Artificial sweeteners in wastewater treatment plants: A systematic review of global occurrence, distribution, removal, and degradation pathways.

Li, J; Li, X; Li, Y; Liu, H; Wang, Q

Artificial sweeteners in wastewater treatment plants: A systematic review of global occurrence, distribution, removal, and degradation pathways.

Li, J

Li, X

Li, Y Liu, H

Wang, Q

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Publisher:: ELSEVIER
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: J Hazard Mater, 2025, 494, pp. 138644
Issue Date:: 2025-08-15

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Li, J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2533-3755
dc.contributor.author	Li, X https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1768-9556
dc.contributor.author	Li, Y
dc.contributor.author	Liu, H https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4513-4988
dc.contributor.author	Wang, Q https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5744-2331
dc.date.accessioned	2025-10-09T02:34:18Z
dc.date.available	2025-05-15
dc.date.available	2025-10-09T02:34:18Z
dc.date.issued	2025-08-15
dc.identifier.citation	J Hazard Mater, 2025, 494, pp. 138644
dc.identifier.issn	0304-3894
dc.identifier.issn	1873-3336
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/190327
dc.description.abstract	The widespread use of artificial sweeteners in foods, drinks, and pharmaceuticals has led to rising concentrations in wastewater, with specific sweeteners raising concerns due to demonstrated toxicological risks to ecosystems and humans. To date, a comprehensive summary of the occurrence, distribution, and removal status of artificial sweeteners in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) is lacking, making it difficult to evaluate the associated risks and environmental impacts. We conducted a systematic review of scientific literature and grey literature with rigorous screening covering 24 countries and 6 continents. Globally, sucralose, acesulfame, saccharin, and cyclamate are prevalent artificial sweeteners in WWTP, with concentrations of 0.6-303.0 µg/L in influent and 0.1-81.2 µg/L in effluent. Sucralose showed obvious increasing concentrations over time in wastewater in the United States and Canada, with an increase of 5.6-5.7 µg/L·y in influent and 4.7-5.5 µg/L·y in effluent. Summer wastewater usually contains 11.1-33.3 % higher concentrations of artificial sweeteners than other seasons. Saccharin and cyclamate are the most easily removable sweeteners (>90.0 % removal) in WWTP, followed by acesulfame (25.0-70.1 %) and sucralose (-10.0-10.0 %). Wastewater treatment processes with longer HRT and more diverse microbial communities showed better performance in sucralose removal, while processes with aerobic conditions showed better performance in acesulfame and saccharin removal than anaerobic processes. Increasing trends for persistent sucralose and acesulfame removal have been observed globally, suggesting potential microbial evolution/adaptation. This review contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the spatiotemporal distribution and ever-evolving biodegradation of artificial sweeteners in WWTP, providing future perspectives and potential policy requirements.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	ELSEVIER
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT200100264
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE250100485
dc.relation	https://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE250100485
dc.relation	https://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT200100264
dc.relation.ispartof	J Hazard Mater
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138644
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	03 Chemical Sciences, 05 Environmental Sciences, 09 Engineering
dc.subject.classification	Strategic, Defence & Security Studies
dc.subject.classification	34 Chemical sciences
dc.subject.classification	40 Engineering
dc.subject.classification	41 Environmental sciences
dc.subject.mesh	Sweetening Agents
dc.subject.mesh	Wastewater
dc.subject.mesh	Water Pollutants, Chemical
dc.subject.mesh	Waste Disposal, Fluid
dc.subject.mesh	Sucrose
dc.subject.mesh	Biodegradation, Environmental
dc.subject.mesh	Sucrose
dc.subject.mesh	Sweetening Agents
dc.subject.mesh	Water Pollutants, Chemical
dc.subject.mesh	Waste Disposal, Fluid
dc.subject.mesh	Biodegradation, Environmental
dc.subject.mesh	Wastewater
dc.subject.mesh	Sweetening Agents
dc.subject.mesh	Wastewater
dc.subject.mesh	Water Pollutants, Chemical
dc.subject.mesh	Waste Disposal, Fluid
dc.subject.mesh	Sucrose
dc.subject.mesh	Biodegradation, Environmental
dc.title	Artificial sweeteners in wastewater treatment plants: A systematic review of global occurrence, distribution, removal, and degradation pathways.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	494
utslib.location.activity	Netherlands
utslib.for	03 Chemical Sciences
utslib.for	05 Environmental Sciences
utslib.for	09 Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Climate Change & Health Research Collaborative (CCHRC)
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater (CTWW)
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/Engineering and IT Related HDR Students
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Chancellor's Research Fellows
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-10-09T02:34:15Z
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	494

Abstract:

The widespread use of artificial sweeteners in foods, drinks, and pharmaceuticals has led to rising concentrations in wastewater, with specific sweeteners raising concerns due to demonstrated toxicological risks to ecosystems and humans. To date, a comprehensive summary of the occurrence, distribution, and removal status of artificial sweeteners in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) is lacking, making it difficult to evaluate the associated risks and environmental impacts. We conducted a systematic review of scientific literature and grey literature with rigorous screening covering 24 countries and 6 continents. Globally, sucralose, acesulfame, saccharin, and cyclamate are prevalent artificial sweeteners in WWTP, with concentrations of 0.6-303.0 µg/L in influent and 0.1-81.2 µg/L in effluent. Sucralose showed obvious increasing concentrations over time in wastewater in the United States and Canada, with an increase of 5.6-5.7 µg/L·y in influent and 4.7-5.5 µg/L·y in effluent. Summer wastewater usually contains 11.1-33.3 % higher concentrations of artificial sweeteners than other seasons. Saccharin and cyclamate are the most easily removable sweeteners (>90.0 % removal) in WWTP, followed by acesulfame (25.0-70.1 %) and sucralose (-10.0-10.0 %). Wastewater treatment processes with longer HRT and more diverse microbial communities showed better performance in sucralose removal, while processes with aerobic conditions showed better performance in acesulfame and saccharin removal than anaerobic processes. Increasing trends for persistent sucralose and acesulfame removal have been observed globally, suggesting potential microbial evolution/adaptation. This review contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the spatiotemporal distribution and ever-evolving biodegradation of artificial sweeteners in WWTP, providing future perspectives and potential policy requirements.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/190327