Removal of endocrine disrupter compounds from municipal wastewater by an innovative biological technology.
The removal of selected endocrine disrupter compounds (EDCs), namely estrone(E1), 17beta-estradiol (E2), 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2), bisphenol A (BPA) and 4-tert-octylphenol (4t-OP) from municipal wastewater was investigated using a sequencing batch biofilter granular reactor (SBBGR), a new system for biological treatment based on aerobic granular biomass. This new biological treatment is characterized by high biomass concentration (up to 40 g/L), high sludge retention times (up to 6 months) and low sludge production (i.e., an order of magnitude lower than commonly reported for conventional biological technologies). The investigation was carried out comparing a demonstration SBBGR system with a conventional full-scale activated sludge process. Results showed that the SBBGR performed better than a conventional activated sludge process in removing E1, E2, BPA and 4t-OP. In fact, the average removal percentages of the above mentioned EDCs, obtained during a four month operating period, were 62.2, 68, 91.8, 77.9% and 56.4, 36.3, 71.3, 64.6% for the demonstrative SBBGR system and the conventional activated sludge process of the municipal sewage treatment plant, respectively.
Balest
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L
Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque C.N.R, Bari, Italy.
Mascolo
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G
Di Iaconi
C
C
Lopez
A
A
D000332:Aerobiosis; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology; D002947:Cities; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004970:Estrone / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D004970:Estrone; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol; D004958:Estradiol