Treated municipal wastewater is increasingly recognized as a valuable water source to help alleviate the global water crisis. However, numerous contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) that occur in agro-food systems as a result of treated water irrigation may pose risks to human health. Most research to date has focused on the chemical or toxicological aspects of this issue while largely ignoring the influence of treated wastewater irrigation schemes. In this study, the effect of hybrid irrigation schemes was evaluated by comparing the accumulation of 11 frequently occurring CEC in lettuce and tomatoes grown hydroponically with alternation between CEC-spiked and CEC-free nutrient solution. Elevated concentrations of perfluorobutane sulfonate, perfluorobutanoic acid, perfluorohexanoic acid, naproxen, carbamazepine, atenolol, and fluoxetine were observed in leaves and roots. Overall, the accumulation of CECs in plant tissues can be significantly reduced by alternating nutrient solution. The results of the present study indicate that the alternation of irrigation water sources could effectively reduce the accumulation of CECs in plant tissue, which can be of great help in the development of guidelines to ensure safe treated water reuse.

Effect of hybrid irrigation scheme on the accumulation of contaminants of emerging concern in vegetables

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ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.