High absorption of endocrine disruptors by Hytrel: towards the development of a two‐phase partitioning bioreactor

Abstract

BACKGROUND Endocrine disruptors (EDs) contribute to the endocrine disrupting potential of urban wastewater because most wastewater treatment plants only partially remove these compounds. Many EDs are present at very low concentrations in wastewater, which explains why most wastewater treatment plants can only partially remove them. The development of a two‐phase partitioning bioreactor (TPPB) could represent an alternative for the extraction of these compounds from water prior to their biodegradation. This study assesses the potential of using the polymer Hytrel used in TPPBs, to extract and concentrate estrone, estradiol, estriol, ethynylestradiol, nonylphenol and bisphenol A from aqueous solutions. RESULTS Hytrel demonstrated high capacity absorption for all these EDs. The Hytrel/water partition coefficient for the six EDs was determined. Finally, the capacity of Hytrel to extract a high proportion of these EDs from ED‐spiked, treated wastewater was demonstrated. CONCLUSION Our results showed that Hytrel has the potential to be used as an effective water‐immiscible phase in the development of a TPPB for the extraction and biodegradation of EDs. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry

A comparison of three first principles methods for predicting solute–polymer affinity, and the simultaneous biodegradation of phenol and butyl acetate in a two‐phase partitioning bioreactor

“…This sequestering phase reduces the aqueous substrate concentration to sub‐cytotoxic levels, and progressively re‐releases it to the cell‐containing aqueous phase in order to respond to the microbial metabolic demand. This dynamic process is regulated by thermodynamic equilibrium (the relative affinity of the substrate between the aqueous and sequestering phases) and cell metabolism …”

Biodegradation of Endocrine Disruptors in Solid-Liquid Two-Phase Partitioning Systems by Enrichment Cultures

“…In a previous study (29), we demonstrated the potential of using Hytrel in a TPP system to extract and concentrate E1, E2, E3, EE2, BPA, and NP from water but also from treated wastewater that was spiked with these EDs. Hytrel 8206 is a copolymer of poly(butylene teraphthalate) and butylene ether glycol teraphthalate and is becoming one of the most used solid polymers in TPPBs for the degradation of pollutants and also for the transformation of molecules of interest (16, 18-21, 28, 38, 39, 54, 55).…”

“…The ED concentrations were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as previously described (29). Briefly, the EDs extracted from Hytrel were first derivatized using silylation.…”

“…The ED-trimethylsilyl derivatives were injected (1 l) into a Thermo Scientific Trace GC Ultra gas chromatograph interfaced with a PolarisQ MS. The mass spectrometer was operated in positive electron impact ionization and full-scan modes with a scan range of m/z 100 to 600 (see Ouellette et al [29] for the theoretical molecular ions of the various silylated EDs and the ions monitored for quantification).…”

“…Recently, we assessed the use of Hytrel 8206 as an immiscible phase in the development of a TPPB for the most common EDs identified at wastewater treatment plants: E1, E2, E3, EE2, BPA, and NP (29). The results showed that Hytrel has high affinity for these EDs, with coefficients of partition for Hytrel/water ranging from 2.21 to 5.10 at the log scale.…”