A preliminary study on total removal efficiency of organic pollutants in sewage by Harbin municipal sewage treatment plant

To evaluate the removal efficiency of organic pollutants in the sewage by Harbin municipal sewage treatment plant,the influent and effluent samples from the plant were pretreated by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) under conditions of acidity,neutrality and alkalescence in sequence,and then were analyzed by gas chromatograph-mass spectrum(GC-MS)procedures.Results indicate that there are 70 species of organic pollutants in the influent sample of the plant,which mainly consist of alkyls,benzene series,esters,and heterocyclic compounds.Some of these organic pollutants are biotoxic and belong to persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Four species among them are on the list of Prior Pollutants of Environmental Protection Agency of USA (USEPA).However,7 species of organic pollutants appearing in the effluent sample mainly include alkyls of multi-carbons and phthalate esters.The removal efficiency of phthalates is poor because of their poor biodegradability. The sewage treatment technique is effective in removing most of organics pollutants.