Removal of endocrine disruptors using homogeneous metal catalyst combined with nanofiltration membrane

Abstract

Chemicals that are known or suspected of being endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have received increased attention over the past decade for their potential presence in drinking water sources. This study focuses on the development of a hybrid system that combines the advantages of nanofiltration (NF) and homogeneous catalytic oxidation, which include compactness, operational facilitation, high treatment efficiency, and selective reaction capability. Iron(lll)-tetrasulfophthalocyanine (Fe-TsPc) was employed as a homogeneous metal catalyst to degrade bisphenol-A (BPA), a representative EDC. The treatment efficiency of BPA as well as operational characteristics of the hybrid system was investigated to examine the applicability of this technique to decrease the concentration of EDCs in drinking water. Fe-TsPc homogeneous catalyst revealed a remarkable activity in degrading BPA under acidic condition. The high rejection of Fe-TsPc catalyst in the feed stream by the membrane for its large molecular weight (976 Da) and functional group (SO3(-) X4) allowed the continuous use of the catalyst for BPA oxidation reaction. The NF with Fe-TsPc/H2O2 hybrid system turned out to have higher BPA treatment efficiency comparing with the NF-only system since the hybrid system reduced BPA concentration in the feed stream by catalytic destruction of BPA as well as it mitigated concentration polarization on the surface of the membrane.

Endocrine Disruptors in Water Sources: Human Health Risks and EDs Removal from Water Through Nanofiltration

“…As a result, initially they are retained, but once the membrane surface is saturated, the true rejection of the compound can be observed [65,[77][78][79][80][81].…”

Control of Organic Micropollutants Using Dual Functional Adsorbent/Catalyst System

“…Although the catalyst was immobilized by electrical attraction, no dissociation of catalyst from adsorbent occurred during the tests. To maintain high reactivity of Fe(III)-TsPc after immobilization, it is important to keep the Fe(III)-TsPc in a monomeric form, which has the highest catalytic activity [4]. Thus, the composition of solution for immobilization reaction was changed and the relative concentration of monomeric Fe(III)-TsPc (the intensity of peak at 680 nm) was monitored using a UV spectrophotometer (Fig.…”

Immobilization of Iron Tetrasulfophthalocyanine on MCF-NH2 and MCM-41 Mesoporous Silicas

“…Recently, oxidation of these pollutants using homogeneous catalysts has drawn attention for their high reactivities and selectivities for target pollutants [2]. However, recovery of catalyst from the feed stream still remains to be solved for practical use in environmental processes because it is almost impossible to efficiently separate it using conventional solid-liquid separation technique [3].…”