2002 Volume 31 Issue 4 Pages 307-314
Recently, Nonylphenol (NP) as a raw material of non-ionic surfactant, has been classified as endocrine disruptors in Japan. In this study, NP and Nonylphenol Ethoxylates (NPEOn) in water and sludge from an inflow setting tank, activated sludge process, and dischargat one sewage treatment plant were measured using GC/MS and LC/MS to investigate the conversion of NP metabolites in each sewage process and the emission of NP metabolites into a water environment. In this result, we have discovered that the reduction of NP was 96% from inflow to discharge in this sewage treatment plant. The reduction of NPEO2-9 was 85%. And, NPEO2-3 accounted for 80% of NPEO2-9 in sewage treatment plant discharge. The emission of NP and NPEOn into a water environment was low value. However, it is possible that NP and NPEO1 are generated in a sewage treatment plant using an activated sludge process only from the increases of NP and NPEO1 in activated sludge process.
