Evaluating removal efficiency in wastewater treatment plants using non-target screening analysis

Micropollutants in wastewater can persist through conventional treatment, threatening ecosystems and human health through toxicity, bioaccumulation, and disruption of biological processes. Limited monitoring, due to cost and methodological challenges, allows these compounds to go undetected, potentially leading to long-term, irreversible impacts. To address this, modern wastewater treatment plants use advanced treatment techniques, such as ozonation and activated carbon filtration. The chemical complexity of wastewater influents makes conventional targeted analysis inadequate for assessing removal efficiency. Non-target screening offers a promising alternative by providing a more comprehensive monitoring approach. In this study, we demonstrate the applicability of non-target screening for evaluating pollutant removal, confirming the results with targeted analysis. Our findings reveal that treatment performance across wastewater treatment plants cannot be directly compared, due to vast variation in the chemical composition of the influent. This highlights the need for holistic analytical approaches to better evaluate wastewater treatment processes, providing accurate data to guide and support decision-making.