Study of Organic Pollutants in Municipal Wastewater in Göteborg, Sweden

Influent and effluent wastewater from the Göteborg Regional Sewage Works was regularly analyzed during 1989-1991 for the presence of organic pollutants using GC-MS. While concentrations of individual organic compounds in the influent varied from 0.1 µg/l to several mg/l, few of them were present in the effluent in concentrations higher than 0.5 µg/l The majority of the pollutants in the influent were either food related or due to the diffuse discharge from products used both in households and in industry. For a number of priority pollutants, a declining trend in influent loadings was observed. The treatment process removes hydrophobic organic pollutants effectively. However, the effects of an increased loading of hydrophilic compounds on the treatment process need to be evaluated.