{"id":{"repo_id":"tdl","oai_identifier":"oai:tdl-ir.tdl.org:2346/50755"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/tdl/oai:tdl-ir.tdl.org:2346/50755","repository":{"repo_id":"tdl","name":"Texas Digital Library","base_url":"https://tdl-ir.tdl.org/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Pharmaceuticals removal in soil following wastewater land application","abstract":"Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) are used worldwide and enter the environment via wastewater treatment system effluent discharges. With increasing concern in water reuse, attention is turning to the wastewater resulting in detection of these compounds in several environmental media associated with wastewater stream. One of the most common reuse procedures is land application of wastewater, which follows a wastewater treatment plant or an onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS). It is not known how well conventional on-site wastewater disposal practices function in removing PPCPs prior to percolation into ground water. The objective of this study is to investigate the removal of PPCPs from onsite wastewater treatment systems where the final discharge is on the soil surface and to compare the capacity of three land application structures, vegetated lawn, bare land and unvegetated land covered from sun, in pharmaceuticals removal. In other words, the effect of grass and photodegradation in removal of the pharmaceuticals in land applied systems were assessed. To answer the objectives, three different types of soil columns: grass-covered, plastic-covered, and open columns, each with three replications, were irrigated daily with synthetic wastewater. Leachate samples were collected monthly and analyzed for pharmaceuticals concentrations using HPLC-MS analytical devices. The removal efficiencies were more than 95% for all compounds in all systems. Pharmaceuticals concentrations in leachates of different column types were not significantly different; so it is concluded that the effect of grass and photodegradation in minimal in the removal process of these compounds in the soil systems. However from the stand point of mass removed in each column type, the statistical analysis shows that grassed columns have been 30% and 15 % more capable of pharmaceuticals removal rather than covered and open columns, respectively which is basically because of higher application rate due to grass maintenance. This means even though vegetated land needs more water to maintain the grass; the system is capable of removing the pharmaceuticals present in the wastewater effluent. Since leachate concentrations of target compounds were less than 5% of the applied amount, it was hypothesized that the pharmaceuticals are mainly accumulated soil and plant tissue. Therefore, plant and soil samples from different depths of the columns were collected to determine the accumulated mass for mass balance analysis. Soil and plant samples were analyzed using HPLC-UV and LC-MS/MS methodologies. The accumulated amounts for the fluoxetine and acetaminophen were below the detection limits for all samples while carbamazepine and trimethoprim were detected in every soil and plant sample. Carbamazepine was detected at higher concentrations in the soil and plant samples comparing to trimethoprim while the calculated plant bioconcentration factor for trimethoprim was higher than carbamazepine. The results indicate that the mean accumulated amount in the grass samples are significantly (p<0.05) higher than the mean accumulated mass in the soil samples. The total mass accumulated in soil and plant samples was less than 1% of the applied mass to the columns suggesting that possible biotransformation processes are involved.","abstract_html":"Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) are used worldwide and enter the environment via wastewater treatment system effluent discharges. With increasing concern in water reuse, attention is turning to the wastewater resulting in detection of these compounds in several environmental media associated with wastewater stream. One of the most common reuse procedures is land application of wastewater, which follows a wastewater treatment plant or an onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS). It is not known how well conventional on-site wastewater disposal practices function in removing PPCPs prior to percolation into ground water. The objective of this study is to investigate the removal of PPCPs from onsite wastewater treatment systems where the final discharge is on the soil surface and to compare the capacity of three land application structures, vegetated lawn, bare land and unvegetated land covered from sun, in pharmaceuticals removal. In other words, the effect of grass and photodegradation in removal of the pharmaceuticals in land applied systems were assessed. To answer the objectives, three different types of soil columns: grass-covered, plastic-covered, and open columns, each with three replications, were irrigated daily with synthetic wastewater. Leachate samples were collected monthly and analyzed for pharmaceuticals concentrations using HPLC-MS analytical devices. The removal efficiencies were more than 95% for all compounds in all systems. Pharmaceuticals concentrations in leachates of different column types were not significantly different; so it is concluded that the effect of grass and photodegradation in minimal