Determination of aspirin in municipal wastewaters of Nur-Sultan City, Kazakhstan

Abstract

Abstract The presence of aspirin in the municipal wastewater of Nur-Sultan city, Kazakhstan, was studied in this research. Aqueous phase samples were collected before any treatment [1] and in the end of treatment process of Nur-Sultan wastewater treatment plant [2]. The study was conducted from April to December 2021. The concentrations of target compound were measured using high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The obtained results showed that the concentration of aspirin was generally higher than those reported in the literature. For instance, influent and effluent concentrations of aspirin were equal to 42.8 – 60.4 ppb and 1.4 – 6.5 ppb, respectively (October – December period). The removal of aspirin by wastewater treatment process was equal to 50 - 90.2%. Aspirin was not detected in the spring-summer period of 2021. This could be due to usage of aspirin as a medicine for the treatment and prevention of seasonal flu in the autumn-winter period by the population of the city of Nur-Sultan. Currently, our research team is working on investigation of other potential contaminants of emerging concern in municipal wastewaters of Nur-Sultan city and on treatment methods that could efficiently remove the contaminants of emerging concern.