Evaluating removal efficiency in wastewater treatment plants using non-target screening analysis
Josep García-Martínez1, Ilias Akasoglou2, Oksana Golovko3
1Centre for Analysis and Synthesis, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-221 00, Lund, Sweden.
Journal of Environmental Management
|November 2, 2025
Summary
Wastewater micropollutant monitoring is challenging. Non-target screening offers a comprehensive approach to assess treatment effectiveness, revealing significant variations between treatment plants.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Water Treatment Technology
Background:
- Micropollutants in wastewater pose risks to ecosystems and human health due to persistence and bioaccumulation.
- Conventional wastewater treatment struggles to remove diverse micropollutants effectively.
- Limited monitoring capabilities hinder accurate assessment of treatment efficacy and environmental impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of non-target screening for comprehensive micropollutant monitoring in wastewater.
- To compare the effectiveness of non-target screening with traditional targeted analysis.
- To investigate the variability of chemical composition in wastewater influents and its impact on treatment performance.
Main Methods:
- Utilized non-target screening (NTS) for broad-spectrum micropollutant identification.
- Employed targeted analysis for confirmation of specific compound removal.
- Analyzed wastewater influent and effluent from multiple treatment plants.
Main Results:
- Non-target screening provides a more holistic view of micropollutant profiles than targeted analysis.
- Significant variations in influent chemical composition were observed across different wastewater treatment plants.
- Direct comparison of treatment performance is unreliable due to influent variability, necessitating advanced analytical methods.
Conclusions:
- Non-target screening is a powerful tool for evaluating wastewater treatment efficiency and understanding micropollutant fate.
- Holistic analytical approaches are crucial for accurate assessment and informed decision-making in water management.
- Influent variability underscores the need for adaptive and comprehensive wastewater treatment strategies.
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