Removal of Endocrine Disruptors from Urban Wastewater by Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs): A Review

Abstract

Abstract:Over the last years the growing presence of endocrine disrupting compounds in the environment has been regarded as a serious sanitary issue. The more and more frequent detection of these compounds in the effluents of wastewater treatment plants poses the risk associated to their persistence into the aquatic systems as well as to their adverse effects on both public health and environment.As conventional systems do not allow their efficient removal, great attention has been raised towards their possible treatment by Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs). They rely on the action of hydroxyl radicals, which are highly reactive species, able to oxidize recalcitrant and non-biodegradable pollutants.AOPs can either provide contaminant partial degradation or their complete removal. As their effectiveness has been proved for a wide spectrum of both organic and inorganic pollutants, they are considered a suitable option for the treatment of contaminated aqueous media, especially when combined with conventional biological processes.This paper aims at reviewing main AOPs for the removal of endocrine disruptors, in order to highlight the most important features of different technologies, thus providing their comparative assessment. To this end, a brief overview of the most frequently detected endocrine disruptor compounds was also discussed, in order to clarify their fate into the environment as well as the contamination pathways of greatest concern for human health.

Recyclable and Photocatalytic Properties of ZnFe2O4/ZnO for Wastewater Treatment and Disinfection

“…Then, these free radical species react with molecules of even microorganisms present in the system, oxidizing them. [10,11] As this oxidation is direct and nonselective, it can potentially transform pollutants into less dangerous by-products and may achieve full mineralization. Hydroxyl radicals are beneficial for this purpose as they are easily generated in water and have an excellent oxidation potential.…”

Hydroxyl Radical Generation by Recyclable Photocatalytic Fe3O4/ZnO Nanoparticles for Water Disinfection

“…Semiconductor-assisted photochemical reactions are useful for its high degradation capacity toward recalcitrant pollutants and favor the • OH generation, making it a simple and cost-effective method. 4,17,18 Our interest in • OH generation is due to the fact that is one of the most important oxidants for bacteria and other water pollutants, according to its oxidation potential (E 0 = +3.06 V), 19 which may lead to the partial or full oxidation of organic matter. The • OH radicals are formed on the surface of a photocatalyst, where they can be trapped by other molecular species, leading to oxidation of such specie.…”

Aplicação de processo fotocatalítico mediado por dióxido de titânio para degradação de Sertralina

“…(Melo, Trovó, Bautitz & Nogueira, 2009). Assim, os processos oxidativos avançados (POA) têm sido extensivamente estudados para tratamento de uma variada classe de compostos orgânicos (Moreira, Borges & Gouvea, 2017;Pliego et al, 2013;Cesaro & Belgiorno, 2016), devido ao seu potencial como alternativas ou complementos aos processos convencionais de tratamento de efluentes.…”