Investigação da presença de 17β-estradiol, bisfenol a e cafeína em água e esgoto em São Leopoldo - RS

Abstract

SCHMITT, G.T. Investigation of the presence of 17β-estradiol, bisphenol A and caffeine in water and sewage in São Leopoldo - RS. São Leopoldo, 2021. 167 f. Master thesis (Master in Civil Engineering) – Graduated Program in Civil Engineering, Unisinos University, São Leopoldo, 2021. This research investigated the presence of 17β-estradiol (E2), bisphenol A (BPA) and caffeine (CAF) in water and sewage matrices in São Leopoldo, Brazil. It was a case study, covering the Sinos River, the UNISINOS São Leopoldo campus’ Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), the UNISINOS' treated sewage water resource and the drinking water, collected at a point available for the consumer (tap). It was also evaluated, in two sample campaigns, the percentage of these contaminants in the suspended particulate matter (SPM), solids that are retained in the filtration membranes (GF/F) during sample preparation. The analytical method was validated using solid phase extraction (SPE) and the determination of concentrations by liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The maximum concentrations obtained in Sinos River were 6,127.99 ng L-1 for E2, 3,294.63 ng L-1 for BPA and 1,221.95 ng L-1 for CAF. For WWTP UNISINOS, the detection frequency of these compounds in the treated sewage was 33%, 33% and <LQ for E2, BPA and CAF respectively. E2 and CAF were detected in 33% of drinking water samples, whereas BPA was detected in 66% of samples. The results obtained for the SPM demonstrate the importance of analyzing some contaminants in the dissolved and particulate phase in the water. BPA was the compound that showed the most predominance in SPM, with a proportion varying between 11% to 73%. For the surface waters evaluated, it was observed that the environmental temperature variable can influence the concentrations of these compounds, in relation to the precipitation variable, no effect was observed. As a conclusion, the presence of these contaminants is verified in the evaluated environmental matrices, which justifies the expansion of studies and the continuous monitoring of these contaminants, aiming at future legal regulation.