RT journal article
T1 Synthetic surfactants in Swiss sewage sludges: Analytical challenges, concentrations and per capita loads
A1 Schinkel, Lena
A1 Lara Martín, Pablo Antonio
A1 Giger, Walter
A1 Hollender, Juliane
A1 Berg, Michael
A2 Química Física
K1 Nonylphenol polyethoxylate
K1 Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate
K1 Secondary alkane sulfonate
K1 Alcohol polyethoxylate
K1 Anaerobic sludge digestion
K1 Wastewater
AB Surfactants are high-production-volume chemicals that are among the most abundant organic pollutants in municipal wastewater. In this study, sewage sludge samples of 36 Swiss wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), serving 32% of the country's population, were analyzed for major surfactant classes by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The analyses required a variety of complementary approaches due to different analytical challenges, including matrix effects (which can affect adduction formation) and the lack of reference standards. The most abundant contaminants were linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS; weighted mean [WM] concentration of 3700 mu g g(-1) dry weight), followed by secondary alkane sulfonates (SAS; 190 mu g g(-1)). Alcohol polyethoxylates (AGO; 8.3 mu g g(-1)), nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NPEO; 16 mu g g(-1)), nonylphenol (NP; 3.1 mu g g(-1)), nonylphenol ethoxy carboxylates (NPEC; 0.35 mu g g(-1)) and ten-octylphenol (tert-OP, 1.8 mu g g(-1)) were present at much lower concentrations. This concentration pattern agrees with the production volumes of the surfactants and their fates in WWTPs. Branched AEO homologues dominated over linear homologues, probably due to higher persistence. Sludge concentrations of LAS, SAS, and NP were positively correlated with the residence time in the anaerobic digester. Derivation of the per capita loads successfully revealed potential industrial/commercial emission sources. Comparison of recent versus historic data showed a decrease in NPEO and NP levels by one or two orders of magnitude since their ban in the 1980s. By contrast, LAS still exhibit similar concentrations compared to 30 years ago.
PB ELSEVIER
SN 0048-9697
YR 2021
FD 2021-12
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/26462
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/26462
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 12-nov-2026