Organic compounds in an industrial wastewater: a case study of their environmental impact
The wastewater and receiving waters and sediments from a specialty chemicals manufacturing plant are extensively analyzed for organic compounds. The concentrations of anthropogenic compounds range up to about 15 ppM in the wastewater and 0.2 ppM in the river (receiving) water, but up to several hundred ppM in the sediments. The composition of the river water reflects the composition of the wastewater except that some of the compounds appear to degrade or volatilize in the river. Many compounds accumulate in the sediments where they appear to be stable and build up to high concentrations. Some of the compounds are modified in situ. Various phenols are easily oxidized to quinones; these may be partially reduced back to phenols depending on the redox nature of the environment. Several compounds of known biological activity (herbicides, bacteriostats, and disinfectants) as well as some potentially toxic chemicals such as dichlorodibenzodioxin are present in the water. The long-term, low-level exposure to this wide variety of chemicals may have contributed to the lack of biota in this part of the river.
- Research Organization:
- Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge
- OSTI ID:
- 5207379
- Journal Information:
- Environ. Sci. Technol.; (United States), Vol. 12:1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
DISINFECTANTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
HERBICIDES
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
PHENOLS
QUINONES
REDOX REACTIONS
RIVERS
SEDIMENTS
TOXIC MATERIALS
WASTE WATER
WATER
AROMATICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRY
LIQUID WASTES
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PESTICIDES
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
WASTES
520200* - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology