Comparative assessments of VOC emission rates and associated health risks from wastewater treatment processes.

With the growing concern regarding emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), the relationship between the VOC emission rates and the associated public health risks has been rarely discussed. The objective of this study was to examine and compare the VOC emission rates and cancer and non-cancer risks by inhalation intake, using a municipal WWTP in China as an example, with respect to the effects of treatment technologies, VOC species, and seasonal variation. Given the treatment technology considered, the emission rates of VOCs in this study were estimated by means of mass balance or calculated on the molecular level. From the viewpoints of both emission rates and cancer and non-cancer risks, sedimentation was the treatment technology with the highest health risks to the workers. Slightly lower VOC emission rates and health risks than those for sedimentation were observed in anaerobic treatment. Although the aeration significantly enhanced the VOC emission rates in the aerobic treatment process, the associated health risks were limited due to the low VOC concentrations in the gas phase, which were likely attributed to the strong mixing and dilution with fresh air by aeration. Amongst the VOCs investigated, benzene was the VOC with both a relatively high emission rate and health risk, while trichloroethylene possessed a high emission rate but the lowest health risk. Without strong interfacial aeration and turbulence between the water and atmosphere, the effects of treatment technology and seasonal variation on the health risks might be connected to the VOC emission rates, while the effect of VOC species depended considerably on the respective cancer slope factors and reference concentrations; the employment of aeration provided a different conclusion in which the emission rates were enhanced without a significant increase in the related cancer risks. These findings can provide insight into future health risk management and reduction strategies for workers in WWTPs.

Fates of chlorinated volatile organic compounds in aerobic biological treatment processes: the effects of aeration and sludge addition.

The emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is becoming an environmental issue of increasing concern. As biological treatment has been considered as one important approach for VOC removal, lab-scale batch experiments were conducted in this study to investigate the fates of four chlorinated hydrocarbons, including chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene (TCE), and tetrachloroethylene (PERC), in the biological treatment processes with respect to the effects of aeration and sludge addition. The VOC concentrations in the phases of air, water, and sludge under four simulated treatment stages (the first sedimentation, the forepart and rear part of aerobic biological treatment, and the second sedimentation) were analyzed. The results were used to understand the three-phase partitioning of these compounds and to estimate their potentials for volatilization and biological sorption and degradation in these technologies with the concept of fugacity. It was observed that the VOCs were mainly present in the water phase through the experiments. The effects of aeration or sludge addition on the fates of these VOCs occurred but appeared to be relatively limited. The concentration distributions of the VOCs were well below the reported partitioning coefficients. It was suggested that these compounds were unsaturated in the air and sludge phases, enhancing their potentials for volatilization and biological sorption/degradation through the processes. However, the properties of these chlorinated VOCs such as the volatility, polarity, or even biodegradability caused by their structural characteristics (e.g., the number of chlorine, saturated or unsaturated) may represent more significant factors for their fates in the aerobic biological treatment processes. These findings prove the complication behind the current knowledge of VOC pollutions in WWTPs and are of help to manage the adverse impacts on the environment and public health by the VOCs from these particular sources.