Identification of priority organic compounds in groundwater recharge of China

Groundwater recharge using reclaimed water is considered a promising method to alleviate groundwater depletion, especially in arid areas. Traditional water treatment systems are inefficient to remove all the types of contaminants that would pose risks to groundwater, so it is crucial to establish a priority list of organic compounds (OCs) that deserve the preferential treatment. In this study, a comprehensive ranking system was developed to determine the list and then applied to China. 151 OCs, for which occurrence data in the wastewater treatment plants were available, were selected as candidate OCs. Based on their occurrence, exposure potential and ecological effects, two different rankings of OCs were established respectively for groundwater recharge by surface infiltration and direct aquifer injection. Thirty-four OCs were regarded as having no risks while the remaining 117 OCs were divided into three groups: high, moderate and low priority OCs. Regardless of the recharge way, nonylphenol, erythromycin and ibuprofen were the highest priority OCs; their removal should be prioritized. Also the database should be updated as detecting technology is developed.