Drinking water treatment residuals (DWTRs) produced in large quantities worldwide show strong sorption capacities for several contaminants including metals. These by‐products of the water‐treatment process are primarily discharged as wastes, to either natural or engineered systems, based on the regulations in place in the country where they are produced. To assess how DWTRs can be repurposed to limit the mobility of metals in aquatic systems, we tested their propensity to release toxic metals and their potential ecotoxicity. To account for the wide variability in their physicochemical characteristics, DWTR samples were obtained from 15 water‐treatment plants across the United States. A screening procedure based on a combination of 1) the toxicity characteristics leaching procedure (TCLP), 2) total metal contents and sediment quality guidelines, and 3) acute 10‐d Americamysis bahia and chronic 28‐d Neanthes arenaceodentata survival and growth bioassays was used. All tested samples were found to be nonhazardous based on TCLP results. However, the concentrations of As, Cu, and Ni exceeded the sediment quality guidelines in some samples, resulting in the exclusion of 7 DWTR samples. All of the DWTRs evaluated for toxicity were nontoxic to the tested organisms. The results of the present study suggest that certain DWTRs can be introduced safely into the marine environment and, therefore, used as potential amendments or capping materials to control the mobility of certain sediment contaminants. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1194–1203. © 2020 SETAC

中文翻译：

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一种筛选饮用水处理残留物以引入海洋系统的方法

世界范围内大量生产的饮用水处理残留物 (DWTR) 对包括金属在内的多种污染物显示出强大的吸附能力。水处理过程的这些副产品主要作为废物排放到自然或工程系统，根据生产国的现行法规。为了评估 DWTR 如何重新利用以限制水生系统中金属的流动性，我们测试了它们释放有毒金属的倾向及其潜在的生态毒性。考虑到其物理化学特征的广泛差异，DWTR 样品来自美国 15 家水处理厂。筛选程序基于 1) 毒性特性浸出程序 (TCLP)，2) 总金属含量和沉积物质量指南，使用巴伊亚美洲霉菌和慢性 28 d Neanthes arenaceodentata存活和生长生物测定。根据 TCLP 结果，所有测试样品均被发现是无害的。然而，一些样品中 As、Cu 和 Ni 的浓度超过了沉积物质量指南，导致 7 个 DWTR 样品被排除在外。所有评估毒性的 DWTR 对受试生物均无毒。本研究的结果表明，某些 DWTR 可以安全地引入海洋环境，因此可用作潜在的改良剂或封盖材料，以控制某些沉积物污染物的流动性。环境毒理学化学2021；40：1194-1203。© 2020 SETAC