Removal of endocrine-disrupting chemicals by ozonation in sewage treatment

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (10) ◽  
pp. 123-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heqing Zhang ◽  
Harumi Yamada ◽  
Sung-Eun Kim ◽  
Hyo-sang Kim ◽  
Hiroshi Tsuno

Treatment experiments by two laboratory scale semi-batch reactors and a demonstration scale process were both carried out to evaluate endocrine disrupting chemical removal characteristics by ozonation in sewage treatment. In the semi-batch mode experiments, secondary effluent and primary effluent of sewage treatment plants were ozonated respectively. Behaviour of brominated by-products was also evaluated. The results based on these studies indicated that estrogenicity in wastewater can be removed by ozonation effectively. The condition of ozonation until dissolved ozone concentration increased to 0.1 mg/L, which corresponded to 1 mgO3/mgC and 0.4 mgO3/mgC of ozone consumption per initial DOC for secondary effluent and primary effluent, respectively, is proposed as an appropriate operational condition for efficient removal of EDCs as well as UV254 and SUVA without production of brominated by-products.

2010 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
pp. 2501-2509 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Y. Wang ◽  
X. H. Zhang ◽  
N. F. Y. Tam

Seven typical endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including bisphenol A (BPA), 4-tert-octylphenol (OP), estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), 17α-estradiol (17α-E2), estriol (E3) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in wastewater, were simultaneously determined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Samples, including influents, effluents and wastewater of different unit processes, were taken seasonally from three different sewage treatment plants. The result showed that BPA and EE2 were the two main types of EDCs in all the samples. The average concentration of BPA were in the range of 268.1–2,588.5 ng l−1 in influents and 34.0–3,099.6 ng l−1 in effluents, while EE2 ranging from 133.1 to 403.2 ng l−1 and from 35.3 to 269.1 ng l−1, respectively. Seasonal change of EDCs levels in effluents was obvious between wet season and dry season. Besides, BPA and E3 could be effectively removed by the biological treatment processes (oxidation ditch and A2/O) with the unit removal of 64–91% and 63–100% for each compound, while other five EDCs had moderate or low removal rates. The study also proved that physical treatment processes, including screening, primary sedimentation and pure aeration, had no or little effect on EDCs removal.


2004 ◽  
Vol 501 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aldo Laganà ◽  
Alessandro Bacaloni ◽  
Ilaria De Leva ◽  
Angelo Faberi ◽  
Giovanna Fago ◽  
...  

2000 ◽  
Vol 42 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 23-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Fujita ◽  
M. Ike ◽  
K. Mori ◽  
H. Kaku ◽  
Y. Sakaguchi ◽  
...  

Behavior of nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NPnEOs, n; number of ethoxy units) in 40 full-scale sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Japan was studied. Primary effluent (PE), secondary effluent (SE) and final effluent (FE) samples were collected from the STPs, and NPnEOs, their metabolic intermediates and related halogenated derivatives were quantitatively analyzed. Parent NPnEOs (n=4–18) were detected at concentrations between 5.1 and 1035 μg/l with the average value of 296 μg/l in the PEs from all the STPs, indicating widespread pollution of NPnEOs in Japan. The analyses of SEs revealed that normal biological treatment can relatively efficiently remove NPnEOs, however, the biotransformation led to the formation of biologically-refractory metabolites like nonylphenol (NP), NPnEOs with shorter ethoxy chains (n=1–3; NP1-3EO) and nonylphenol carboxylic acids (NP1-3EC). Halogenated (chlorinated or brominated) NPnEOs and/or NPnECs (n=1–2), which are considered to be produced as by-products during the disinfection processes using chlorination, were also found in SEs and/or FEs from 25 STPs. The ecotoxicity assays showed that the metabolic intermediates of NPnEOs possess higher acute toxicity against Daphnia magna and estrogenic activity than the parent surfactant NPnEOs.