in the removal process of these compounds in the soil systems. However from the stand point of mass removed in each column type, the statistical analysis shows that grassed columns have been 30% and 15 % more capable of pharmaceuticals removal rather than covered and open columns, respectively which is basically because of higher application rate due to grass maintenance. This means even though vegetated land needs more water to maintain the grass; the system is capable of removing the pharmaceuticals present in the wastewater effluent. Since leachate concentrations of target compounds were less than 5% of the applied amount, it was hypothesized that the pharmaceuticals are mainly accumulated soil and plant tissue. Therefore, plant and soil samples from different depths of the columns were collected to determine the accumulated mass for mass balance analysis. Soil and plant samples were analyzed using HPLC-UV and LC-MS/MS methodologies. The accumulated amounts for the fluoxetine and acetaminophen were below the detection limits for all samples while carbamazepine and trimethoprim were detected in every soil and plant sample. Carbamazepine was detected at higher concentrations in the soil and plant samples comparing to trimethoprim while the calculated plant bioconcentration factor for trimethoprim was higher than carbamazepine. The results indicate that the mean accumulated amount in the grass samples are significantly (p<0.05) higher than the mean accumulated mass in the soil samples. The total mass accumulated in soil and plant samples was less than 1% of the applied mass to the columns suggesting that possible biotransformation processes are involved.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hosseini, Bahar"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Zartman, Richard E.","Anderson, Todd A.","Fedler, Clifford B."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2012,"date_issued":"2012-12","date_published":"2012-12","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:19:35Z","subjects":["Wastewater","Land application","Pharmaceuticals","Groundwater"],"languages":["en_US"],"rights":["Unrestricted."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/2346/50755"],"render_values":[{"text":"http://hdl.handle.net/2346/50755","href":"http://hdl.handle.net/2346/50755","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2346/50755","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Zartman, Richard E.","Anderson, Todd A.","Fedler, Clifford B."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hosseini, Bahar"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2013-09-11T17:57:15Z","2026-02-19T18:31:31Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2013-09-11T17:57:15Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2012-12"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Dissertation"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Wastewater","Land application","Pharmaceuticals","Groundwater"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en_US"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Unrestricted."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/2346/50755"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2346/50755"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) are used worldwide and enter the environment via wastewater treatment system effluent discharges. With increasing concern in water reuse, attention is turning to the wastewater resulting in detection of these compounds in several environmental media associated with wastewater stream. One of the most common reuse procedures is land application of wastewater, which follows a wastewater treatment plant or an onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS). It is not known how well conventional on-site wastewater disposal practices function in removing PPCPs prior to percolation into ground water. The objective of this study is to investigate the removal of PPCPs from onsite wastewater treatment systems where the final discharge is on the soil surface and to compare the capacity of three land application structures, vegetated lawn, bare land and unvegetated land covered from sun, in pharmaceuticals removal. In other words, the effect of grass and photodegradation in removal of the pharmaceuticals in land applied systems were assessed. To answer the objectives, three different types of soil columns: grass-covered, plastic-covered, and open columns, each with three replications, were irrigated daily with synthetic wastewater. Leachate samples were collected monthly and analyzed for pharmaceuticals concentrations using HPLC-MS analytical devices. The removal efficiencies were more than 95% for all compounds in all systems. Pharmaceuticals concentrations in leachates of different column types were not significantly different; so it is concluded that the effect of grass and photodegradation in minimal in the removal process of these compounds in the soil systems. However from the stand point of mass removed in each column type, the statistical analysis shows that grassed columns have been 30% and 15 % more capable of pharmaceuticals removal rather than covered and open columns, respectively which is basically because of higher application rate due to grass maintenance. This means even though vegetated land needs more water to maintain the grass; the system is capable of removing the pharmaceuticals present in the wastewater