82-53-950-7585 

Fax: +82-53-950-6579 

E-mail: chookh@knu.ac.kr 

336


Degradation of Geosmin by Photoinitiated Oxidation by VUV 

Radiation, UV/Ozone and UV/VUV/Ozone 

Kristin Kutschera (presenting author), Hilmar Börnick, Eckhard Worch; Institute of Water 

Chemistry, Technical University Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany 

Introduction 

The occurrence of the taste and odour compound geosmin affects the aesthetic quality of drinking 

water. Geosmin is a secondary metabolite of cyanobacteria and can be detected by consumers at 

levels as low as 10 ng L –1 as an earthy odour. The conventional treatment procedure of reservoir 

water involving flocculation, filtration, aeration and disinfection/oxidation by chlorine has proved to 

be ineffective for the treatment of this compound. Only the adsorption on activated carbon has 

been applied successfully to reduce the concentration below the threshold odour concentration. 

In the last few years the research on taste and odour compounds has focussed on advanced 

oxidation processes (AOPs), whereas UV based processes are of particular interest. An 

advantage of the UV treatment consists in the simultaneous effective disinfection of the raw water 

besides the oxidation of micropollutants. We have investigated the degradation of geosmin in raw 

water from a drinking water reservoir under UV/VUV radiation and UV/VUV radiation combined 

with ozonation. For the experiments a low-pressure mercury lamp with a high-purity quartz 

envelope (power: 11 W) was used. This UV/VUV lamp emits two wavelengths: 254 nm and 185 

nm with an efficiency of about 33 % and 3 %, respectively. The VUV portion of the radiation can 

be used to generate ozone in the gas phase by the photolysis of oxygen. When the ozone is 

introduced in water and UV radiation is applied the dissolved ozone reacts with the formation of 

highly reactive hydroxyl radicals. Additionally, under VUV radiation water molecules are 

dissociated to form hydroxyl radicals. 


The photolysis of geosmin at 254 nm and 185 nm can be neglected and the degradation by 

ozone is very slow compared to the reaction with hydroxyl radicals. Therefore, the observed 

degradation is caused by photoinitiated oxidation due to the generated hydroxyl radicals and can 

be described with pseudo-first order rate constants. 

Using UV/VUV radiation the degradation of geosmin yielded a pseudo-first order rate constant of 

3.00·10 -4 m² J -1 . To enhance the oxidation ozone generated by a second UV/VUV lamp was 

added to the system. The highest ozone dose produced was 100 µg min -1 when oxygen was 

used as feed gas and 32 µg min -1 using air as feed gas. When UV radiation at 254 nm and ozone 

generated by VUV radiation from oxygen was used to create advanced oxidation conditions the 

achieved degradation rate of 8.00·10 -5 m² J -1 was much lower than the rate constant of UV/VUV 

radiation alone. The addition of ozone to the UV/VUV process increased the degradation rates 

slightly to 3.38·10 -4 m² J -1 and 4.95·10 -4 m² J -1 for the ozone produced from oxygen and air, 

respectively. 

The formation of nitrite from nitrate during UV/VUV radiation is a major problem when the process 

is used for drinking water treatment. In the UV/VUV/ozone process no formation of nitrite was 

observed at fluence rates necessary for complete photoinitiated oxidation of 100 ng L -1 geosmin. 

That shows that the addition of low ozone doses generated by a VUV lamp does only slightly 

improve the degradation of the micropollutant but is sufficient to avoid the formation of nitrite. For 

the UV/VUV/ozone process with ozone generation by VUV two low-pressure mercury lamps were 

used leading to a high energy consumption of the process. Recent investigations have shown 

that ozone generation and irradiation of the aqueous phase can be combined in a single UV 

system. Therefore, the ozone is generated in the annular space between the lamp and the quartz 

sleeve separating the lamp from the aqueous phase. The generated ozone can be injected into 

the water passing through the UV reactor where the irradiation with either UV or UV/VUV takes 

place. Such type of UV reactor with internal generation of ozone can reduce the energy 

337


consumption and investment cost considerably and make the UV/VUV/ozone AOP an alternative 

to other treatment techniques. 

Biosketch: 

Kristin Kutschera 

Institute of Water Chemistry 

Technical University Dresden 

01062 Dresden, Germany 

Tel.: +49-351-463 39131 

fax: +49-351-46337271 

E-mail address: Kristin.Kutschera@tu-dresden.de 

November 2006 onwards 

Postgraduate studies 

Institute of Water Chemistry, Technical University Dresden 

research topic: Treatment technologies for the removal of taste and odour compounds 

(photooxidation, ozonation) 

October 2000 to July 2006 

Undergraduate studies in Geoecology 

Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg 

Adademic degree: Geoecologist / M. Sc. 

338


Emergent Contaminants and Urban Hydrogeology 

Isabel Tubau (presenting author) 1 , Enric Vázquez-Suñé 2 , Jesús Carrera 2 , , Miren Lopez de Alda 3 , 

Damià Barceló 3 , Jordi Font 2 , Susana González 3 , Albert Soler 4 , Jordi Palau 4 , Cristina Postigo 3 , 

Cistina Valhondo 1 

Groundwater levels in Barcelona have been rising, which creates numerous problems to 

underground constructions (subway, underground parking lots, basements, etc). To remediate 

this problem, local authorities have developed the first phreatic water secondary distribution 

network in the world. Water from this secondary network it is been used for many purposes as 

garden irrigation and street cleaning. Recently, the government entity of water sources of 

Catalonia (ACA) aim to get greater use of urban groundwater in this area even for water supply 

purposes. All this possible uses are conditioned by processes controlling its quality. These 

processes must be understood for further development of the secondary network and possible 

supply uses, which is the objective of this field case. To this end, work will be performed at two 

scales: the whole city, primarily for characterization, and two pilot sites, located in zones with 

known pollution sources, where the primary aim is process evaluation. 

One of the key issues here is the evaluation of the different sources for recharge. These include: 

losses from the water supply network (with two different sources of natural water), losses from 

sewers, infiltration from the Besòs River, infiltration in unpaved areas, and seawater intrusion. 

Each recharge source of groundwater in urban areas introduces specific compound and 

contaminants into the soil and groundwater. Quantification of these contributions can be achieved 

by means of solute mass balances, incorporating the uncertainty in the end-members and errors 

in concentration measurements. 

A city-wide geological model including flow and transports processes is already available. This 

will be refined at the pilot areas, which will be selected based on the availability of existing 

information. A complete Geological and Hydrogeological Data Base (Geology and previous 

hydraulic parameterization, groundwater heads evolution, groundwater hydrochemistry evolution, 

hydraulic test, pumping rates, etc.) will be used to build a model of these aquifers at different 

scales. Furthermore, the use of mixing ratios for hydraulic characterization is a relevant 

innovation. This model will be used together with point data at sampling points to find the spatial 

distribution and time evolution of mixing ratios from different sources of recharge water into 

aquifers. 

The aim in this test site is (1) to determine the point and diffuse sources of pollution in urban 

areas (sewage system losses, buried landfills, former industrial sites, …), and (2) to study natural 

attenuation processes for the different pollutants, including at least nutrients (nitrate and 

phosphate cycles), metals, hydrocarbons and ECs. These processes depend on the presence of 

organic matter and the redox state, which can be directly linked to the mixing proportions of the 

end-members. Some of these compounds or their degradation products have been identified as 

having the potential to cause adverse health effects in humans and wildlife. 

Once water mixing and pollution attenuation have been assessed for a given site it will be 

possible to study potential uses for the existing groundwater. 

Models will be used for integration purposes: compilation of hydraulic data, study of the impact of 

geochemical processes on the fate of pollutants, and development of a hydraulic resources 

management model for evaluating the potential water abstraction in the area and ascertaining its 

quality and potential uses. 

339

Biosketch: 


Isabel Tubau 1 : Master in Geological Engineering at the Technical University of Catalonia and the 

University of Barcelona, Faculty of Geology (Spain), PhD student in the Technical University of 

Catalonia – Hydrogeology Group. 

Email: Isabel.tubau@upc.edu 

Phone number: 0034-93-4011320 

Enric Vázquez-Suñé 2 : evazquez@ija.csic.es 

Jesús Carrera 2 : jcarrera@ija.csic.es 

Miren Lopez de Alda 3 : mlaqam@cid.csic.es 

Damià Barceló 3 : dbcqam@nunki.cid.csic.es 

Susana González 3 sgbqam@iiqab.csic.es 

Jordi Font 2 : jordi.font@upc.edu 

Albert Soler 4 : albertsolergil@ub.edu 

Jordi Palau 4 : Jordi.palau@ub.edu 

Cristina Postigo 3 cprqam@iiqab.csic.es 

Cristina Valhondo 1 cristina.valhondo@upc.edu 

1 

Technical University of Catalonia - Department of Geotechnical Engineering and Geo-Sciences 

(UPC-ETCG). Gran Capita s/n, 08034 Barcelona, Spain. 

2 

Instituto de Diagnóstico Ambiental y Estudios del Agua (IDAEA-CSIC). Jordi Girona 18, 08034 

Barcelona, Spain. 

3 

Chemical and Environmental Research Institute of Barcelona - Department of Environmental 

Chemistry (IIQAB-CSIC). Jordi Girona 18–26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain. 

4 

Universty of Barcelona, Faculty of Geology- Department of Cristalography (UB). Martí 

Franques, S/N, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. 

340


Drinking Water Treatment for Hexavalent Chromium at the City 

of Glendale, California 

Nicole K. Blute (presenting author), PhD, Malcolm Pirnie, Inc.; Michael J. McGuire, PhD, PE, 

Michael J. McGuire Inc.; Peter Kavounas, Glendale Water and Power 

In 2002, the City of Glendale embarked upon a four-phase research campaign to identify and 

install treatment technologies for removing hexavalent chromium from drinking water supplies. 

Phase I, also including the Cities of Los Angeles, Burbank, and San Fernando and the American 

Water Works Association Research Foundation, screened a wide range of technologies for the 

ability to yield water containing very low micrograms per liter (i.e., parts-per-billion) Cr(VI). Phase 

II built upon these findings to test 6 treatment technologies at the pilot scale. From these studies, 

two treatment technologies were selected for demonstration testing – 

reduction/coagulation/filtration (RCF) using ferrous sulfate and weak base anion exchange 

(WBA). 

