Removal of synthetic sex hormones by hydrothermal carbonization

Abstract

One of the most prominent fields of environmental chemistry is the study and the removal of micro-pollutants from aqueous matrices. Analytical techniques for their identification and quantification are becoming more sensitive and comprehensive and, as a result, an increasing number of drugs have been detected in environmental samples. However, the literature shows that conventional treatments for drinking water and wastewater are not sufficient for remove these compounds. This study aims to check whether the process of hydrothermal carbonization (CHT) is effective in removing the synthetic sex hormones: ethinyl estradiol, gestodene and cyproterone acetate from aqueous samples. The system used in CHT basically consists of a pressurized reactor made of stainless steel and solutions of compounds of interest, both individual and mixed, with a concentration of 1.0 μg.L-1 and a pH range of 2.0 to 3.0. The maximum surface temperature in the reactor was about 180 °C, the internal pressure was 20 bar with 90 minutes for the reaction. Four experiments were conducted, one for each hormone and one with the three hormones together. In individual tests removal of the compounds was found to be 99.8% for ethinyl estradiol, 99.3% for gestodene and 100% for cyproterone acetate. For a mixture of the hormones treated under the same conditions, the mean values of CHT-removal of Ethinylestradiol, Gestodene and Cyproterone Acetate were 99.60%, 96.80% and 68.90%, respectively. The impact of the matrix effect may have affected the efficiency of the hormone removal process by CHT.

Thermal disinfection of hospital wastewater in a pilot-scale continuous-flow system

“…Furthermore, thermal disinfection is chemicalfree and it is not expected to change water properties such as taste, smell, appearance or salinity (Ericsson et al 2002). Additionally, application of heat can result in the destruction of heat-sensitive pharmaceuticals and hormones (Braekeveld et al 2011;Heshmati 2015;Morais et al 2018;Tian et al 2017).…”

Obtenção de hydrochar a partir de carbonização hidrotérmica de cascas do fruto de Magonia pubescens A. St. Hil. Sapindaceae: Caracterização e avaliação em processo de adsorção

“…A espécie em análise foi escolhida por ser facilmente localizada, ainda não estudada em processos de carbonização hidrotermal e por apresentar estrutura lignocelulósica, componentes responsáveis pela estrutura e multifuncionalidade do hydrochar [26]. Além disso, embora a carbonização hidrotermal seja um tema amplamente estudados mundialmente, publicações em periódicos nacionais ainda são escassas [9,27], e tendo em vista que o Brasil é um dos maiores produtores mundiais de resíduos de biomassa, muito ainda pode ser pesquisado e diversos produtos podem ser obtidos mediante consolidação da técnica. A partir da atual pesquisa também pretende-se chamar atenção para o uso sustentável do cerrado, suas potenciais fontes de pesquisa e desenvolvimento econômico e social.…”