Agricultural reuse of reclaimed water and uptake of organic compounds: Pilot study at Mutah University wastewater treatment plant, Jordan

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 72; no. 8; pp. 1203 - 1214
• Main Authors: Al Nasir, Farah, Batarseh, Mufeed I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-07-2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Abelmoschus esculentus; Agricultural and forest climatology and meteorology. Irrigation. Drainage; Agriculture - methods; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Applied sciences; benzene; Biological and medical sciences; Capsicum; chlorinated hydrocarbons; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Exact sciences and technology; fruits (plant anatomy); Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gas chromatography; General agronomy. Plant production; groundwater; groundwater contamination; Helianthus; Irrigation. Drainage; Jordan; leaves; Lycopersicon esculentum; Non agrochemicals pollutants; Organic Chemicals - analysis; PAHs; PCBs; persistent organic pollutants; pesticide residues; phenolic compounds; Phenols; Phenols - analysis; Phenols - chemistry; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; Pilot Projects; Plant Development; Plants - metabolism; pollutants; Pollution; Pollution effects and side effects of agrochemicals on crop plants and forest trees. Other anthropogenic factors; Pollution effects. Side effects of agrochemicals; Pollution, environment geology; polychlorinated biphenyls; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - analysis; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis; POPs; roots; Soil - analysis; soil-plant interactions; Solanum melongena; species differences; translocation (plant physiology); uptake mechanisms; vegetable crops; vegetables; vegetation; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Wastewater; wastewater irrigation; wastewater treatment; Wastewaters reuse. Miscellaneous; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; water pollution; Water Purification; water reuse; Water Supply - analysis; Water treatment and pollution; Zea mays; Jordan; Asia; Phenols; PCBs; PAHs; Wastewater; Jordan; POPs; Irrigation; Flame ionization detector; Soil pollution; Persistent organic pollutant; Semi arid zone; Agriculture; Aromatic compound; Urban waste water; Cultivated plant; Organic compounds; Ground water; Translocation; Electron capture detector; Edible species; Hydrocarbon; Polychlorobiphenyls; Polycyclic aromatic compound; Organic chlorine compounds; Sewage treatment plant; Gas chromatography; Arid region; Environment impact; Waste reuse; Water pollution; Biological accumulation; Effluent
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.01.064

The residues of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated benzenes (CBs) and phenols were investigated for soil, wastewater, groundwater and plants. The uptake concentration of these compounds was comparatively determined using various plant types:
Zea mays L.,
Helianthus annus L.,
Capsicum annum L.,
Abelmoschus esculentus L.,
Solanum melongena L.
and Lycopersicon esculentum L. which were grown in a pilot site established at Mutah University wastewater treatment plant, Jordan. Soil, wastewater, groundwater and various plant parts (roots, leaves and fruits) samples were extracted in duplicate, cleaned up by open-column chromatography and analyzed by a multi-residue analytical methods using gas chromatography equipped with either mass selective detector (GC/MS), electron capture detector (GC/ECD), or flame ionization detector (FID).
Environmentally relevant concentrations of targeted compounds were detected for wastewater much higher than for groundwater. The overall distribution profiles of PAHs and PCBs appeared similar for groundwater and wastewater indicating common potential pollution sources. The concentrations of PAHs, PCBs and phenols for different soils ranged from 169.34 to 673.20
μg
kg
−1, 0.04 to 73.86
μg kg
−1 and 73.83 to 8724.42
μg
kg
−1, respectively. However, much lower concentrations were detected for reference soil. CBs were detected in very low concentrations. Furthermore, it was found that different plants have different uptake and translocation behavior. As a consequence, there are some difficulties in evaluating the translocation of PAHs, CBs, PCBs and phenols from soil–roots-plant system. The uptake concentrations of various compounds from soil, in which plants grown, were dependent on plant variety and plant part, and they showed different uptake concentrations. Among the different plant parts, roots were found to be the most contaminated and fruits the least contaminated.