2008 ◽  
Vol 58 (11) ◽  
pp. 2187-2194 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. M. Coleman ◽  
S. J. Khan ◽  
G. Watkins ◽  
R. M. Stuetz

There are limited studies on the fate and levels of endocrine disrupting chemicals in sewage treatment plants in Australia. Research undertaken in Europe and North America has shown biologically significant levels of both oestrogenic and androgenic chemicals in sewage effluent. The aim of this work was to determine the oestrogenic and androgenic activities of raw and treated sewage from sewage treatment plants run by MidCoast Water, New South Wales, Australia. Oestrogenic and androgenic activities were measured using a yeast screen bioassay. Results showed that the raw effluent contained biologically significant levels of both oestrogenic (0.58–2.91 ng/l) and androgenic (216–480 ng/l) activities. Androgenic activity was significantly higher than oestrogenic activity, which was consistent with other Australian studies and was attributed to the higher levels of androgens in domestic waste from human excretion compared to oestrogens. Secondary treatment (using activated sludge) removed the majority of the oestrogenic and androgenic activity (up to 99%). Tertiary treatment by UV removed varying levels of oestrogenic (19–69%) and androgenic (5–55%) activities. A Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) at one of the STPs, which consists of an MBR followed by electrochlorination removed over 87% of the oestrogenic activity and over 98% of androgenic activity from raw sewage samples. However, levels which could be biologically significant still remained after secondary and tertiary treatment (>0.1 ng/l oestrogenic activity and >1 ng/l androgenic activity).


2009 ◽  
Vol 161 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 107-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haidong Zhou ◽  
Xia Huang ◽  
Xiaolin Wang ◽  
Xiahui Zhi ◽  
Chengdui Yang ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 567-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosaria Sciarrillo ◽  
Mariana Di Lorenzo ◽  
Salvatore Valiante ◽  
Luigi Rosati ◽  
Maria De Falco

Abstract Different environmental contaminants disturb the thyroid system at many levels. AlkylPhenols (APs), by-products of microbial degradation of AlkylPhenol Polyethoxylates (APEOs), constitute an important class of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs), the two most often used environmental APs being 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) and 4-tert-octylphenol (4-t-OP). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects on the thyroid gland of the bioindicator Podarcis siculus of OP alone and in combination with NP. We used radioimmunoassay to determine their effects on plasma 3,3′,5-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3), 3,3′,5,5′-L-thyroxine (T4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) levels in adult male lizards. We also investigated the impacts of AP treatments on hepatic 5′ORD (type II) deiodinase and hepatic content of T3 and T4. After OP and OP + NP administration, TRH levels increased, whereas TSH, T3, and T4 levels decreased. Lizards treated with OP and OP + NP had a higher concentration of T3 in the liver and 5′ORD (type II) activity, whereas T4 concentrations were lower than that observed in the control group. Moreover, histological examination showed that the volume of the thyroid follicles became smaller in treated lizards suggesting that that thyroid follicular epithelial cells were not functionally active following treatment. This data collectively suggest a severe interference with hypothalamus–pituitary–thyroid axis and a systemic imbalance of thyroid hormones. Graphic Abstract


2013 ◽  
Vol 316-317 ◽  
pp. 323-326
Author(s):  
Chao Jie Zhang ◽  
Si Bo Li ◽  
Qian Chen ◽  
Qi Zhou

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) may do harms to human beings. After disinfected by chlorine (amine), DOM can form disinfection by-products (DBPs) which can be mutagenic, teratogenic and carcinogenic. Characterization and source of trihalomethane precursors in the secondary effluent by sequencing batch reactors were investigated. CHCl3 was the primary DBPs. The results showed that the precursors of CHCl3 were mainly strongly hydrophobic DOM, while CHCl2Br and CHClBr2 were mainly formed from hydrophilic DOM. The effects of different powder media (activated carbon, zeolite) on removal of DOM were compared. The results showed that the dosing of powder media can promote the removal of DOM and the DBPs precursors.


2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 653-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Fox ◽  
Matthew E. Burow ◽  
John A. McLachlan

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) include organochlorine pesticides, plastics manufacturing by-products, and certain herbicides[1]. These chemicals have been shown to disrupt hormonal signaling in exposed wildlife, lab animals, and mammalian cell culture by binding to estrogen receptors (ER-α and ER-β) and affecting the expression of estrogen responsive genes[2,3]. Additionally, certain plant chemicals, termed phytoestrogens, are also able to bind to estrogen receptors and modulate gene expression, and as such also may be considered EDCs[4]. One example of phytoestrogen action is genistein, a phytochemical produced by soybeans, binding estrogen receptors, and changing expression of estrogen responsive genes which certain studies have linked to a lower incidence of hormonally related cancers in Japanese populations[5]. Why would plants make compounds that are able to act as estrogens in the human body? Obviously, soybeans do not intentionally produce phytoestrogens to prevent breast cancer in Japanese women.


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