your septic system on drugs -...

Your Septic System on Drugs

John R. Buchanan, Ph.D., P. E.Associate Professor

Department of Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science

University of Tennessee

Your Septic System on Drugs

Whoa, man!!That’s some good

stuff

Can I have

another hit?

You may not Like Them

• But we need these

guys

– bacteria and fungi

are the workhorses

of wastewater

treatment

– they prefer their

carbon source to be

non-toxic

They are Exposed to Everything

We Put Down the Drain

• The good news

– is that most waste

organic compounds

can be degraded by

the microbes

• in the septic tank

• in the soil

• The bad news

– there are plenty of

organic compounds

that will kill themhttp://www.medicinenet.com/bacterial_infections_101_pictures_

slideshow/article.htm

What Goes Down the Drain

• Nearly everything

– that goes in or on our bodies

– or is used around the house

• The list is way too long

– organic

– inorganic

– liquids

– solids

http://bearingdrift.com/wp-

content/uploads/money-down-the-drain.jpg

Everything comes out in the

Wash

• If compounds are on our

clothes, then they are in our

septic system

– detergents

– fire retardant chemicals in fabrics

– dyes

– pesticides

• farmers

• yard work

Wash your Hands before you Eat

• If compounds are on

your hands

– then they are in your

septic system

– antimicrobial hand

soaps

• Petroleum products

are toxins in septic

systems

Consumer Products

• Ingredients in shampoo

– 1% pyrithone zinc, ammonium

laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl

sulfate, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate,

glycol distearate, sodium sulfate,

fragrance, dimethicone, DMDM

hydantoin, disodium phosphate,

sodium phosphate lauryl alcohol,

PEG-12, polyquaternium-10,

sodium chloride

• It goes down the drain

And, of course, Pharmaceuticals

• If we are on drugs

– so is our septic

system

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photos-medicine-bottles-pills-

image800963

So, What’s the Big Deal??

http://www.dpl-surveillance-equipment.com/articles/article_53.html

A little goes a Long Ways

• Your speaker takes

– 10 mg of allergy medication

– I weigh 95,254,397 mg

– relative to my body weight

• that is 10 parts per million

A Even Smaller Dose

• Estrogen in oral contraceptives

– 0.02 mg dose

– assume a body mass of 63,502,931 mg

– relative to body weight

• that is 36 parts per billion

So It doesn’t take Much to make

a Difference

http://www.bluegranola.com/2010/04/13/drugs-kitty-litter-clean-water/

We’re not the Only Drug Users

Drug residues are excreted in the manure

and left in the Environment

Residual Pharmaceuticals in the

Environment

• Diclofenac

– NSAID

– injected in sick

cows in India

– vultures eat the

dead cows

– vultures die

Our Focus is on Trace Organic

Compounds in Septic Systems

• Why “Trace Organic Compounds”