In Glendale’s pilot-scale studies, weak-base anion exchange resin exhibited an exceptionally high 

capacity for hexavalent chromium compared with strong-base anion exchange resin. Evidence 

suggested that the capacity may have been due to another mechanism, in addition to anion 

exchange. Glendale and Malcolm Pirnie partnered with several leading research institutions to 

use advanced geochemical techniques for probing chromium-loaded resins. The oxidation state 

of chromium in resins was assessed using x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at the Argonne 

National Laboratory Advanced Photon Source. XAS results indicated that more than 95% of the 

hexavalent chromium was reduced to trivalent chromium by two resins. Wellesley College and 

MIT laboratories provided evidence that the chromium present was homogenously distributed 

through the resin and did not exist as crystalline precipitates on the resin bead surfaces that could 

be easily mobilized. Demonstration-scale testing at Glendale will build upon these results to 

optimize operations of weak-base anion exchange resin. 

In preparation for RCF demonstration-scale design, additional pilot testing was conducted to 

optimize several design features. Variables tested include reduction time, aeration time (and need 

for aeration), and the possibility of backwash water recycle. Findings revealed that an aeration 

step was not needed if 45 minutes of reduction time was provided. Dual-media granular filtration 

was efficient at removing particles formed in the RCF process using a high molecular weight filter 

polymer aid. Testing also revealed that a passive means of filtering the backwash water can yield 

a high quality filtrate that can be recycled to the head of the plant, without impacting the process. 

As a result of these studies, the City of Glendale is currently in Phase III of the research program, 

in which two design-build demonstration facilities will be constructed: WBA at 425 gpm and RCF 

at 100 gpm. Results of these studies have advanced the understanding of treatment technologies 

that can remove Cr(VI) to low microgram per liter concentrations. 

Biosketch: 

Nicole K. Blute is a Senior Project Engineer in the Los Angeles office of Malcolm Pirnie, 

specializing in drinking water treatment and water quality. Dr. Blute has significant experience 

with technology testing and implementation, notably for emerging contaminants. She is Project 

Manager for Malcolm Pirnie on testing of chromium removal for the City of Glendale. 

Nicole K. Blute, PhD 

Malcolm Pirnie, 

725 S. Figueroa St. Suite 1540, 

Los Angeles, CA 90017 

(213) 327-1620 – phone; (213) 614-9003 – fax 

341


Screening and Identification of Emerging Contaminants in 

Groundwater and Surface Water by Liquid Chromatography- 

Hybrid Linear Ion Trap Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry 

A.C. Hogenboom 1 , J.A. van Leerdam 1 ,L.M. Puijker 1 and P. de Voogt 1,2 ; 1) KWR Watercycle 

Research Institute, Chemical Water Quality and Health, P.O. Box 1072, 3430 BB Nieuwegein, the 

Netherlands; 2) Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Diversity, University of Amsterdam, 

Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam, the Netherlands 

Keywords:, Emerging contaminants, identification of unknowns, accurate mass screening linear 

ion trap (LTQ FT) Orbitrap mass spectrometry, monitoring studies groundwater and surface water 

quality. 

The European Reach legislation will possibly drive producers to innovate their products, possibly 

to develop newly designed chemicals that will be less persistent, bioaccumulative or toxic. If this 

innovation leads to an increased use of more hydrophilic chemicals it may result in higher 

mobilities of chemicals in the aqueous environment. As a result, the drinking water companies 

may face stronger demands on removal processes as the hydrophilic compounds inherently are 

more difficult to remove. Monitoring efforts will also experience a shift in focus to more watersoluble 

compounds. Screening source waters on the presence of (emerging) contaminants is an 

essential step in the control of the water cycle from source to tap water. 

In this article, some of our experiences are presented with the hybrid linear ion trap (LTQ) FT 

Orbitrap mass spectrometer, in the area of chemical water analysis. A two-pronged strategy in 

mass spectrometric research was employed: (i) exploring effluent of waste water treatment 

plants, surface, ground- and drinking water samples searching for accurate masses 

corresponding to target compounds (and their product ions) known from e.g. priority lists or the 

scientific literature and (ii) full-scan screening of water samples in search of ‘unknown’ or 

unexpected masses, followed by MS n experiments to elucidate the structure of the unknowns. 

Applications of both approaches to emerging water contaminants are presented and discussed. 

Results are presented for target analysis search for pharmaceuticals, benzotriazoles, illicit drugs 

and for the identification of unknown compounds in groundwater samples and in a polar extract of 

a landfill soil sample (a Toxicity Identification Evaluation bioassay sample). The applications of 

accurate mass screening and identification described in this article demonstrate that the LC-LTQ 

FT Orbitrap MS is well equipped to meet the challenges posed by newly emerging polar 

contaminants. 

L.M. Puijker M. Sc. 

Senior Analytical Chemist 

KWR Watercycle Research Institute 

Nieuwegein, The Netherlands 

Phone: + 31 30 60 69 633 

Fax: +31 30 60 61 165 

E-mail: leo.puijker@kwrwater.nl 

Inf. www.kwrwater.eu 

342


Free-Radical-Induced Oxidative and Reductive Degradation of 

Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory drugs: Kinetic Studies and 

Degradation Pathways 

Behnaz Razavi (presenting author); Weihua Song, Kimberly G. Jones 1 , William J. Cooper; Urban 

Water Research Center, and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Henry Samueli 

School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 

Many pharmaceutical compounds and metabolites are reportedly found in surface and ground 

waters suggesting their ineffective removal by conventional wastewater treatment technologies. 

Advanced oxidation/reduction processes (AO/RPs), which utilize free radical reactions to directly 

degrade chemical contaminants, are alternatives to traditional water treatment. 

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a special group of pharmaceuticals that often 

found in natural waters and are one of the most widely used drugs in the world. Approximately 

100 tons of these prescription drugs as sold annually in the United States. The average 

concentration in the low ppb range were detected in influents and effluents of municipal sewage 

treatment plants and surface waters in Austria, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland and United States. 

They have also been detected in groundwater and periodically at trace level concentration in raw 

and treated drinking water. Therefore, it is critical to develop a fundamental understanding of the 

fate and oxidative and reductive degradation of NSAIDs during water treatment processes. 

This study reports the absolute rate constants for reaction of three NSAIDs: diclofenac, ibuprofen 

and naproxen with the two major AO/RP radicals; the hydroxyl radical (•OH) and hydrated 

electron (e - 

aq). The bimolecular reaction rate constants (M -1 s -1 ) for diclofenac, ibuprofen and 

naproxen for •OH were (9.29 ± 0.11) x 10 9 , (5.97 ± 0.22) x 10 9 and (7.53 ± 0.26) x 10 9 , and, for e - 

aq were (1.53 ± 0.03) x 10 9 , (4.76 ± 0.18) x 10 8 and (2.43 ± 0.13) x 10 9 , respectively. In addition, 

preliminary degradation mechanisms and major products were elucidated using 60 Co-irradiation 

and LC-MS. These data are required for both evaluating the potential use of AO/RPs for the 

destruction of these compounds and for studies of their fate and transport in surface waters 

where radical chemistry may be important in assessing their lifetime. 

Biosketch: 

Behnaz Razavi is a PhD candidate in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at 

the University of California, Irvine. She is currently working under the supervision of Dr. William J. 

Cooper. Behnaz’s research focuses on the removal of cholesterol lowering pharmaceuticals such 

as clofibric acid and lipitor from water using advanced oxidation reduction processes (AO/RP’s). 

Behnaz received her master degree in physical and environmental chemistry from the California 

state University, Long Beach in 2006 and her bachelor degree in chemistry from the University of 

British Columbia in 2003. 

343


Minimizing Estrogenic Compounds in Biosolids: An Evaluation 

of Anaerobic, Post-Aerobic, and Cambi Digestion Processes 

Patrick McNamara, University of Minnesota, Graduate Fellow, 122 Civil Engineering, 500 

Pillsbury Drive S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455, Phone: (414) 349-0841, mcnam131@umn.edu; 

Matthew Wogen, University of Minnesota, Div. of Environmental Health Sciences; and Paige 

Novak, University of Minnesota, Dept. of Civil Engineering 

Estrogenic compounds found in wastewater have been shown to negatively impact aquatic 

organisms, as they have been linked to reductions in fish egg production, fish feminization, and 

even toxicity. While many compounds can be removed from the sewage treatment plant effluent, 

the more hydrophobic compounds, such as nonylphenol (NP) and triclosan, sorb to the solids and 

thus have been found in the effluent of solids treatment processes. Many countries across the 

world rely on land applying their biosolids as an efficient way to utilize their waste, but the 

presence of these contaminants threatens the future of this important practice. For example, 

potential regulation by the European Union will limit the concentration of NP and NP ethoxylates 

to 50 mg/kg dw in biosolids that are to be land applied. This level is already exceeded in multiple 

European countries, as well as in the U.S. Various solids treatment processes must be evaluated 

on the basis of estrogenic contaminant removal in order to supplement the other decision criteria 

that municipalities use when determining which treatment processes to implement. This study 

compares the estrogenic removal efficiencies of three solids treatment processes that were fed 

the same influent sludge: mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MAD), MAD followed by aerobic 

digestion, and the Cambi process, which couples thermal hydrolysis pretreatment (THP) to MAD. 

Raw and digested sludge were obtained and tested for estrogenicity and specific estrogenic 

compounds. Estrogenicity was analyzed using a recombinant yeast estrogen screen (YES) 

assay as well as liquid chromatography – mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The LC-MS analysis 

yielded results for specific concentrations of major estrogenic compounds while the YES assay 

provided a semi-quantitative comparison of the total estrogenicity in each sample. The raw 

sludge samples were completely toxic to the yeast in the YES assay. The YES assay results as 

well as the LC-MS results demonstrated that MAD followed by aerobic digestion removed 

estrogenicity more effectively than MAD alone, as expected. Nonylphenol, which is a weak 

estrogenic compound but found in high concentrations in biosolids, increased after MAD, likely 

due to the breakdown of NP ethoxylates in the raw sludge. The extra NP that was formed during 

MAD was broken down during the post aerobic digestion phase, and this reduction of NP at least 

partially contributed to the observed decrease in estrogenicity between the two treatment 

processes as seen in the YES assay results. 

