Parabens are widely used in foodstuffs, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals as preservatives, fungicides, and bactericides. Recent studies showed that these compounds could be detected in surface water and are a potential hazard to the aquatic ecological environment. In this study, 24-hour influent samples were collected from a typical sewage wastewater treatment plant in Harbin in autumn and winter in 2016. The concentrations of six parabens and four normal water quality parameters were analyzed. The results indicated that parabens were frequently detected in the influent, and MeP, EtP, and PrP were the predominant compounds. Significant correlations were found between TOC, TDS, pH, and the concentration of parabens. The concentration of parabens in the influent of the sewage wastewater treatment plant have obvious daily variations rather than seasonal variations. The results provide an important theoretical basis for further research and pollution control of parabens in sewage wastewater treatment system.
Keywords: daily variation; parabens; residue characteristic; seasonal variation; sewage wastewater.