Removal of Triclocarban and Triclosan during Municipal Biosolid Production

The antimicrobial compounds triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) accumulate in sludges produced during municipal wastewater treatment and persist through sludge treatment processes into finished biosolids. The objective of this research was to determine the extent to which conventional sludge processing systems such as aerobic digestion, anaerobic digestion, and lime stabilization were able to remove TCC and TCS. The concentrations of TCC and TCS in sludge and biosolid samples were determined via heated solvent extraction and analysis with liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The removal of TCC and TCS in municipal biosolid processing systems was determined from the measured concentration change after correcting for reductions in solid mass during sludge treatment. Removal in the digester systems ranged from 15 to 68% for TCC and 20 to 75% for TCS. Increased solid retention times during sludge treatment operations were correlated with higher removals of TCC and TCS.