The sludge samples obtained from the Cambi digesters were taken when ammonia 

concentrations were high during the start-up phase, and these high ammonia concentrations may 

have contributed to yeast toxicity in the YES assay. The LC-MS results showed that the Cambi 

process resulted in better removal of NP than the MAD process, but the MAD-AER process still 

showed the best removal. Additional research is planned using Cambi sludge samples that are 

taken after the ammonia concentrations have decreased from the high startup levels and the 

digesters are at steady-state in order to make a fair analysis on the potential of estrogenic 

removal from biosolids via the Cambi process. 

344

Biography: 


Patrick McNamara began studying at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2008 to pursue a 

Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, with a focus in the sub-discipline of environmental engineering. He 

was awarded a fellowship under the NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research 

Traineeship (IGERT) Program and has been working under the guidance of Dr. Paige Novak. His 

research interests include the classical process of anaerobic digestion and how it can enhance 

the removal of emerging estrogenic compounds of concern from our environment. He is 

interested in determining more about how microbial communities are affected during advanced 

digestion treatment processes and how these microbial changes affect the fate of the estrogenic 

contaminants. Other research interests include expanding beyond municipal digestion systems 

to studying the role of environmental estrogens in septage systems and the effects that 

environmental estrogens in septage runoff have on nearby aquatic systems. 

Prior to starting his degree program at the University of Minnesota, Patrick received an M.S. in 

Environmental and Water Resources Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 2006. 

His research there focused on decreasing polymer usage for the City of Austin’s biosolids 

management plant. Research tasks involved designing both bench-scale and full-scale 

experiments for the plant, as well as analyzing historic data to determine why a sudden increase 

in polymer usage was seen several years ago. Patrick earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from 

Marquette University in Milwaukee WI where he also received a minor in Spanish for the 

Business Professions. 

345


An Evaluation of Intra and Interlaboratory Accuracy of 

Pharmaceutical Analysis 

Dr. Andrew Eaton, Ali Haghani, Linda Geddes, MWH Laboratories, Monrovia, CA 91016 

Although analysis of pharnaceuticals in water has now been conducted for nearly 30 years, there 

is still little information available on the accuracy of analytical methods due in part to the lack of 

standardization of methodologies and the lack of consistent approaches to preservation, holding 

time, target analytes, and reporting limits. Over 4 years ago a round robin study of 

pharmaceuticals in secondary wastewater effluent (Drewes et al) demonstrated the lack of 

precision and accuracy of the measurements when applied to a large number of potential target 

analytes. In that study it was demonstrated that analytical accuracy varied from 200% 

and no single lab generated consistent data for all target analytes. This led to the adoption of 

isotope dilution techniques by many laboratories (Vanderford et al, 2006), but there has still not 

been an assessment of the accuracy of routine analyses being conducted by a number of labs. 

This lack of knowledge became critical following the 2008 articles by the Associated Press, 

because this has led to a substantial increase in analyses for these parameters by multiple labs, 

both commercial and academic. In part as a result of the AP articles, there are now multiple 

studies being conducted to evaluate the “state of the art” of methods. 

Our own lab is involved in several different relevant studies. These include development, 

validation, and comparison of two different analytical methods for trace level pharmaceuticals, 

allowing the assessment of INTRAlab precision and accuracy. One of the methods is an offline 

SPE method with isotope dilution LC-MS-MS, based on the Vanderford et al method. The other 

method is a small volume direct injection on-line SPE-LC-MS-MS method (Haghani et al, 2000). 

Thus the two methods use very different sample preparation methods and somewhat different 

detection techniques. Over 100 samples from a variety of methods have been analyzed by both 

methods. The second study is an INTERLAB study, which is a multi-lab study being conducted 

by a Midwest utility involving collection of monthly samples at multiple sites (source and treated 

waters) and being analyzed by up to 4 laboratories for each round. By the time of this 

presentation results will be available for up to 50 samples. The last relevant study is a WRF 

funded study (Vanderford et al, 2009) to evaluate existing analytical methods for pharmaceuticals 

and recommend improvements. This study, just beginning, involves multiple rounds of analysis 

by up to 20 laboratories (very similar to oceanographic evaluations of trace metal analysis in the 

early 1970s) to compare methods and determine the most rugged methods to be recommended 

for adoption by the water industry. While this last study has not yet generated any round robin 

data, the other two will have already accumulated over 7 months worth of comparison data (up to 

100 multi-method/multi-lab data points) by the time of this presentation, allowing a good 

assessment of the current state of the art for pharmaceutical analysis in the real world. 

In addition to these three studies there are at least two other relevant recent studies either 

completed or ongoing. One is an intra-laboratory assessment conducted by an eastern utility 

(Oblensky 2009) which involved sending a number of double blind spiked and un-spiked samples 

to a single lab to evaluate accuracy and precision. The second is an ongoing study involving 

multiple split samples with three labs (Guo et al, 2008) to compare methods. 

This presentation will review the results of all of these studies and suggests ways to go forward to 

improve the accuracy and precision of pharmaceutical analysis and also based on results 

suggest ways to present results of data to the public, who are the ultimate consumers of the 

information. 

346


The Impact of physiological State and Residual Organic Carbon 

on the Biotransformation of 17α-Ethinylestradiol by Ammonia 

Oxidizing Bacteria and Heterotrophic Bacteria 

W. O. Khunjar 1 , J. Skotnicka-Pitak 3,5 , M. D. Celiz 3 , N. G. Love 2,* 

, D. Aga 3 

, W. F. Harper Jr. 4 ; 

1 

Charles E. Via Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 418 Durham 

Hall (0246), Blacksburg, VA 24061; 2 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 

University of Michigan, 2340 GG Brown Lab, 2350 Hayward St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2125; 

3 

Department of Chemistry, 611 Natural Science Complex, University at Buffalo, The State 

University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260; 4 University of Pittsburgh, Department of Civil and 

Environmental Engineering, 949 Benedum Hall, 3700 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260; 

5 

Department of Environmental Engineering, Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24, 

31-155 Kraków, Poland 

Very little information is currently available about the metabolic pathway(s) involved in the 

biotransformation of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) during activated sludge treatment. As this 

microconstituent has been known to induce vitellogenesis at trace concentrations (low ng/L), it is 

imperative that we investigate the fate and nature of stable metabolites as they may pose their 

own ecotoxicological effects on the environment. Additionally, there is a clear need to assess the 

relative roles of co-existing microbial groups present in activated sludge that may be responsible 

for such biotransformation processes. This work will present findings regarding the fate of EE2 in 

the presence of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (Nitrosomonas europaea) versus heterotrophic 

bacteria. 

Batch (5L; 1 mg/L 12 C-EE2) and continuous flow (2L; SRT = 7 day; 1 mg/ 12 C-EE2 and 10 μg/L 

14 C-EE2) cultivated Nitrosomonas europaea and heterotrophic cultures (enriched for either low 

oxygenase (Ox-) or high oxygenase (Ox+) enzyme expression) were monitored for the 

disappearance of EE2. Supernatant samples were analyzed via LC-MS, LC-ITMS and/or NMR 

spectroscopy to detect and characterize metabolites that were generated. The relative 

estrogenicity of the biotransformation byproducts was also determined by performing the YES 

bioassay on fractionated effluent samples. Extant kinetic experiments were performed by adding 

chloramphenicol (100 mg/L) and EE2 (200 μg/L) to each culture and monitoring EE2 

concentrations over a 4 hour period. 

During batch incubation with N. europaea, 98% of EE2 was transformed over 19 days of 

incubation and three (3) stable metabolites were detected. Characterization of one of the 

metabolites indicated a modification at the ethinyl group and carboxylation at the C-6 position. 

This metabolite (M386) (revealed by m/z 385 in negative mode electrospray LC/MS) was not 

formed in the abiotic control. Nitrated EE2 derivatives corresponding to m/z 340 (4-nitro– 

ethinylestradiol (4-nitro-EE2) and 2-nitro-ethinylestradiol (2-nitro-EE2)) were also detected in the 

nitrite rich batch reactors. The identities of these metabolites were confirmed with abiotic 

experiments including high nitrite concentrations. Biotransformation of EE2 in batch Ox- reactors 

was not observed over the duration of the experiments even after the primary electron donor 

(acetate) was depleted suggesting diauxic lag. In batch Ox+ experiments, EE2 was transformed 

in the presence of the primary electron donors (acetate, benzoate, toluene) suggesting mixed 

substrate utilization or co-oxidation processes. 

In contrast to batch investigations, biotransformation of EE2 under continuous flow conditions 

with N. europaea showed formation of a monohydroxylated EE2 metabolite (revealed by m/z 

311), but not M386. Monohydroxylated EE2 was not detected in batch cultures. Both nitro-EE2 

metabolites were also detected in the nitrite rich chemostat. Mineralization of EE2 in the presence 

of N. europaea was not observed. For both heterotrophic chemostats, up to 75% of the input 14 C- 

347


EE2 was mineralized suggesting a reduced role for unspecific oxygenase reactions. These 

results highlight the importance of physiological state and growth conditions as critical variables 

that can dictate the metabolic pathway for EE2 biodegradation and the nature of by-products 

formed. Further, results from our extant studies suggest that AOBs transformed EE2 up to 4 

times faster than Ox- and Ox+ culture (data not shown). 

Biosketches: 

Wendell Khunjar is a PhD candidate in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 

at Virginia Tech. His current research focuses on understanding the interactions between 

ammonia oxidizing bacteria and heterotrophic bacteria as related to microconstituent removal 

processes. 

Email: wkhunjar@vt.edu 

Voice: 540-231-3334 

Fax: 540-231-7916 

Dr. Nancy Love is the Professor and Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental 

Engineering at the University of Michigan. Her research and teaching focuses on environmental 

biotechnology, with a special emphasis on a range of contaminant types, including phosphorus. 

