The fate and behavior of selected endocrine disrupting chemicals in full scale wastewater and sludge treatment unit processes

Abstract

AB STRACT: Endocrine disrupting chemicals are discharged into the environment mainly through wastewater treatment processes. There is a need for better understanding of the fate of these compounds in the unit processes of treatment plant to optimise their removal. The fate of oestrone, 17β-estradiol, 17α-ethinyestradiol and nonylphenol in the unit processes of full scale wastewater treatment plants in the UK, including activated sludge plant, oxidation ditch, biofilter and rotating biological contactor were investigated. The overall removal efficiencies of all the compounds ranged from 41 % to 100 %. The removals were predominantly during the secondary biological treatment with the rates of removal related to the nitrification rates and the sludge age. The removal efficiency of the treatment processes were in the order activated sludge > oxidation ditch > biofilter > rotating biological contactors. Activated sludge plant configured for biological nutrient removal showed better removal of the endocrine disrupting chemicals compared to conventional activated sludge plant effluents. Tertiary treatment was also significant in the removal process through solids removal. Overall mechanisms of removal were biodegradation and sorption unto sludge biomass. Phytoremediation was also significant in the removal processes. The endocrine disrupting chemicals persisted in the anaerobic sludge digestion process with percentage removals ranging fro 10-48 %. Sorption of the endocrine disrupting chemicals onto the sludge increased with increasing values for the partitioning coefficients and the organic carbon contents of the sludge.

Removal of Steriod Hormones by Activated Carbon Adsorption—Kinetic and Thermodynamic Studies

“…These chemicals consist of synthetic and natural chemicals which affect the stability of normal hormonal functions in humans. They are mainly discharged to the environment through effluent from wastewater treatment works [1][2][3]. Several studies have shown that humans and wildlife are exposed to a combination of multiple agents of EDCs and their effects are versatile in both mammalian and non-mammalian species due to their various sources and how they are discharged to the environment [4,5].…”

Comparing the adsorption and desorption characteristics of 17α-ethinylestradiol on sludge derived from different treatment units

“…Previous surveys indicated that EE 2 was normally present in the lower ng/L in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents, ranging from 0.5 to 10 ng/L (Ternes et al 1999). However, the EE 2 maximum levels in domestic wastewater was 7 ng/L (Cargouet et al 2004;Ifelebuegu 2011), which meant that EE 2 could be separated from conjugated glucuronide or sulfate complexes by the function of microorganisms (Panter et al 1999). In addition, EE 2 concentration in river water ranged from below the detection limit to 4.09 ng/L with a maximum concentration of 48.8 ng/L (Chang et al 2003;Zhang et al 2011).…”

Oxidation of pharmaceuticals by chlorine dioxide in biologically treated wastewater

“…Both ethinyl estradiol, a pharmaceutical with a high endocrine-disrupting ability [34], and diclofenac, identified as a contaminant that causes direct toxic effects in the environment [35,36], were found to be very sensitive to ClO 2 oxidation. However, if other less reactive…”