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Estrogenic compounds in Tunisian urban sewage treatment plant: occurrence, removal and ecotoxicological impact of sewage discharge and sludge disposal

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Abstract

The occurrence, fate and ecotoxicological assessment of selected estrogenic compounds were investigated at Tunisian urban sewage treatment plant. The influents, effluents, as well as primary, secondary and dehydrated sludge, were sampled and analyzed for the target estrogens to evaluate their fate. All target compounds were detected in both sewage and sludge with mean concentrations from 0.062 to 0.993 μg L−1 and from 11.8 to 792.9 μg kg−1dry weight, respectively. A wide range of removal efficiencies during the treatment processes were observed, from 6.3 % for estrone to 76.8 % for estriol. Ecotoxicological risk assessment revealed that the highest ecotoxicological risk in sewage effluent and dehydrated sludge was due to 17β-estradiol with a risk quotient (RQ) of 4.6 and 181.9, respectively, and 17α-ethinylestradiol with RQ of 9.8 and 14.85, respectively. Ecotoxicological risk after sewage discharge and sludge disposal was limited to the presence of 17β-estradiol in dehydrated-sludge amended soil with RQ of 1.38. Further control of estrogenic hormones in sewage effluent and sludge is essential before their discharge and application in order to prevent their introduction into the natural environment.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the local authorities in Tunisia for kindly allowing us to take sewage samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Sciences, Laboratory of Biodiversity and Aquatic Ecosystems, Ecology and Planktonology, University of Sfax-Tunisia, FSS, Street Soukra Km 3.5, BP 1171, Sfax, CP 3000, Tunisia

    Dalel Belhaj, Khaled Athmouni & Habib Ayadi

  2. ENIS. Engineering laboratory of Environment and Ecotechnology. LR16ES19, University of Sfax-Tunisia, Street Soukra Km 3.5. BP 1173, Sfax, CP 3038, Tunisia

    Bouthaina Jerbi & Monem Kallel

  3. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia

    John L. Zhou

Authors
  1. Dalel Belhaj
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  2. Khaled Athmouni
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  3. Bouthaina Jerbi
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  4. Monem Kallel
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  5. Habib Ayadi
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  6. John L. Zhou
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Correspondence to Dalel Belhaj.

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The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be regarded as a potential conflict of interest.

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The authors declare that they have informed consent from the Tunisian local authorities to do this research.

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Belhaj, D., Athmouni, K., Jerbi, B. et al. Estrogenic compounds in Tunisian urban sewage treatment plant: occurrence, removal and ecotoxicological impact of sewage discharge and sludge disposal. Ecotoxicology 25, 1849–1857 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-016-1733-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-016-1733-8

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