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Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering

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Front. Environ. Sci. Eng.    2014, Vol. 8 Issue (4) : 519-530    https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-013-0610-4
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Occurrence and removal of N-nitrosodimethylamine and its precursors in wastewater treatment plants in and around Shanghai
Lin WANG, Yongmei LI(), Xiaoling SHANG, Jing SHEN
State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
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Abstract

Six wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were investigated to evaluate the occurrence and removal of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), NDMA formation potential (FP) and four specific NDMA precursors, dimethylamine (DMA), trimethylamine (TMA), dimethylformamide (DMFA) and dimethylaminobenzene (DMAB). DMA and tertiary amines with DMA functional group commonly existed in municipal wastewater. Chemically enhanced primary process (CEPP) had no effect on removal of either NDMA or NDMA FP. In WWTPs with secondary treatment processes, considerable variability was observed in the removal of NDMA (19%–85%) and NDMA FP (16%–76%), moreover, there was no definite relationship between the removal of NDMA and NDMA FP. DMA was well removed in all the six surveyed WWTPs; its removal efficiency was greater than 97%. For the removal of tertiary amines, biologic treatment processes with nitrification and denitrification had better removal efficiency than conventional activated sludge process. The best removal efficiencies for TMA, DMFA and DMAB were 95%, 68% and 72%, respectively. CEPP could remove 73% of TMA, 23% of DMFA and 36% of DMAB. After UV disinfection, only 17% of NDMA was removed due to low dosage of UV was applied in WWTP. Although chlorination could reduce NDMA precursors, NDMA concentration was actually increased after chlorination.
Keywords N-nitrosodimethylamine      NDMA precursors      NDMA formation potential      biological treatment process      chemically enhanced primary process     
Corresponding Author(s): Yongmei LI   
Issue Date: 11 June 2014
 Cite this article:   
Lin WANG,Yongmei LI,Xiaoling SHANG, et al. Occurrence and removal of N-nitrosodimethylamine and its precursors in wastewater treatment plants in and around Shanghai[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2014, 8(4): 519-530.
 URL:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/10.1007/s11783-013-0610-4
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/Y2014/V8/I4/519
WWTP ID location designed flow rate/(×104?m3·d−1) percentage of industrial wastewater /%a) sampling date treatment process disinfection
A Pudong new district, Shanghai 170 30 18 April 2011 chemically enhanced primary process NAb)
B Yangpu district, Shanghai 3.5 10 12 May 2011 conventional activated sludge NA
C Hongkou district, Shanghai 7.5 0 14 May 2011 anoxic-oxic (A/O) and trickling filter ultraviolet
D Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 15 50 17 May 2011 anaerobic- anoxic-oxic (A/A/O) ultraviolet
E Jinshan district, Shanghai 1.4 30 3 March 2011 improved carrousel oxidation ditch chlorination
F Songjiang district, Shanghai 3.5 70 6 April 2011 modified sequencing batch reactor (MSBR) NA
  Table S1 Brief description of the six surveyed WWTPs
WWTP ID GSa) PCb) AnaTc) AnoTd) ATe) SCf)
