Abstract
Increasing use of inorganic nanoparticles in consumer products and industrial processes has resulted in greater presence of these nanoparticles in wastewater, and it is important to understand the occurrence and characteristics of this material in wastewater. The objectives of this research were to further develop and improve techniques to identify, quantify, and characterize these inorganic nanoparticles, and investigate their presence in wastewater from a large community with diverse wastewater sources. Single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS) was utilized, along with other nanoparticle characterization techniques. Wastewater samples were collected over monthly time intervals from a local wastewater treatment facility. Extraction and concentration protocols were developed to prepare samples for analysis using ICP-MS, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Results indicated the presence of detectable quantities of a wide range of inorganic nanoparticles in wastewater samples, with significant variability over time. As treated municipal wastewater is frequently discharged to the environment, the findings of this research are of importance to those determining environmental impacts.
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Acknowledgments
The authors express their appreciation to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute for the assistantship awarded to Y. Chen that enabled this research. We also thank Dr. Wenwen Yao at WPI for her support with laboratory procedures.
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Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 25 • Issue 4 • October 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Feb 23, 2021
Accepted: Jun 5, 2021
Published online: Jul 12, 2021
Published in print: Oct 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Dec 12, 2021
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