State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, PR China.
State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, PR China.
Chemosphere. 2019 Dec;237:124371. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.124371. Epub 2019 Jul 15.
Public concerns about potential ecological risks of androgens discharged to the environment through wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has resulted in an increased interest regarding the occurrence and fate of androgens in WWTPs. In this study, the occurrence and removal of eight androgens from 12 municipal WWTPs distributed in eleven cities in China were investigated. The composition profiles of eight androgens in influent, effluent, and excess sludge were studied. Multiple factor analyses were performed to reveal the factors affecting the distribution of androgens in WWTP influent. Results showed similar composition profiles of androgens in the studied WWTPs, with androsterone and dehydroepiandrosterone confirmed as the dominant androgens. The distributions of androgens in WWTP influent were related to the chemical oxygen demand in influent and the gross domestic product (GDP) of WWTP-associated cities. The target androgens have high aqueous removal rates, with a mean removal rate of >90%. Additionally, the behaviors of androgens were evaluated by mass balance along anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (AAO) processes in a WWTP, in which many of the androgens were eliminated mainly in the anaerobic tank. Further, 15 biotransformation products of testosterone were identified under anaerobic, anoxic, and aerobic sludge, respectively. Based on these metabolites, a general biotransformation pathway of testosterone under anaerobic, anoxic, and aerobic sludge is presented.
公众对雄激素通过污水处理厂（WWTP）排放到环境中所带来的潜在生态风险的担忧，导致人们对雄激素在 WWTP 中的存在和归宿产生了浓厚的兴趣。本研究调查了中国 11 个城市的 12 个城市 WWTP 中 8 种雄激素的发生和去除情况。研究了 8 种雄激素在进水、出水和剩余污泥中的组成分布。进行了多元因素分析，以揭示影响 WWTP 进水雄激素分布的因素。结果表明，研究中 WWTP 的雄激素组成相似，雄酮和去氢表雄酮被确认为主要的雄激素。WWTP 进水中雄激素的分布与进水的化学需氧量和 WWTP 相关城市的国内生产总值（GDP）有关。目标雄激素具有较高的水相去除率，平均去除率>90%。此外，还通过 WWTP 中厌氧-缺氧-好氧（AAO）工艺的质量平衡评估了雄激素的行为，其中许多雄激素主要在厌氧池中被去除。此外，在厌氧、缺氧和有氧污泥中分别鉴定出了 15 种睾酮的生物转化产物。基于这些代谢物，提出了在厌氧、缺氧和有氧污泥中睾酮的一般生物转化途径。