Department Business E-mail: cee-chair@umich.edu 

Personal/Research Business E-mail: nglove@umich.edu 

Phone: 734-764-8495 

Fax: 734-764-4292 

Dr. Diana S. Aga is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at University at 

Buffalo, State University of New York. Her research interests include fate and transport of 

pollutants, environmental sampling and analysis, waste water treatment of micropollutants, 

capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS), 

enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), 

molecularly imprinted sorbents in solid-phase extraction. Within this context, Dr. Aga is focused 

on developing modern and innovative analytical techniques for identification and quantification of 

environmental contaminants through optimized sample preparation techniques and 

laboratory/field studies. 

Email: dianaaga@buffalo.edu 

Voice: 716-645-6800 ext 2226 

Fax: 716-645-6963 

Dr. Willie F. Harper Jr. is an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental 

Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Harper is focused on biological processes for 

environmental engineering including engineered systems, such as biological wastewater 

treatment processes, and also natural systems such as wetlands and estuaries. His research 

combines traditional approaches, such as mathematical modeling and laboratory-scale 

experimentation, with the modern tools from bio- and organic chemistry, including enzyme assays, 

NMR, and thin layer chromatography. 

Email: wfh3@pitt.edu 

Voice: (412) 624-9548 

Fax: (412) 624-0135 

Dawn Celiz is a Ph.D student in the Department of Chemistry at University at Buffalo, State 

University of New York. She is currently working on identifying metabolites of ethynylestradiol and 

investigating the interaction of nanomaterials with natural organic matter. 

Email: mda4@buffalo.edu 

Voice: 716-645-6800 ext 2209 

Fax: 716-645-6963 

348


Jolanta Skotnicka-Pitak is a PhD candidate in Departament of Environmental Engineering at 

Cracow University of Technology. Her current research focuses on developing new methods for 

analyzing one of the estrogenic compounds: 17α-ethynylestradiol and their metabolites by LC-MS. 

Email: skotnickajola@gmail.com 

Voice: +48 609210010 

349



Carbamazepine (CBZ) in Water 

C. M. Dai*, X. F. Zhou*,Y. L. Zhang**, Y. P. Duan*; *Key Laboratory of Yangtze Water 

Environment of Ministry of Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China (E-mail: 

chaomengdai@yahoo.com.cn, zhouxuefei@tongji.edu.cn, yanpingduan@hotmail.com); **State 

Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, 

China (E-mail: zhangyalei2003@163.com); (*Corresponding author: zhouxuefei@tongji.edu.cn) 

Public concern about the pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) has grown over 

the past decade. Many of these compounds are suspected or potential endocrine disrupting 

chemicals. These compounds of concern may cause toxic effects on aquatic organisms or even 

threat human health. Moreover the presence of these compounds in natural system can lead to 

the development of multi-resistant strains of bacteria. Therefore, the occurrence of PPCPs in 

aquatic environments could negatively impact the health of the ecosystem and humans. A typical 

case is carbamazepine(CBZ), a widely prescribed antiepileptic drug. Due to its low 

biodegradability, CBZ often remains stable after conventional or even after advanced biological 

wastewater treatment processes and shows a highly persistent behavior in the aquatic 

environment. In addition, it can produce a formation of mutagenic compounds during conventional 

oxidation processes. So it is very important to develop novel technologies for the removal of CBZ 

from water and wastewater. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are considered one of the 

most attractive methods for the treatment of water and wastewater containing toxic and nonbiodegradable 

pollutants.The objective of this investigation is to study the degradation of CBZ in 

de-ionized water by AOPs using UV, UV/H2O2, the Fenton, the photo-Fenton and UV/ TiO2, and 

compare their efficiency for the degradation of CBZ. Irradiation experiments were carried out in a 

laboratory-made photoreactor equipped with a 100 w medium-pressure (MP) mercury lamp 

(λ=365 nm). CBZ concentration was detected by HPLC. Preliminary results show that the 

degradation of CBZ by UV and UV/H2O2 exhibited pseudo-first order reaction kinetics. It was 

also found that CBZ degradation by direct photolysis and UV/H2O2 process was not affected by 

varying the pH of the solution in the range of 2.0-8.0. Fenton and photo-Fenton oxidation were 

carried out at initial pH of 3.5, at initial hydrogen peroxide concentration of 5mM, and ferrous ions 

at initial concentrations of 0.5, 1 and 2mM respectively, and the results demonstrate that the 

degradation kinetics of Fenton and photo-Fenton oxidation followed a second order behavior. 

During UV/ TiO2, the kinetics of CBZ degradation in the presence of different concentrations of 

TiO2 (0.5g/L, 1.5 g/Land 2g/L) followed the pseudo-first order degradation, which was consistent 

to the Langmuir–Hinshelwood(L–H) model resulting from the low coverage in the experimental 

concentration range (~10mg/L). Finally, the same operating parameters (temperature, volume, 

reaction time, etc.) were applied in UV/H2O2, Fenton, UV-Fenton and UV/TiO2 processes to 

compare their efficiency for the degradation of CBZ. The degradation efficiencies of CBZ are in 

the following order, UV-Fenton> UV/TiO2>Fenton> UV/H2O2. 

Keywords: Carbamazepine; Advanced oxidation processes; Ultraviolet; Fenton; TiO2; Photolysis 

350



X.F. Zhou, Ph.D, Asso. Prof. College of Environmental Science & Technology Tongji University, 

Shanghai, P.R. China. Core research work was the activated sludge modeling for wastewater 

treatment, occurrence and fate of PPCPs in municipal wastewater treatment plant and so on. 

Y.L. Zhang, Ph.D, Prof. College of Environmental Science & Technology Tongji University, 

Shanghai, P.R. China. The research focuses on the theory and technology of water pollution 

control. 

C.M. Dai, Doctorate Candidate. College of Environmental Science & Technology Tongji 

University, Shanghai, P.R. China. 

Y.P. Duan, Doctorate Candidate. College of Environmental Science & Technology Tongji 

University, Shanghai, P.R. China. 

351


Use of On-site Bioreactors to Determine the In Situ 

Biotransformation Kinetics of a Model Fluorochemical at a Full- 

Scale Wastewater Treatment Plant 

Kurt R. Rhoads (presenting author), Katherine Rostkowski, Peter K. Kitanidis, Craig S. Criddle; 

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University 

Toxic fluorochemicals, such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), are found in wastewater 

treatment plants and sludge. One potential PFOS precursor is N-ethyl perfluorooctane 

sulfonamidoethanol (N-EtFOSE), a fluorinated repellent used in paper products. To predict the 

fate of N-EtFOSE, accurate biotransformation kinetics and phase partitioning data are needed. 

Existing transformation assays are of questionable value for such purposes due to difficulties in 

simulating the wastewater, the microbial community, and wastewater treatment processes. To 

generate more realistic biotransformation rates, an in situ bioreactor was developed in which N- 

EtFOSE was continuously added with a conservative tracer to activated sludge from a full-scale 

activated sludge municipal treatment plant and passed through a well-mixed reactor. 

Perfluorooctane sulfonamido acetate (N-EtFOSAA) was detected as the sole transformation 

product. Biotransformation of N-EtFOSE was modeled using two pseudo-second order rate 

coefficients k = 2.6 and 2.7 L/g VSS day -1 , for each independent reactor, respectively. These 

data, coupled with an analysis of mass transfer rates, suggest that N-EtFOSE biotransformation 

is slower than volatilization during activated sludge treatment, and that the only significant N- 

EtFOSE transformation product, N-EtFOSAA, sorbs to sludge solids. 

Biosketch: 

Kurt Rhoads is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 

(Environmental Engineering and Science) at Stanford University under Professor Craig Criddle. 

He holds a M.S. from Stanford and a B.S. from the University of Maryland, College Park. He has 

also worked as an environmental engineering consultant. 

Kurt Rhoads 


The Jerry Yang & Akiko Yamazaki Environment & Energy Building 

473 Via Ortega - Room M8 - MC 4020 


Phone: 650-799-5680 

Email: krhoads@stanford.edu 

352


Human Pharmaceuticals Cocktail Analysis by UPLC TM /MS/MS for 

the Contamination Diagnosis of Natural and Drinking Water 

Mompelat S., LeBot B.*, Thomas O., Environment and Health Research Laboratory, French 

School of Public Health, Rennes, France, Avenue Professeur Léon Bernard, 35000 Rennes, 

France; *Corresponding author: tel.: +33 (0)2 99 02 29 24; fax:+33 (0)2 99 02 29 29, E-mail 

address: Barbara.LeBot@ehesp.fr 

Keywords: Environmental analysis - Pharmaceuticals - Liquid Chromatography tandem Mass 

Spectrometry - Water resources – Drinking water 

Human pharmaceuticals products (PPs) are considered as emerging pollutants as they are 

continuously and increasingly released in the water cycle [1,2]. Their presence have been widely 

reported in worldwide aquatic compartments at the µg/L level of concentration [3]. 

Although the human chronic exposure via drinking water (DW) of PPs in mixture, at low ng/L is 

still a key issue in matter of public health concern, their presence in DW is sporadically 

documented [2]. 

Within the context of water reuse and preservation of water safety and quality, we obviously need 

to be able to diagnose the presence at low concentrations of such micropollutants in DW. 

In this aim, we focus our research on the detection and quantification in DW of a cocktail of 26 

human pharmaceuticals residues choosed among the 4000 human PPs [2] and owning to various 

therapeutical classes (antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, beta-blockers, antiepileptic, 

anti-anxiety, antineoplastics, etc.). 

In this frame, protocole of PPs extraction from natural and drinking water performed using solide 

phase extraction cartridges will be explained. Separation, detection, and quantification of PPs are 

based on a cutting-edge analytical methodology : UPLC TM (Ultra Performance Liquid 

Chromatofraphy) instrument allowing good performance of separation analyses (good sensitivity, 

resolution, rapidness of analysis thanks to narrow bore chromatographic columns packed with 

smaller particles), besides electrospray (positive and negative ionization mode) tandem mass 

spectrometry (MS/MS) allowing quantification limits below ng/L range [4,3]. 

Validation performance parameters of the resulting method will be detailed before the 

presentation of results obtained from its application on the occurrence determination of the 26 

PPs cocktail in french DW and their connected water resources (surface and ground-water). 

