Perfluorinated compounds, bishenol a and acetaminophen in selected waste water treatment plants in and around Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

The release of wastewater to the aquatic environment is most likely to introduce some trace levels of organic contaminants, some of which may be toxic, carcinogenic, or endocrine disruptors, as well as, persistent in the environment. Additionally, increasing contamination of surface waters by wastewater effluents has made water treatment processes more challenging and expensive. The presence of these pollutants in the receiving water body may have negative effects on aquatic species and often pose potential human health risks through the reuse of treated wastewater for drinking purposes and other household use. In countries like South Africa, Namibia, USA, Singapore and Australia, water agencies are intensifying wastewater reclamation/wastewater reuse as part of their water resource agenda: in order to meet the demands of the growing populations. Nowadays, water reuse is generally considered as a viable method of water supply management. This study focused on the identification of the occurrence, quantification of emerging contaminants and evaluation of removal efficiency in wastewater treatment processes of three classes of emerging contaminants (ECs) in wastewater: 1) six types of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), namely; perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), Perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUDA); 2) bisphenol A (BPA); and 3) Acetaminophen (ACP). These contaminants were identified and quantified in four wastewater treatment plants in the Western Cape. These treatment plants include three WWTPs in Cape Town, namely: Bellville WWTP, Scottsdene WWTP and Zandvliet WWTP and one WWTP in the central Karoo (Beaufort West wastewater reclamation plant).