Occurrence and fate of water-soluble polymers in the aquatic environment - PolyAqua

• Applicants: Professor Dr.-Ing. Stephan Wagner; Dr. Daniel Zahn
• Subject Area: Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management ; Analytical Chemistry
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 551025629

Water-soluble polymers (WSPs) are produced in large quantities (1,000-1,000,000 tons per year, depending on the polymer) and have numerous applications that can result in discharge into the aquatic environment. In the few cases where WSP concentrations could at least be estimated, concentrations in the µg/L to mg/L range were reported, depending on the polymer type and proximity to a source. Nevertheless, too little information is available on their occurrence and behaviour in the aquatic environment to be able to assess their environmental relevance. This is partly due to the fact that trace analytical methods for WSPs in complex environmental matrices are not yet established and partly because the analytical methods used in degradation studies often only allowed the consideration of primary degradation or the degree of mineralization. In many cases, little or no attention was paid to transformation products. For other WSPs such studies are still completely lacking. PolyAqua investigates the environmental occurrence and environmental behaviour (biotransformation, transformation products formed, and sorption) of 5 selected polymers (polyethylene oxide - PEO, polyvinylpyrrolidone - PVP, polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride - PolyDADMAC, polyacrylic acid - PAA and polyacrylamide - PAM) in three work packages. In work package 1, trace analytical methods for WSPs will be developed, thus laying the foundation for further investigation. For this purpose, a broad selection of analytical methods that have already been used sporadically for WSPs or whose transferability from micro- or nanoplastics to WSPs is expected will be considered. In work package 2, the biotransformation and sorption behaviour of the selected WSPs will be investigated in laboratory studies. The previous work will be transferred to real systems (surface waters and potential sources such as municipal wastewater treatment plants) in work package 3. In this work package, environmental monitoring will be carried out for the selected WSPs and their transformation products identified in work package 2, investigating not only the aqueous phase but also solid phases such as sediment, suspended solids and sewage sludge. This monitoring will effectively confirm the results obtained in work package 2 in real systems. Combined, these results will not only shed light on the quantities of WSPs discharged into the aquatic environment, but also on how they are distributed between different phases and how they are transported in the aquatic environment.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigators: Professor Dr. Thomas Knepper; Professor Dr.-Ing. Thorsten Reemtsma