– relatively small mass compared to typical

waste organic compounds

– measured in micrograms per liter → µg/L

• 1 part in 1 billion parts → ppb

• 1 sheet of toilet paper in a roll that is 3,459

miles long

Other Names

• Compounds of

emerging concern

• Contaminates of

emerging concern

Secondary/Emerging Constituents Report, Southern California

Regional Brine-Concentrate Management Study, U.S. IBR, Oct 2009

The State of the Knowledge

• Is based on municipal

WWTPs

• We know that certain

trace organics survive

treatment

– discharged to surface

water

– discharge to land via

biosolidshttp://southbendin.gov/government/content/treatment-plant

In Municipal Wastewater Treatment

• Primary treatment

– liquid/solid separation

• Secondary treatment

– aerobic biodegradation

– anaerobic digestion

• Tertiary treatment

– disinfection and nutrient removal

• There are plenty of trace organics that can

survive this process

For Onsite Soil-Based Treatment

• Primary treatment

– septic tank

• Secondary treatment

– largely microbial-driven

• soil based aerobic treatment

• soil based pathogen reduction

• soil based nutrient conversion

• soil based sorption of ionic compounds

In the Big Picture

• Organisms have evolved to break down

typical organic waste compounds

– enzymes are produced that will pull apart

larger organic compounds

2 2 2aerobic

microorganismsOrganic Carbon + O Energy + CO + H O + Residue

2 2 2new aerobic

microorganisms+ O Energy + CO + H O + Residue

2 2 2new aerobic

microorganisms+ O Energy + CO + H O + Residue

Think about the Carbon Cycle

• The Sun is the driver

– Photosynthesis

• carbohydrates

– Assimilation

• forms complex organic

compounds

• proteins

• Life

– Respiration

• metabolized organic

carbon to carbon dioxide

http://www.stroudcenter.org/livablelandscape/climate_change.shtm

Life-Form Based Organic

Chemistry

• Many pharmaceuticals are plant-animal

based

– degrade fairly easily

– Aspirin, by-product of willow leaves

• Some plant-animal based compounds are

natural toxics - antibiotic

– are harder to degrade

– penicillin, by-product of some molds

When we Synthesize Organic

Compounds

• We create an organic compound that was

not created by a natural process

– and thus may be difficult to degrade by natural

processes

– a lot of energy goes into the process

• For example

– Some drugs are designed to survive the liver

– in some situations, the break-down product is

the active ingredient

Okay, so what’s going on in the

Septic System

• In relation to pharmaceuticals

– Science is just starting to think about it

• Why, because until recently,

– we could not measure on the ppb and ppt

level

– If your equipment can only measure in the

magnitude of ppm

• then we could not find the trace organics

So,

• For many of the pharmaceuticals

– we really do not know if we are doing a good

job of protection water resources

• We can identify some pharmaceuticals

– that are readily biodegradable

– that will bind with the soil

– but, remember that shampoo bottle

There can be Combined Effects

• Surfactants – surface active agents

– can facilitate the movement of some trace

organics through the soil profile

– Detergent is basically a surfactant

• holds onto soil particles

• keeps them suspended in the wash water

– some dissolved organic compounds that are in

wastewater can facilitate movement

For Example - Triclosan

• Forth National Report on Human Exposure

to Environmental Chemicals

• CDC (2003-2004)

– 2,517 people studied

– 75% had triclosan detected in their urine

• Did not suggest harm – it just suggested

that it was in their bodies

There are Beneficial uses for

Triclosan

• It is the recommended body wash for

MRSA patients

– Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus

• Used as a preservative

– Incorporated into surgery scrubs

– Personal care products

– Prevent microbial-induced metal corrosion

• Used as a sanitizer

– Industrial cleaners

And, of Course

• It is in anti-microbial hand soaps

• This session is not about whether this is a

beneficial use

– There is not an overwhelming dataset that

suggests that our bodies are any cleaner

– Alcohol-based hand cleaners just as good

– Regular soap is just as good

– And our body is NOT suppose to be free of

bacteria

And so, the Question is……

• Transport

– Most movement occurs down the drain

• Sinks, tubs, and floor drains

• into septic and sewer systems

• Fate

– What happens to triclosan once it goes down

the drain

Narrowing the Question

• Will the soil prevent triclosan from entering

the groundwater?

Specific Question

• Can dissolved organic matter facilitate the

transport of triclosan through the soil?

Dissolved Organic Matter

• Dissolved

– passed through a filter

– typically 0.45 micron (0.45 x 10-6 meter)

• Organic Matter

– mixture of organic, poorly biodegradable

decomposition products of natural organic

matter

– poorly defined physical & chemical

characteristics

Facilitate the Transport

• Water is considered the universal solvent

– a hydrophilic substance (water loving) will

readily dissolve in water

– a hydrophobic substance (water fearing) will

not go into the dissolved phase

• oil is a “separate liquid phase” when sitting

on water

• A substance dissolved in water will move

with the water

Poorly Soluble

• Triclosan

– 10 mg of triclosan per liter of water is

maximum solubility

– compare to a very soluble organic compound

• sucrose (sugar) 2000 mg L-1

• Considered to be largely hydrophobic

– it will remain crystalized (solid phase in liquid)

– or partition to a surface

Conceptually

• Triclosan should stick to the soil

– or precipitate out in the septic tank

• Will triclosan binds to dissolved organic

matter

– then triclosan would have an synthetic

solubility in water

• an emulsion on a “micro” scale

– there would be less binding to soil solids as

the water moved through the soil profile

But,

Two Investigation Methods

• Batch Studies

– different concentrations of dissolved organic

matter

– different concentrations of triclosan

– mixed with soil until equilibrium forms

• Column Studies

– breakthrough curves

– change of triclosan concentration as water

moves through a column

Batch Method

• Three treatments using sand filter effluent

– No organic carbon

– Low organic carbon (TOC ~ 5 mg L-1)

– High organic carbon (TOC ~ 60 mg L-1)

• Six triclosan concentrations

– 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 5 mg L-1

• Quartz sand

– 4 g sand in 40 mL spiked wastewater solution

– three replicates

Data Collection

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

0 1 2 3 4 5

TC

S S

orb

ed,

q (

mg K

g-1

)

TCS Solution Concentration, Ceq (mg L-1)

