Inputs of fossil carbon from wastewater treatment plants to U.S. Rivers and oceans
Environmental Science & Technology
By: D.R. Griffith, R.T. Barnes, and P.A. Raymond
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Abstract
Every day more than 500 million cubic meters of treated wastewater are discharged into rivers, estuaries, and oceans, an amount slightly less than the average flow of the Danube River. Typically, wastewaters have high organic carbon (OC) concentrations and represent a large fraction of total river flow and a higher fraction of river OC in densely populated watersheds. Here, we report the first direct measurements of radiocarbon (14C) in municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent. The radiocarbon ages of particulate and dissolved organic carbon (POC and DOC) in effluent are old and relatively uniform across a range of WWTPs in New York and Connecticut. Wastewater DOC has a mean radiocarbon age of 1630 ?? 500 years B.P. and a mean ??13C of -26.0 ?? 1???. Mass balance calculations indicate that 25% of wastewater DOC is fossil carbon, which is likely derived from petroleumbased household products such as detergents and pharmaceuticals. Thesefindings warrant reevaluation of the "apparent age" of riverine DOC, the total flux of petroleum carbon to U.S. oceans, and OC source assignments in waters impacted by sewage. ?? 2009 American Chemical Society.
Suggested Citation
Griffith, D., Barnes, R., Raymond, P., 2009, Inputs of fossil carbon from wastewater treatment plants to U.S. Rivers and oceans: Environmental Science & Technology, v. 43, no. 15, p. 5647-5651, https://doi.org/10.1021/es9004043.
ISSN: 1520-5851 (online)
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Inputs of fossil carbon from wastewater treatment plants to U.S. Rivers and oceans |
| Series title | Environmental Science & Technology |
| DOI | 10.1021/es9004043 |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 15 |
| Publication Date | May 29, 2009 |
| Year Published | 2009 |
| Language | English |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Environmental Science and Technology |
| First page | 5647 |
| Last page | 5651 |