Poster Details
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TREATMENT EFFICIENCY OF PPCPS IN WASTEWATER AND DRINKING WATER TREATMENT PLANT IN NORTHEASTERN OHIO
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are one group of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) that can impact water quality and human health. Currently, PPCP monitoring is not mandatory according to state or federal laws, and more often water treatment plants are not directed to remove PPCPs. This study monitored and compared treatment efficiencies of separate drinking water and wastewater treatment plants (DWTP and WWTP) of Northeastern Ohio in removing PPCPs; and also examined if environmental variables have a role in altering PPCP concentrations. Samples were collected from the Sandusky Water Treatment Facility and Kent wastewater plant in the summer of 2018. PPCPs were determined using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Screening for antibiotic-resistant bacteria from source water was conducted using LB agar plates. The concentration of nutrients and environmental variables were measured using standard methods. Chlorophyll-a and nitrate concentrations were comparatively higher at the point of discharge in the Kent WWTP compared to the source water at the DWTP in Sandusky. Future work will involve monitoring PPCP concentrations in DWTPs with different treatment processes to better understand the efficacy of filtration techniques in removing these contaminants from water systems.
Sayoni Dutta (Primary Presenter/Author), Kent State University, sdutta2@kent.edu;