HOC

LOC

NOC

First Conclusion

• With NOC

– significantly more triclosan partitions to the

sand

• With LOC

– significantly less triclosan partitions to the

sand

• The HOC

– somewhere in between

– not the expected result

Column Studies

• In pure sand

– Many pore volumes

were passed through

the columns

– To determine a

breakthrough curve

– When all attachment

sites are occupied,

triclosan passes

through column

Column Data

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Rel

ativ

e C

once

ntr

atio

n (

C/C

o)

Pore Volumes

LOC measured

LOC fitted

HOC measured

HOC fitted

NOC measured

NOC fitted

Br measured

Br Fitted

Second Conclusion

• With NOC

– it took 16 pore volumes before triclosan

concentration matched the initial concentration

• With LOC and HOC

– the triclosan came through with just 8 pore

volumes

Triclosan Binds to Soils

• Sand is a poor treatment media

– Silts and clays provide many more surface-

active sites

– Should prevent deep movement

• Typically septic systems are not installed

in pure sands

– There must be some minimum mixture of soil

textures

Implications

• However

– The sandier the soil, the less treatment

capacity is available in the soil

– In all soils, once attachment sites are

occupied, then triclosan can pass deeper into

the soil profile

• There should be additional degradation in

the soil

– But these processes are not well understood

Additional Research

• Colorado School of Mines (2012)

Compounds Well Removed (>80%)

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) NSAID

Atenolol Beta Blocker – blood pressure,

chest pain

Caffeine Stimulant

Cimetidine (Tagamet) Histamine H2 blocker – acid

blocker

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) Antihistamine

Additional Research


Compounds Moderately Removed (20 to 80%)

Diethyltoluamide (DEET) Insect Repellent

Hydrocodone Narcotic Cough Suppressant

Oxybenzone UV Blocker

Sulfamethoxazole Antibiotic

Tri (2 chloroisopropyl) phosphate TCPP

Flame Retardant

Trimethoprim Antibiotic

Additional Research


Compounds Poorly Removed (<20%)

Atrazine Pesticide

Carbamazepine Anticonvulsant

Diazepam Anticonvulsant

Meprobamate Anticonvulsant

Primidone Anticonvulsant

Tris(2 chloroethyl) phosphate TCEP

Flame Retardant

Treatment of the Future

• Quaternary treatment for trace organics

– Add more energy to the system

• UV light

– even exposure to sunlight can degrade many

recalcitrant compounds

• Ozone

– very strong oxidizers

– breaks apart larger compounds

A Potential Management Tool

• Source separation

– pharmaceuticals and

their metabolites

tend to be excreted

in the urine

• If we separate

– what do we do with

the urine?

http://www.chekhovskalashnikov.com/human-waste-disposal/

“No-Mix” Toilet

• Men

– are you ready to sit

down?

– may have to get a

waterless urinal

• Dual plumbing

– urine storage

– solids and flush

water move on to

treatment

http://inhabitat.com/nomix-toilets-separate-waste-are-super-eco-friendly/

Medication Use and Septic Systems

• Modified from University of Minnesota

– Water Resources Center

• There are some possible solutions to deal

with medication use and septic systems.

– They start with simple techniques, but get

more sophisticated as the problem increases.

Medication Use and Septic

Systems

• Minimize the use of antibacterial soap,

cleaners and bleach

– as these products further stress the bacteria in

the system.


Systems

• Increased maintenance of your system

may be required

– if you are taking certain strong medications,

such as chemotherapy drugs. Your tank may

have to be pumped more often to remove

solids that are accumulating rapidly due to the

loss of beneficial bacteria.


Systems

• If your septic tank gets too toxic

– it may be necessary to use your tank as a

holding tank during a prescribed treatment.

• Fill the septic tank with clean water after

pumping

– to dilute the concentrations of the medicines at

the restart of the system.


Systems

• Certain design changes may be necessary

to protect your drain field.

– These changes could include adding an

effluent screen, which is placed on the outlet

of the septic tank to limit solids exiting the

tank.

– Adding additional septic tanks or a

pretreatment device are other possible design

changes


Systems

• What about non-residential sources

• assistant living centers & nursing homes

• veterinary clinics

– System design will need to account for more than

just hydraulic loading

• organic loading

– check the ratio of BOD to COD

Take Home Message

• As an industry, we need to keep educating

folks

– take extra medications to collection

– don’t pour pesticides down the drain

• The septic system and soil has a tremendous

potential to capture trace organics

– but it’s not bulletproof

– someday we may have to evaluate trace organics

in septage

Questions

your septic system on drugs -...

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