effluent. Since leachate concentrations of target compounds were less than 5% of the applied amount, it was hypothesized that the pharmaceuticals are mainly accumulated soil and plant tissue. Therefore, plant and soil samples from different depths of the columns were collected to determine the accumulated mass for mass balance analysis. Soil and plant samples were analyzed using HPLC-UV and LC-MS/MS methodologies. The accumulated amounts for the fluoxetine and acetaminophen were below the detection limits for all samples while carbamazepine and trimethoprim were detected in every soil and plant sample. Carbamazepine was detected at higher concentrations in the soil and plant samples comparing to trimethoprim while the calculated plant bioconcentration factor for trimethoprim was higher than carbamazepine. The results indicate that the mean accumulated amount in the grass samples are significantly (p<0.05) higher than the mean accumulated mass in the soil samples. The total mass accumulated in soil and plant samples was less than 1% of the applied mass to the columns suggesting that possible biotransformation processes are involved."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Pharmaceuticals removal in soil following wastewater land application"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Zartman, Richard E.","Anderson, Todd A.","Fedler, Clifford B."],"dc:creator":["Hosseini, Bahar"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2013-09-11T17:57:15Z","2026-02-19T18:31:31Z"],"dc:date.available":["2013-09-11T17:57:15Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2012-12"],"dc:description.abstract":["Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) are used worldwide and enter the environment via wastewater treatment system effluent discharges. With increasing concern in water reuse, attention is turning to the wastewater resulting in detection of these compounds in several environmental media associated with wastewater stream. One of the most common reuse procedures is land application of wastewater, which follows a wastewater treatment plant or an onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS). It is not known how well conventional on-site wastewater disposal practices function in removing PPCPs prior to percolation into ground water. The objective of this study is to investigate the removal of PPCPs from onsite wastewater treatment systems where the final discharge is on the soil surface and to compare the capacity of three land application structures, vegetated lawn, bare land and unvegetated land covered from sun, in pharmaceuticals removal. In other words, the effect of grass and photodegradation in removal of the pharmaceuticals in land applied systems were assessed. To answer the objectives, three different types of soil columns: grass-covered, plastic-covered, and open columns, each with three replications, were irrigated daily with synthetic wastewater. Leachate samples were collected monthly and analyzed for pharmaceuticals concentrations using HPLC-MS analytical devices. The removal efficiencies were more than 95% for all compounds in all systems. Pharmaceuticals concentrations in leachates of different column types were not significantly different; so it is concluded that the effect of grass and photodegradation in minimal in the removal process of these compounds in the soil systems. However from the stand point of mass removed in each column type, the statistical analysis shows that grassed columns have been 30% and 15 % more capable of pharmaceuticals removal rather than covered and open columns, respectively which is basically because of higher application rate due to grass maintenance. This means even though vegetated land needs more water to maintain the grass; the system is capable of removing the pharmaceuticals present in the wastewater effluent. Since leachate concentrations of target compounds were less than 5% of the applied amount, it was hypothesized that the pharmaceuticals are mainly accumulated soil and plant tissue. Therefore, plant and soil samples from different depths of the columns were collected to determine the accumulated mass for mass balance analysis. Soil and plant samples were analyzed using HPLC-UV and LC-MS/MS methodologies. The accumulated amounts for the fluoxetine and acetaminophen were below the detection limits for all samples while carbamazepine and trimethoprim were detected in every soil and plant sample. Carbamazepine was detected at higher concentrations in the soil and plant samples comparing to trimethoprim while the calculated plant bioconcentration factor for trimethoprim was higher than carbamazepine. The results indicate that the mean accumulated amount in the grass samples are significantly (p<0.05) higher than the mean accumulated mass in the soil samples. The total mass accumulated in soil and plant samples was less than 1% of the applied mass to the columns suggesting that possible biotransformation processes are involved."],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/2346/50755"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/2346/50755"],"dc:language":["en_US"],"dc:rights":["Unrestricted."],"dc:subject":["Wastewater","Land application","Pharmaceuticals","Groundwater"],"dc:title":["Pharmaceuticals removal in soil following wastewater land application"],"dc:type":["Dissertation"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:19:35Z"}