A 183 ± 15 192 ± 17 NAg) NA NA NA
B NA 92 ± 8 NA NA 79 ± 8 72 ± 6
C NA 139 ± 10 NA 122 ± 11 117 ± 10 103 ± 8
D NA 666 ± 40 590 ± 45 335 ± 32 114 ± 10 101 ± 8
E 1,429 ± 122 NA 1,377 ± 106 1,235 ± 95 1,198 ± 118 1,161 ± 89
F NA 484 ± 37 296 ± 19 282 ± 21 166 ± 17 151 ± 13
Tab.1  Concentrations of NDMA (ng·L−1) in each unit effluent of the treatment processes in the six WWTPs (data are shown as arithmetic mean ± standard deviation)
reference NDMA/(ng·L−1) na) purpose of the study
this study 187 ± 10
305 ± 22
212 ± 13		 3
3
3		 typical concentration of NDMA in residential community sewage (Shanghai, China)
Krauss et al. [27] 157, 473 2 background level of NDMA in wastewater (Switzerland)
Chung et al. [33] 149 ± 78b)
1,188 ± 728b)		 20
20		 inhibitory effect of diet on formation of NDMA in humans, group with lowest and highest level given (Korea)
Levallois et al. [34] <9c) 59 rural Canada
Abdel Mohsen et al. [35] 1,800 ± 746c) 11 effect of bladder infections or cancer, here only control group given (Egypt)
Vermeer et al. [36] 241 ± 123c)
1,063 ± 687c)		 25
25		 inhibitory effect of diet on formation of NDMA in humans, group with lowest and highest level given (The Netherlands)
van Maanen et al. [37] 78 ± 68c) 22 nitrate level in tap water
(The Netherlands)
Mostafa et al. [38] 169 ± 294c) 27 effect of bladder infections, here only control group given (Egypt)
Tab.2  Typical concentrations of NDMA in a residential community sewage (this study) and in urine (literature data) (data are shown as arithmetic mean ± standard deviation)
WWTP ID GSa) PCb) AnaTc) AnoTd) ATe) SCf)
A 8,037 ± 579 8,749 ± 712 NAg) NA NA NA
B NA 8,869 ± 667 NA NA 1,874 ± 198 2,086 ± 154
C NA 1,524 ± 139 NA 1,475 ± 116 1,358 ± 107 1,284 ± 126
D NA 1,914 ± 203 1,876 ± 169 1,318 ± 124 1,295 ± 99 1,296 ± 106
E 5,796 ± 473 NA 4,492 ± 395 4,007 ± 268 2,433 ± 174 2,467 ± 198
F NA 1709 ± 132 1,596 ± 115 1,398 ± 106 1,043 ± 84 909 ± 76
Tab.3  Concentrations of NDMA FP (ng·L−1) in each unit effluent of the treatment processes in the six WWTPs (data are shown as arithmetic mean ± standard deviation)
Fig.1  The concentrations of DMA, TMA, DMFA and DMAB in the primary effluents and effluents from each unit of the secondary treatment processes in the six WWTPs. a) WWTP A; b) WWTP B; c) WWTP C; d) WWTP D; e) WWTP E and f) WWTP F (GS-grid screen; PC-primary clarifier; AnaT-anaerobic tank; AnoT-anoxic tank; AT-aerobic tank; SC- secondary clarifier) (Error bars represent the mean value and one standard deviation, n = 3)
NDMA and its precursors before UV in WWTP C after UV in WWTP C before UV in WWTP D after UV in WWTP D before chlorination in WWTP E after chlorination in WWTP E
NDMA /(ng·L−1) 82 ± 8 68 ± 9 101 ± 8 84 ± 7 1,161 ± 89 1,546 ± 134
NDMA FP /(ng·L−1) 1,208 ± 89 1,199 ± 102 1,296 ± 106 1,282 ± 97 2,467 ± 198 1,984 ± 173
DMA/(μg·L−1) 44 ± 3 41 ± 2 30 ± 2 29 ± 1 60 ± 4 15 ± 2
TMA/(μg·L−1) 103 ± 8 101 ± 5 63 ± 3 60 ± 4 145 ± 7 112 ± 4
DMFA/(μg·L−1) 856 ± 75 837 ± 61 801 ± 78 785 ± 66 2,207 ± 134 1,932 ± 121
DMAB/(μg·L−1) 163 ± 17 158 ± 13 376 ± 21 371 ± 18 288 ± 32 209 ± 25
Tab.4  Concentrations of NDMA, NDMA FP and specific NDMA precursors before and after disinfection in WWTP C, WWTP D and WWTP E (data are shown as arithmetic mean ± standard deviation)
Fig.2  NDMA and NDMA removal efficiency at different levels of UV dose (Error bars represent the mean value and one standard deviation, n = 3)
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