Supported funds of this study provide from the French School of Public Health (Rennes, France) 

Reference List 

[1] I.Robinson, G.Junqua, R.Van Coillie, and O.Thomas, Trends in the detection of 

pharmaceutical products, and their impact and mitigation in water and wastewater in North 

America, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 387 (2007) 1143-1151. 

[2] S.Mompelat, B.LeBot, and O.Thomas, Occurrence and fate of pharmaceutical products and 

by-products, from resource to drinking water, Environment International (2009) In Press, 

Corrected Proof, DOI:10.1016/j.envint.2008.10.008. 

[3] F.Tamtam, F.Mercier, B.Le Bot, J.Eurin, Q.Tuc Dinh, M.Clément, and M.Chevreuil, 

Occurrence and fate of antibiotics in the Seine River in various hydrological conditions, 

Science of The Total Environment 393 (2008) 84-95. 

353


[4] F. Tamtam, F.Mercier, J. Eurin, M. Chevreuil, B. Le Bot, Ultra performance liquid 

chromatography tandem mass spectrometry performance evaluation for analysis of 

antibiotics in natural waters, Anal Bioanal Chem, Accepted, DOI 10.1007/s00216-008- 

2576-9 

354


Disinfection of Microorganisms Using UV and Gamma Radiation 

in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Effluent, and Reactivation 

Seungho Yu (presenting author)*, O-Mi Lee, Hae-Yeon Kim, Tae-Hoon Kim, Dongkyu Choi, 

Myun-Joo Lee; Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup 580-185, Korea 

Recently, the UV, Ozone and gamma-radiation has gained a great interest as one of the 

alternatives to conventional chlorination due to its high effectiveness and environmental 

compatibility. The increased use of UV, Ozone and gamma-radiation as a wastewater treatment 

technology has stimulated studies of the repair potential of microorganisms following treatment. In 

this study, samples of effluent were irradiated with of UV, ozone and gamma-radiation system. 

Reactivation is frequently expressed as a function of the survival ratio in respect of the initial 

microorganism concentration existing before the inactivating treatment. Monitoring of a 

wastewater treatment plant at J city showed that UV disinfection efficiencies were 21-99 % and 

19-85% and gamma irradiation 99.9% and 99.9% in averages for total bacteria and total coliform 

bacteria, respectively. 

Concentrations of microorganisms in the effluent irradiated with gamma-radiation (0.1kGy, 

0.25kGy, 0.5kGy) was much more effective than UV process. Repaired microorganisms after UV 

disinfection significantly increased, while gamma irradiation showed almost no microorganism 

regrowth. 

Keywords: gamma radiation, UV, Ozone, disinfection, reactivation 

*Corresponding Author; Tel)+82-63-570-3341, E-mail: yuse@kaeri.re.kr 

355


Assessing the Occurrence and Impacts of Emerging 

Contaminants on Flatfish near Marine Wastewater Outfalls in 

Southern California 

J. Armstrong 1 , M. Baker 2 , C. Cash 3 , J. Gully 4 , K. Kelley 5 , T. Stebbins 6 , D. Schlenk 7 , S. Bay 8 , D. 

Vidal-Dorsch 8 and K. Maruya 8 ; 1 Orange County Sanitation District, Fountain Valley, CA USA; 

2 University of California, San Diego, CA USA; 3 City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, El 

Segundo, CA USA; 4 Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, Whittier, CA USA; 5 California State 

University, Long Beach, CA USA; 6 City of San Diego Metropolitan Wastewater Department, San 

Diego, CA USA; 7 University of California, Riverside, CA USA; 8 Southern California Coastal Water 

Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA USA 

Adjacent to a metropolitan area with more than 23 million residents, the waters of the southern 

California coast are impacted by multiple point and non-point sources of contaminants. Among 

the primary sources of legacy contaminants (e.g. PCBs and DDT) are the marine outfalls of large 

publicly owned treatment works (POTW) in this region, which discharge over 1 billion gallons of 

treated wastewater daily. Determining the impacts of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) 

in this system is a challenging, yet necessary undertaking to guide future regional management 

actions. A multidisciplinary team was formed to investigate the sources, fates, and effects of 

CECs, focused on hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthys verticalis), a regionally abundant flatfish that 

inhabits seafloor depths associated with these outfalls. Near bottom seawater, surface sediments 

and turbot were collected near four outfalls and a reference site over a two year period in 2006- 

07. These samples along with POTW effluent were analyzed for a large suite of pharmaceutical 

and personal care products, industrial and commercial chemicals, current use pesticides, 

hormones and legacy contaminants of concern. Gender ratio, plasma hormone, vitellogenin and 

gonad histopathological analyses were conducted to investigate the occurrence/severity of 

endocrine disruption. Temporal population trends for turbot were constructed from trawl data 

obtained as part of regular outfall monitoring activities. Several CECs including atenolol, 

gemfibrozil, meprobamate, naproxen, 4-nonylphenol and triclosan were detectable in effluent and 

receiving seawater at the low ug/L and ng/L ranges, respectively, consistent with expected 

instantaneous in situ dilution rates. In contrast, a somewhat different suite of CECs was 

consistently detected in sediment and liver tissue in the mid to upper ng/g range, including 

polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 4-nonylphenol and the tranquilizer diazepam. As 

expected, levels of most target contaminants were lower for the reference site compared to the 

outfalls. Although plasma levels of estradiol and the stress hormone cortisol were considered to 

be outside the ranges associated with minimally exposed fish, there were no apparent differences 

between outfall and reference fish, the overall incidence of testis-ova was extremely low (


Fate of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in 

Agricultural Soils Modified with Biosolids 

Evelyn Walters (presenting author), The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, Ph.D. 

Student, 1001 S. McCallister Ave., Tempe, Arizona State University, 85287, Tel: 585.694.1377, 

Evelyn.walters@asu.edu; Kristin McClellan, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University; 

Rolf Halden, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University 

With the publication of the Targeted National Sewage Sludge Survey by the U.S. EPA earlier this 

year, comprehensive data regarding pharmaceuticals and personal care product (PPCP) 

contamination of biosolids in the U.S was provided. Many uncertainties however, still surround 

the fate of PPCPs in agricultural soils after digested sewage sludge has been land applied. We 

have therefore conducted a study on the weathering of biosolids in agricultural soils over a threeyear 

time period. Between years 2005 and 2008, 12 different soil samples were collected and 

analyzed for 72 PPCPs using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (EPA Method 

1694). More than fifteen of the 72 analytes were detected in at least one sample at 

concentrations ranging between >1 and 4,900 µg/kg dry weight. Triclocarban and triclosan, both 

antimicrobials, were found to be present at the greatest concentrations prior to as well as after 

long-term weathering. Concentrations of the majority of PPCPs decreased notably over time, but 

the active ingredients of antimicrobial consumer products remained detectable at parts-per-million 

levels even after three years of weathering under the ambient conditions prevailing in Maryland. 

Biography: 

Evelyn Walters is presently a doctoral student at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute in 

the department of Environmental Biotechnology. She received a B.S. degree in chemical 

engineering from Manhattan College in 2003 and a M.S. degree in environmental engineering 

from the Technical University of Munich in 2008. Her current research focuses on the fate of 

PPCPs in the environment. 

357

Disagglomeration of TiO2 Nanoparticles by 

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa 


Allison M. Horst (presenting author), Ph.D. Student, Donald Bren School of Environmental 

Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5131; (805) 563- 

2310, ahorst@bren.ucsb.edu; Andrea C. Neal 1 , Patrick R. Sislian 2 , Won Hyuk Suh 3 , Lutz 

Mädler 4,5 , Galen D. Stucky 3 , and Patricia A. Holden 1 ; 1 Donald Bren School of Environmental 

Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara; 2 Department of Chemical and 

Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles; 3 Department of Chemistry and 

Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara; 4 IWT Foundation Institute of Materials 

Science, Department of Production Engineering, University of Bremen; 5 California NanoSystems 

Institute, University of California, Los Angeles 

The incorporation of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) into mainstream products has caused 

concern regarding the potential effects of ENPs in the environment. Nanoscale titanium dioxide 

(TiO2) is currently used in commercial products including cosmetics, pigments, and plastics. 

While bulk TiO2 is typically considered biologically inert, nanoscale TiO2 can exert toxicity in 

eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Upon environmental release, nanoparticles are expected to 

agglomerate, and the agglomeration extent will likely alter nanoparticle transport, bioavailability, 

and toxicity. Predicting the fate of nanoparticles in the environment is largely dependent on 

understanding agglomeration, which may be affected by changes in environmental chemistry and 

microbial processes. 

In this work, we provide evidence for dispersion of initially agglomerated TiO2 nanoparticles by 

environmentally relevant Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. Disagglomeration was observed 

visually by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) with subsequent quantitative 

image analysis. While cellular metabolism of agglomerate-facilitating growth media contributed 

partly to agglomerate dispersion, the dominant dispersion mechanism was preferential 

association of nanoparticles onto the surfaces of already-dispersed bacterial cells. Size-selective 

filtration and dynamic light scattering (DLS) provided for image-independent quantification of 

disagglomeration. In uninoculated ENP suspensions, approximately 80% of the TiO2 mass was 

retained by a 5 μm pore-size membrane, compared with only 24% mass retention when bacterial 

cells were present. In uninoculated suspensions, the agglomerate sizes in filtrate (sub-5μm 

fraction) averaged ~1.7 μm. For inoculated TiO2 samples, the average size decreased to about 

1.0 μm, which is significantly larger than the size of bacterial cells (~0.67 μm, without ENPs) and 

is consistent with sizes measured from ESEM images of TiO2 nanoparticle clusters encrusting 

individual cells. Taken together, this work shows that bacteria can greatly facilitate the dispersion 

of agglomerated ENPs. This novel observation has important implications when considering the 

fates of ENPs in the environment. 

