Pollutants of emerging concern originating from reclaimed wastewater: plant uptake, translocation and transformation - PECtake

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Thorsten Reemtsma
• Subject Area: Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management
• Term: from 2013 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 239063652

Due to the shortage of fresh water in semiarid and arid zones such as the Middle-East, treated municipal wastewater (TWW) is increasingly used for crop irrigation. In Israel and Jordan about 85% of the TWW is used for crop irrigation; this comprises about 50% of the total irrigation water. Investigations of the last years have outlined that the use of TWW in agriculture introduces pollutants of emerging concern (PEC) into the agro-ecosystem and that these PEC may be taken up by the plants. Among these compounds are pharmaceuticals, personal care products, household chemicals and others. Namely for some poorly degradable non-ionic pharmaceuticals measurable uptake from TWW used for irrigation into plants and occurrence in edible parts has been proven, in lysimeter studies as well as on regular field sites. This project focusses on the following issues:For which PEC from TWW is the soil or the root zone not an effective filter? How do physico-chemical properties of PEC affect plant uptake and translocation in plants? To which extent do PEC entering the agricultural plants reach its edible parts? To which extent are PEC transformed in the plants and to which products? For which PEC is plant uptake and human exposure underestimated if transformation products are not considered? What is the effect of irrigation on groundwater quality underneath the agricultural fields? What is the contribution of PEC in agricultural produce to the exposure to humans?The project will tackle these issues with coordinated studies in greenhouse, in lysimeters and on field sites where irrigation with TWW is practiced. Leafy and root vegetables of importance for production in Israel and Jordan will be primarily investigated. For the quantification of PEC in water, soil and plant material as well as for the identification of transformation products most recent mass spectrometric instrumentation will be used, including screening by liquid chromatography-high resolution-mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS).Considering that the use of TWW for irrigation purposes is inevitable the consortium will eventually use the scientific results of its studies to assess whether the present practice of irrigation of edible plants with TWW can be continued or whether recommendations should be given to avoid certain critical combinations of pollutants, soils and crops.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Israel, Jordan
• International Co-Applicants: Dr. Marwan Al-Raggad; Professor Dr. Benny Chefetz; Professor Dr. Yitzhak Hadar; Professor Dr. Elias Salameh
• Cooperation Partner: Dr. Bettina Seiwert