title: Estrogenic activity and identification of potential xenoestrogens in a coking wastewater treatment plant.
abstract: In this study, the estrogenic activities in influent and effluents of coking wastewater from different treatment stages were studied using Yeast Estrogen Screen (YES) bioassays. Raw extracts were further fractioned to identify the potential xenoestrogens combined with YES bioassays and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Influent, primary effluent, and anaerobic effluent showed high estrogenic activities, with potencies of 1136±269, 1417±320, and 959±69 ng/L of 17β-estradiol (E2) equivalent (EEQ), respectively. The potency of estrogenic activity was gradually removed through the treatment processes. In the final effluent, the estrogenic activity was reduced to 0.87 ng EEQ/L with a total removal efficiency of more than 99%, suggesting that the estrogenic activity was almost completely removed in the coking wastewater. For the fractions of raw extracts, bioassay results showed that the estrogenic activities were mostly present in the polar fractions. Correlation analysis between estrogenic activities and responses of identified chemicals indicated that potential xenoestrogens were the derivatives of indenol, naphthalenol, indol, acridinone, fluorenone, and carbazole. The estrogenic activity in the final effluent was higher than the predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) for E2, implying that the discharged effluent would probably exert estrogenic activity risk to the aquatic ecosystem in "the worst-case scenario."
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, PR China.
authors.forename: Jian-Liang
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Wen
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, PR China; Pearl River Delta Research Center of Environmental Pollution and Control, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, PR China. Electronic address: yanbo2007@gig.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, PR China; College of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, PR China.
authors.forename: Chaohai
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, PR China.
authors.forename: Yu-Xia
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, PR China.
authors.forename: Guang-Guo
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Ying
mesh_terms: D001681:Biological Assay; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003077:Coke / Q000032:analysis; D004967:Estrogens / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D030781:Organisms, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D062065:Wastewater / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D015003:Yeasts / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003077:Coke; D004967:Estrogens; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Coking wastewater; Ecological risk; Estrogenic activity; Fraction; Xenoestrogens