Are perfluoroalkyl acids in waste water treatment plant effluents the result of primary emissions from the technosphere or of environmental recirculation?
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) have been suggested to be one of the major pathways of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) from the technosphere to the aquatic environment. The origin of PFAAs in WWTP influents is either from current primary emissions or a result of recirculation of PFAAs that have been residing and transported in the environment for several years or decades. Environmental recirculation can then occur when PFAAs from the environment enter the wastewater stream in, e.g., tap water. In this study 13 PFAAs and perfluorooctane sulfonamide were analyzed in tap water as well as WWTP influent, effluent and sludge from three Swedish cities: Bromma (in the metropolitan area of Stockholm), Bollebygd and Umeå. A mass balance of the WWTPs was assembled for each PFAA. Positive mass balances were observed for PFHxA and PFOA in all WWTPs, indicating the presence of precursor compounds in the technosphere. With regard to environmental recirculation, tap water was an important source of PFAAs to the Bromma WWTP influent, contributing >40% for each quantified sulfonic acid and up to 30% for the carboxylic acids. The PFAAs in tap water from Bollebygd and Umeå did not contribute significantly to the PFAA load in the WWTP influents. Our results show that in order to estimate current primary emissions from the technosphere, it may be necessary to correct the PFAA emission rates in WWTP effluents for PFAAs present in tap water, especially in the case of elevated levels in tap water.
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In some studies, concentrations of PFCAs and PFSAs have increased from influent to final effluent.
“In some studies, concentrations of compounds such as perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCA) and perfluorosulfonic acids (PFSA) have increased from influent to final effluent [11, 27, 31].”
From An investigation into per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in nineteen Australian wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) (2019) · cites this paper as [31]
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- Authors
- Filipovic, M., & Berger, U.
- Affiliations
- Stockholm University (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Filipovic, Marko
- Venue
- Chemosphere
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-06
- Volume
- 129
- Pages
- 74-80
- ISSN
- 0045-6535 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2023008031
- Cited by
- 91
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 3
- FWCI
- 4.56
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Chemosphere (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Environmental Chemistry and Analysis
- Keywords
- perfluoroalkyl acids, wastewater treatment plant effluent, tap water contamination, mass balance, perfluorohexanoic acid, perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorooctane sulfonamide, wastewater sludge
- MeSH terms
- Cities, Environmental Monitoring, Fluorocarbons, Sewage, Sweden, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Water Purification, Drinking Water, Wastewater
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