Biography: 

Allison Horst received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering with an emphasis in Environment, Risk 

and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in June of 2005. In the spring 

of 2005, she worked as an undergraduate researcher with Dr. Patricia Holden at the Donald Bren 

School of Environmental Science & Management. In summer of 2005, she interned at Los 

Alamos National Laboratory as a Seborg Actinide Fellowship Recipient, where she researched 

the effects of depleted uranium on bacterial biofilms. Returning to UCSB, Allison completed her 

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in Environmental and Ocean Engineering in 

September 2007 while researching the effects and interactions of nanoparticulate titanium dioxide 

and hexavalent uranium with Pseudomonas bacteria. During the second year of graduate study, 

358


she was awarded a UC Toxic Substances Research & Teaching Program Lead Campus in 

Nanotoxicology Fellowship, which was renewed for a second year in 2008. She is currently 

completing her second year as a Ph.D. student at the Donald Bren School of Environmental 

Science & Management at UCSB, where she is researching nanoparticle toxicity and interactions 

with bacteria under the supervision of Dr. Holden. 

359


Removal of Mixtures of Estrone (E1), 17β-Estradiol (E2), 17α- 

Ethynylestradiol (EE2) and Estriol (E3) by Photolysis and TiO2 

Photocatalysis 

Dr Gianluca Li Puma, Photocatalysis & Photoreaction Engineering, Department of Chemical and 

Environmental Engineering, The University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 

2RD, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0) 115 9514170; Fax: +44 (0) 115 9514115; Email: 

gianluca.li.puma@nottingham.ac.uk; Valeria Puddu, Hin Kit Tsang, Alexander Gora, Bea 

Toepfer; The University of Nottingham 

In recent years, there has been growing concern over the potential risk posed by natural and 

synthetic chemicals that can produce adverse effects on human and wildlife by interacting with 

the endocrine system. 

Natural occurring estrone (E1), 17-β-estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3) and synthetic 17αethynylestradiol 

(EE2) are powerful estrogens which are also found in lakes, rivers, drinking water 

and sewage treatment effluents. These estrogens are all 18-C steroids with a phenol moiety 

which is responsible for their estrogenic activity. E2 is responsible for development of female 

secondary sex characteristic and reproduction and it shows the highest biological activity followed 

by EE2, E1 and E3. 

Traditional methods of water treatment, such as activated sludge treatment, cannot be used to 

effectively remove these compounds from water effluents. At present, there are limited resources 

evaluating processes for estrogen removal, hence effective treatments are needed for estrogens 

remediation. 

In this study, we investigate the kinetics of degradation of mixtures of E1, E2, EE2 and E3 by 

UVA alone, UVC alone, UVA-photocatalysis and UVC-photocatalysis in slurry suspensions of 

TiO2. Following accurate modeling of the radiation field in the photoreactor, we determine 

quantum yields (moles of estrogens degraded per mole of photons absorbed) for each of above 

oxidation processes. Furthermore, we estimate kinetic rate constants independent of the radiation 

absorbed in the photoreactor which assist in the elucidation the “true” reactivity of each estrogen 

under the different oxidation conditions. 

The authors are grateful to NATO (Grant CPB.EAP.SFPP 982835) and to The University of 

Nottingham (KTI: Knowledge Transfer Innovation Awards, KT052) for financial support. 

360

Biography: 


Gianluca Li Puma is an Associate Professor in Department of Chemical and Environmental 

Engineering at the University of Nottingham (UK). He leads “Photocatalysis and Photoreaction 

Engineering” research in the fields of environmental nanocatalysis, advanced oxidation 

processes, indoor air purification, water treatment and purification, solar energy conversion and 

solar engineering. He has a leading international reputation in the design and modeling of 

photocatalytic reactors, solar engineering and novel photoreactors for sustainable energy 

applications. He is associate editor of the "International Journal of Photoenergy", and of the 

"Journal of Advanced Oxidation Technologies", a member of the Advisory Committees of 18 

international conferences in Catalysis and Environmental Science, of the review panels of the UK 

(EPSRC), Australian (ARC) and Singaporean (NRF) research councils and of 26 international 

refereed journals in catalysis, chemistry and engineering. In 2007 and 2008, he was nominated 

expert of international standing by the Australian Research Council College of Experts. He is also 

chairman of the 15th International Conference on Advanced Oxidation Technologies for 

Treatment of Water Air and Soil (Niagara Falls, October 2009). He chaired the 2007 and 2008 

conferences. In 2009 he received the E.ON AG (Germany) Research Award on application of 

nanotechnology in the energy sector (920,000 Euro “Solar-Hydrogen” project). 

Gianluca delivered a plenary lecture on solar photoreactors at the 2008 IX International Chemical 

Engineering Congress, Mexico and many keynote and invited lectures at prestigious overseas 

conferences including invitations in 2008 at NASA Stennis Space Center, Mississippi (USA), Rice 

University, Houston (USA), BASF, Ludwigshafen (Germany) and in 2009 at Lawrence Berkeley 

National Laboratory, Berkeley (USA), E.ON Headquarters, Dusseldorf (Germany) and Leibniz 

University, Hannover, (Germany). His work on photocatalysis for clean water has been 

highlighted by the media on Research TV, BBC, EURONEWS, NTV Japan, TVB Hong Kong, TV 

Tokyo, and National Public Radio, USA. 

361


Determination and Treatability of Fullerene (C60) in Wastewater 

Dr. Chii Shang (presenting author), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Hong 

Kong University of Science and Technology, Associate Professor, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, 

Hong Kong, Tel: +852-2358-7885, Email: cechii@ust.hk; Chao Wang, Department of Civil and 

Environmental Engineering, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 

The unique physical and chemical characteristics of carbon nanomaterials, such as fullerene (C60) 

and fullerol (hydroxylated C60), offer these materials great potential to be applied in many areas. 

These carbon nanomaterials, if released to our environment, have been found to pose potential 

risks to the environment and human health. However, whether wastewater treatment provides a 

good barrier to remove carbon nanomaterials and fates of these materials during industry and 

domestic wastewater treatment are unclear, since there is no method having been tested to 

measure concentrations of carbon nanomaterials in wastewater matrices. 

This work applied and verified liquid-liquid extraction followed by UV-vis spectroscopy to 

determine n-C60 in wastewater. The method was used to study the treatability of n-C60 spiked in 

raw municipal wastewater by the chemically-enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) process. The 

method validation study shows that, due to the impurities in wastewater, this method requires 

subtraction of the background absorbance of a control at the representative wavelength of C60 

(332 nm). The method detection limit (MDL) of this method was 4 µg/L. The accuracy of this 

method was in the range of 96.7-106% of the spiked concentrations. 

The CEPT process using alum or ferric chloride as the coagulant provides a good barrier to 

remove n-C60 from the waste stream. More than 50% of the spiked n-C60 was removed with alum 

and ferric chloride doses of 50 and 20 mg/L, respectively and increasing coagulant dose increased 

n-C60 removal. It was also found that the flocculation speed did not affect the n-C60 removal and 

neutral pH provided the best condition for the n-C60 removal. The n-C60 removal was also 

evaluated with different water matrices (tap water, secondary effluent and raw wastewater) and the 

results showed that the suspended solids present in wastewater enhanced the n-C60 removal. 

These findings suggest that the n-C60 removal in the CEPT process is likely attributable to the 

sorption/adhesion of n-C60 aggregates to the suspended solids, the coagulant precipitates, and the 

sludge flocs available in the CEPT process. Additional study to explore the involving mechanisms 

is on-going. 

Biography: 

Dr. Chii Shang is now an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Hong 

Kong University of Science and Technology. His research focuses on water and wastewater 

disinfection, adsorption and redox processes, formation and control of DBPs and emerging 

contaminants, NOM removal, and environmental chemistry and instrumentation. 

362


Removal of Emerging Contaminants and Salts in Wastewater 

Using Reverse Osmosis for Water Reuse in Irrigation 

Yi-Li Lin (presenting author), Sophie Walewijka, Martin Reinharda; Department of Civil and 

Environmental Engineering, Stanford University 

Recovering fresh water from wastewater using reverse osmosis (RO) or nanofiltration (NF) is one 

of a limited number of options to augment dwindling water supplies. While the removal of salts by 

RO and NF treatment is well documented, there is concern about emerging contaminants (ECs) 

(pharmaceuticals, personal care products, hormones) pass through membrane filters and 

adversely affect the health of humans and ecosystems. The overall goal of this study was to 

evaluate the feasibility of desalinating tertiary wastewater from Palo Alto Regional Water Quality 

Control Plant (PARWQCP) using a 18 MGD RO pilot plant (equipped with LE membrane) so that 

it can be used to irrigate a golf course. One of the concerns was to the presence of emerging 

contaminants in permeate and in blended irrigation water. The treatment objective was to 

produce irrigation water of total dissolved solids (TDS) less than 450 mg/L and sodium adsorption 

ratio (SAR) less than 2.5. Feed, concentrate, and permeate samples from RO were analyzed for 

20 pharmaceuticals, 3 personal care products, 1 hormone, and 2 pesticides using liquid 

chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with electrospray ionization (ESI). 

Results indicate that carbamazepine, diethyltoluamide (DEET), ketoprofen, mecoprop, triclosan, 

and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) were present in the feed at the greatest concentration, 

often exceeding 300 ng/L. RO eliminated most of the targeted contaminants by over 95% to 

100% except for acetaminophen, which was the smallest molecule (151 Da) and removed only by 

57%. With the blending ratio of 65% untreated PARWQCP effluent and 35% RO permeate, the 

SAR and TDS will be 2.47 and 440 mg/L, respectively, and the EC concentrations will be 

approximately 66% of concentration in the tertiary effluent. 

Biography: 

Dr. Yi-Li Lin 

Postdoctoral Scholar 


Jerry Yang and Akiki Yamazaki Environmental and Energy Building 

473 Via Ortega, #M21 


Tel: (650) 721-1064; E-mail: yililin@stanford.edu 

Dr. Lin received her Ph.D. from the Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering at National 

Taiwan University in 2007. Her research topic was on the performance and removal mechanisms 

of disinfection by-products precursors by nanofiltration process. Right after her graduation, she 

was engaged in postdoctoral research at National Taiwan University on carbon dioxide 

sequestration by carbonation of alkaline solid waste, and won a scholarship from National 

Science Council in Taiwan to pursue her postdoctoral research at Stanford University in 2008. 

Her work now is about the removal of emerging contaminants (mainly perfluorochemicals, 

pharmaceuticals and personal care products) in wastewater using nanofiltration and reverse 

osmosis, study of rejection mechanisms that dominate membrane performance, and the 

feasibility of water reuse for golf course irrigation. 

363


Occurrence of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Product 

Residues in Surface and Groundwater Impacted by Septic 

Systems within Puget Sound, WA 

Jennifer A. Dougherty (presenting author), Stanford University; Peter W. Swarzenski, U.S. 

Geological Survey; Richard S. Dinicola, U.S. Geological Survey; Martin Reinhard, Stanford 

University 

Emerging contaminants like pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are a 

significant threat to ecosystem health and function. Nearly one quarter of waste generated in the 

United States is disposed of via septic systems. The potential of PPCP contamination from this 

waste has not been thoroughly addressed. Both functioning and malfunctioning septic systems 

can play a role in the transport of PPCPs. This effluent may contaminate shallow groundwater 

and be transported into surface waters with some direct conduits to the ocean or lakes. Puget 

Sound is one of the largest estuaries in the United States and as such supports an important 

ecosystem. This research was conducted in Liberty Bay, one of the many small embayments 

within Puget Sound, where 70% of the population (~ 10,000) is served by septic systems. We 

hypothesize that septic systems are a source of PPCPs that discharge these contaminants to 

groundwaters then streams and eventually Liberty Bay. This was studied by collecting samples of 

ground and surface waters with grab samples as well as using passive samplers. Data was 

collected using the passive samplers for the wet and dry seasons. We analyzed for a broad 

spectrum of compounds including pharmaceuticals, personal care products as well as herbicides 

and a flame retardant to assure detection of something in this small community. Of the 25 

compounds samples were screened for, we detected 12: atrazine, caffeine, carbamazepine, 

DEET, gemfibrozil, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, mecoprop, norfluoxetine, propranolol, TCEP and 

trimethoprim. Contaminants were detected in both ground and surface waters throughout the 

watershed. It became clear the use of the passive sampler was an essential tool for concentrating 

contaminants present at very low levels, which is common for these compounds in general, but 

particularly so in such a small community. This study was designed to elucidate if a coastal 

community served primarily by septic systems could release PPCPs and other contaminants like 

flame retardants at detectable levels to their surface and ground waters. Occurrence data 

suggest the local septic systems are impacting local waters and this impact is likely to increase as 

populations and prescription and household product uses increase. The results presented here 

are a first attempt at assessing the impact of septic system effluent containing PPCPs on a 

delicate coastal system. The presence of these contaminant residues can not be underestimated 

as they may act stealthy to impart subtle changes that make large impacts on ecosystems. 

Biography: 

Jennifer A. Dougherty, Ph.D Student/NSF Fellow 


Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering 

Yang & Yamazaki Environment & Energy Building 

473 Via Ortega, Room M10 

Stanford, CA 94305-4020 

Phone: (650) 725-3025; Email: jend@stanford.edu 

Jennifer holds a BS in Earth Sciences from UCSC. After college she went to work for the U.S. 

Geological Survey in Menlo Park, CA. She enjoyed a wide range of research opportunities before 

settling into geochemical research of hydrocarbons and methane hydrates. Her interest in the 

environment and an inspirational Post-Doc solidified her desire to study PPCPs in the 

environment. This brought her back to school at Stanford University after a long break. She is the 

recipient of an EPA STAR fellowship as well as an NSF graduate research fellowship. She holds 

an MS in Environmental Engineering from Stanford and is an extremely dedicated yoga 

practitioner. 

364


Effect of Biofouling on Nitrosamines Removal by NF90 

Membrane 

Sophie Walewijk (presenting author), Stanford University; Yi-Li Lin, Stanford University; Eric 

Litwiller, Stanford University; Harry Ridgway, AquaMem; Martin Reinhard, Stanford University 

Treating municipal and industrial wastewaters or desalting seawater using reverse osmosis (RO) 

membrane technology to augment water supplies is increasingly popular. RO is highly efficient for 

the removal of salts, aggregate organic and particulate matter but small neutral organic 

contaminants, such as nitrosamines, are poorly removed. Fouling of RO membranes by biofilms 

growing at the surface of RO membranes may affect contaminant rejection. The effect of biofilm 

growth on RO organic contaminant rejection was studied using flat sheet cells, membrane 

biofouling and a set of six nitrosamines, including n-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). Using this 

system, we found that biofouling significantly reduced the rejection of nitrosamines. Modeling 

suggests that the observed decrease in rejection of these compounds is due to increased 

concentration polarization. 

Biography: 

Sophie Walewijk, Ph.D. Candidate 


Jerry Yang & Akiko Yamazaki Environment & Energy (Y2E2) Building 

473 Via Ortega, M-09 


CA 94305-4020 

Phone: 650-725-3025; Email: sophiew@stanford.edu 

Sophie Walewijk earned her Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering at the 

University of Toronto in 2001. She has a Master of Science degree in Civil and Environmental 

Engineering from Stanford University, and is currently finishing a Doctorate in the same 

department. Her research focuses on the effect of biofouling on the performance of reverse 

osmosis and nanofiltration membranes. Sophie is also active in providing safe drinking water in 

developing nations. For fun she does triathlons. 

365


Factors Influencing the Capacity of p,p’-DDE Dechlorination in 

Palos Verdes Shelf 

Sujie Qin (presenting author), Gary Hopkins, Martin Reinhard; Stanford University 

Due to the widespread usage and long persistence in environment, numerous sites are 

contaminated with DDT and its metabolites. For decades, Palos Verdes shelf (PVS) in California 

has been intensively studied for fate and transport of DDT resulting from the heavy discharge of 

Montrose Chemical Corporation process wastes occurred from 1953 to 1972. Even though it has 

been long believed that DDE cannot go through microbial transformation, previous studies have 

shown that DDMU, one reductive dechlorination product of DDE, was observed unequivocally in 

PVS sediment. However, information on the factors controlling the rate of DDE dechlorination to 

DDMU is limited. Understanding these factors will be of significant value for predicting the longterm 

fate of DDE at the site. In this study, we set up a microcosm experiment under anaerobic 

conditions using the core materials from two sites at PVS, collected in July 2008. The 

microcosms were incubated under different conditions for 8 weeks, including various sulfate and 

electron donor addition concentrations. By comparing the results of the beginning and end of 

incubation, the basic information on influence of redox conditions on DDE transformation is 

obtained, specifically the relationship between the effect of electron donor addition on sulfate 

reduction, hydrogen production and DDE transformation. 

Biography: 

Sujie Qin 

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering 


473 Via Ortega, Room 154 

Stanford, CA 94305 USA 

Phone: 650-725-1064; Email: sqin@stanford.edu 

Dr. Sujie Qin obtained a B.S. in environmental sciences in 2000 from Nankai University, China 

and received her Ph.D. majoring in environmental sciences at University of California, Riverside 

in 2007. Her research interest is on the fate and transport of organic contaminant in environment. 

During her Ph.D study, her specific area was on the enantioselective degradation of pyrethroids, 

one class of insecticides in soils and sediments. Currently, she is a postdoc in Civil and 

Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, engaging in the project of biological and 

chemical factors controlling DDE dechlorination rates on Palos Verdes Shelf. 

366


Origin and Fate of Low Molecular Weight Organic Contaminants 

in Reverse Osmosis Treatment Systems 

Eva Agus and David L. Sedlak 

When reverse osmosis treatment is used for desalination or water reuse it is widely assumed that 

the concentrations of organic contaminants are reduced below concentrations that pose concerns 

to water suppliers. However, recent experiences at advanced wastewater treatment plants with 

contaminants such as NDMA and 1,4-dioxane illustrate that reverse osmosis is poorly suited for 

the removal of uncharged, low molecular weight compounds. To assess potential risks to water 

supplies posed by other neutral, low molecular weight compounds, samples were collected from 

pilot- and full-scale reverse osmosis plants. Samples collected at a seawater desalination plant 

indicate that several chlorine disinfection byproducts (e.g., dibromoacetonitrile) readily pass 

through reverse osmosis membranes. While the concentrations of disinfection byproducts in the 

finished water were always below the relevant drinking water guidelines or standards, it is 

possible that chlorine pretreatment of waters that contain higher concentrations of disinfection 

byproduct precursors could pose risks for water suppliers. Water produced by advanced 

wastewater treatment plants sometimes contains volatile low molecular weight compounds 

present (e.g., trihaloanisoles) at concentrations above the odor threshold. Although these 

compounds are partially removed during reverse osmosis treatment they affect the aesthetic 

properties of drinking water at extremely low concentrations and may require additional treatment. 

367


Input and Elimination of Pharmaceuticals from Hospital 

Wastewater 

McArdell C.S. 1 , Kovalova L. 1 , Weissbrodt D. 1 , Ort C. 1 , Moser R. 2 , Hollender J. 1 , Siegrist H. 1 ; 

1 Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, CH-8600 Duebendorf, 

Switzerland; 2 Hunziker Betatech AG, CH-8411 Winterthur, Switzerland; contact: 


The aim of this project is to evaluate the significance of hospitals as point sources for 

pharmaceuticals. In a first step, mass flow studies were performed to evaluate the input of 

pharmaceuticals from hospitals. According to estimates of the consumption of pharmaceuticals 

about 18% of all medicines sold in Switzerland are dispensed in hospitals (Moser et al. 2007), 

with certain groups like X-ray contrast media being used mainly in hospitals. However, the 

quantities of medicines dispensed cannot simply be equated with those subsequently found in 

hospital wastewater. Mass flow analysis can elucidate the fraction which is excreted in the 

hospital and not at home by outpatients. A measurement campaign was performed in a Swiss 

cantonal hospital with 410 occupied beds to analyze mass flows of selected X-ray contrast media 

and cytostatics (Weissbrodt et al. 2008). Over a 1-week period, daily flow proportional samples 

were collected from the sewer. Additionally, 3-hour composite samples were collected over one 

day. Analyses were done by using SPE extraction and LC/MS/MS detection. The results show 

that the loads vary widely both in the course of the day and from one day to another, depending 

on the quantities consumed at the hospital. The highest concentrations – up to 1700 μg/L – were 

found in the case of the contrast medium iomeprol, while the maximum concentrations detected 

for the cancer drug 5-fluorouracil were only 30 ng/L. Precise consumption figures are available for 

the measurement period. For X-ray contrast media, around 50% of the consumed amount was 

detected in wastewater. In contrast, only 1-4% of the expected amounts of the cytostatics 5fluorouracil 

and gemcitabine were found in the wastewater. This can be partly explained by the 

high proportion of these agents (70%) dispensed to outpatients. 

As a next step, possible technologies to treat hospital wastewater are evaluated to reduce the 

input of pharmaceuticals into ambient water. Therefore, a pilot plant is studied in terms of 

feasibility, efficiency, technical and economical factors. A pilot plant consisting of a membrane 

bioreactor and different post treatment techniques (ozone, powder activated carbon, 

photocatalytic reaction) is installed in a Swiss hospital with 350 beds. Starting in 2009, selected 

pharmaceuticals and antibiotic resistance potential will be measured in the influent and effluent of 

the plant to evaluate its performance. The selection of pharmaceuticals is based on the 

compounds expected in the highest concentrations in the sewer due to their high consumption 

and high excretion rates. First results of these investigations will also be presented. 

Building on this knowledge, a decision basis will be developed to formulate a strategy concerning 

the emission of pharmaceuticals from hospitals and to optimize the setup for full-scale treatment 

of hospital wastewater. For decision support, a working group on “Hospital wastewater” has been 

established in Switzerland, comprising experts from research, government and engineering 

consultancies. 

References 

Moser R., McArdell C.S., Weissbrodt D. (2007): Micropollutants from Urban Drainage: 

Pretreatment of Hospital Wastewater. GWA 11, 869-875. 

Weissbrodt D., Kovalova L, Moser R., Hollender J., Siegrist H., McArdell C.S. (2008). Mass flow 

analysis of pharmaceuticals in a Swiss cantonal hospital. In preparation. 

368

Student Presentation 

Award Sponsors 



CH2M Hill 

Groundwater Resources Association 

of California (GRA) 

GRA San Francisco Branch 

National Water Research Institute 

Trussell Technologies, Inc. 

Water Research Foundation 

369


Exhibitors 

370

Calgon Systems Inc. 

John OKeefe 

12919 Alcosta Blvd. Suite 9 

SanRamon, CA 94583 

Micropol and Ecohazard 2009 Conference 

June 8-10, 2009 - San Francisco, CA 

Exhibitors 

Phone Number: (925) 277-0665 

Fax Number: (925) 277-9657 

Email: jokeefe@calcon.com 

Company Biography: 

Offers automated ozone, air, and oxygen sparging systems, as well as a biological reactor system that treats 

groundwater for perchlorate, selenium, nitrates, and hex chromium. In addition, we are a full service 

automation and process controls firm, specializing in turn-key system integrations. 

Laboratory Data Consultants, Inc. (LDC) 

Richard Amano 

7750 El Camino Real, Suite 2L 

Carlsbad, CA 92009 

Phone Number: (760) 634-0437 

Fax Number: (760) 634-0439 

Email: ramano@lab-data.com 


Laboratory Data Consultants, Inc. (LDC) is an environmental quality assurance chemistry and data 

management company. Our primary services include data validation, data quality assessment, oversight of 

Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) programs, laboratory and field audits, technical support for 

litigation, improper practices evaluations, data integrity audits, ethics and data integrity training, and database 

management. Our corporate office in Carlsbad, California is directed by Mr. Richard Amano, Principal 

Chemist, who has over twenty-five years experience in the environmental laboratory, data validation, and 

laboratory auditing industry. Our northern California operations are directed by Ms. Nanny Bosch in 

Sacramento, California. 

PRIMA Environmental 

Cindy Schreier 

5070 Robert J. Mathews Pkwy, Suite 300 


Phone Number: (916) 939-7300 

Fax Number: (916) 939-7398 

Email: cschreier@primaenvironmental.c 


PRIMA Environmental, Inc. is an independent laboratory specializing in treatability testing, technology 

evaluations, and custom laboratory work for the environmental community. PRIMA was established in 1998 to 

provide high quality scientific testing for clients whose projects cannot be conducted by a traditional analytical 

laboratory. Clients include independent consultants as well as large environmental firms. Sites range from 

“mom and pop” gas stations to Superfund sites. PRIMA has conducted tests on soil and water from sites 

around the world and is certified by the US Department of Agriculture to receive soil samples from Hawaii, 

Puerto Rico, and foreign countries. 

371

GRA Information 

372

Mission 

GRA is dedicated to resource management that protects and improves 

groundwater through education and technical leadership. 

Objectives: 

• Promote the professional development of scientists, engineers and those 

involved in the assessment, use, management and protection of the state’s 

groundwater resources. 

• Formulate statewide policy and legislation related to the assessment, use, 

management and protection of groundwater. 

• Disseminate scientific and technical information relating to the assessment, 

use, management and protection of groundwater to GRA members, 

groundwater professionals, policy leaders, regulators and the public. 

• Assist in the development of educational programs that promote greater 

understanding of the importance of groundwater resources. 

• Facilitate the development of alternative technologies and standardization of 

methods to advance groundwater assessment, use, management and 

protection. 

• Encourage cooperation among groundwater professionals, policy leaders, 

regulators, managers and the public locally, statewide and nationally. 

• Be recognized as an authority on issues relating to groundwater. 

915 L Street, Suite 1000, Sacramento, CA 95814 

Phone: (916) 446-3626 • Fax: (916) 442-0382 • www.grac.org 

373

2009 Membership Application 

Please return completed application to: 

Groundwater Resources Association of California 

915 L Street, Suite 1000, Sacramento, CA 95814 

Phone: (916) 446-3626 / Fax: (916) 442-0382 

www.grac.org 

Please complete by printing or typing all information: 

Organization: 

Name: 

Title: 

Address: 

City: State: Zip Code: 

Phone: ( ) Fax: ( ) Cell: ( ) 

Email: Web site: 

EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION/CREDENTIALS (Must be completed & satisfy qualifications for membership on reverse side): 

Years of experience with groundwater: _____ Highest Degree and Discipline: ____________ Registration/License: 

Area(s) of Interest (provide number from below of all that applies): _______________________________________________ 

[1] Agriculture [2] Engineering [3] Geology [4] Hydrology [5] Water Quality [6] Other 

[7] Education [8] Environment [9] Groundwater Hydrology [10] Legislation [11] Water Wells [12] Law 

MEMBERSHIP CLASSIFICATIONS (see Qualifications on reverse side): 

�Regular Individual (voting)………………………………….……………………………………… $100.00 

� Business/Government Organization (voting)…………………………………………………… $270.00 

Up to 3 employees (attach list); employees must meet qualifications 

Additional Employee(s)………………………………………………………..……………………………. $ 90.00 

Provide full contact information for each 

� Associate Individual (non-voting)…….……………………………………………………………………... $ 90.00 

� Student (non-voting)………………………………………………………………………………….………. $ 10.00 

(Include a copy of your Student I.D. with valid sticker) 

� Contribution………………………………………………………………………………………………….. $ 10.00 

($25 requested; contributions support student scholarships that are awarded regionally through GRA Branches) 

** One full year of dues is paid upon joining and a prorated amount will be due for the following year. For example, if you join in July, the entire annual dues 

amount for that membership category is due, but for the following year you will be invoiced for only 50% of the dues amount for that year since you received 

only six months of benefits when you joined as a new member, mid-year, at the full rate. Subsequent years will be billed at the regular amount. 

Make checks payable to "GRA". Total Amount Enclosed $ 

� VISA � M/C Account #: Expires: 

Name on Card: Signature: 

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP: 

� Discount on Association Events and Programs � Quarterly Publication & Monthly Email News 

� Discount on California Groundwater Management, 2 nd Edition 2005 � Regional Branch Activities and Programs 

� Access to GRA Membership Directory � Organized Grassroots Advocacy 

� Networking � On-line Employment Listing Service 

Pursuant to the 1993 Federal Tax Act, it is estimated that 30% of GRA’s 2009 annual dues will be used to support GRA’s 2009 California direct lobbying 

effort. Therefore, this portion of your GRA 2009 dues may be considered non-deductible for tax purposes. 

To facilitate the free exchange of information between and among its membership and the education of the public at large, GRA may make a member’s 

name, place of business and address (“Member Contact Information”) available to GRA members and non-members alike. GRA discourages the use of 

Member Contact Information for solicitation purposes and reserves the sole discretion to deny any request for information about one or more of its 

members not reasonably related to the interests of GRA and its members. 

374

Qualifications for Membership 

The qualifications for membership in the Groundwater Resources Association of 

California are as follows: 

REGULAR MEMBER 

Any person employed or interested in a groundwater-related field, which may 

include: regulation, evaluation, development, remediation or investigation of 

groundwater, groundwater supplies, or groundwater resources; groundwater-related 

technology field; groundwater-related law or planning; or education related to earth 

science, engineering, environmental, natural sciences or physical sciences. Regular 

members are entitled to voting privileges. 

ASSOCIATE MEMBER 

Any person, not eligible to be a Regular Member, interested in the groundwater 

resources of California and who supports the stated purposes and objectives of the 

Corporation. Associate members are not entitled to voting privileges. 

BUSINESS ORGANIZATION/GOVERNMENT MEMBER 

A group of persons, each of whom satisfies this criteria for Regular Membership, 

collectively may join the Association as an organization, whether corporate, 

governmental or otherwise, however, only the individuals shall be entitled to voting 

privileges. 

STUDENT MEMBER 

Student members will be currently registered full-time students in an accredited 

college, university, preparatory or trade school, with a membership application 

signed by a faculty member of that institution as verification of student status. 

Student members are not entitled to voting privileges. 

ADMISSION OF MEMBERS 

Applicants shall be admitted to membership on making application therefore in 

writing, upon payment of first annual dues, and upon approval of the Board of 

Directors. 

375


Notes 

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Conference Co-Chairs Dr. Rula Deeb, Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. Professor ...

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