title: Can zero-valent iron nanoparticles remove waterborne estrogens?
abstract: Steroidal estrogens are one of the most challenging classes of hazardous contaminants as they can cause adverse effects to biota in extremely low concentrations. They emerge in both waste waters and surface waters serving as a source of drinking water. Environmental Quality Standards for 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), promulgated within the EU Water Framework Directive, are 0.4 and 0.035 ng L(-1), respectively. Because nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) particles have been previously used in numerous remediation technologies and have the advantage of possible magnetic separation, interaction of nZVI with E2 and EE2 in water was investigated to assess the potential role of nZVI in removing steroidal estrogens. A mixture of E2 and EE2 dissolved in water was shaken with varying doses of nZVI for 1-5 h. Concentration-dependent removal of the estrogens was observed but removal did not increase significantly with time. Concentrations of the estrogens were determined by HPLC/MS/MS and a biodetection reporter gene assay. Sorption and nonspecific oxygen-mediated oxidation of estrogens were identified as the most probable removal mechanisms. Two independent experiments confirmed that significant decrease of estrogens concentration is achieved when at least 2 g L(-1) of nZVI is applied. The presented study provides insights into the mechanisms of nZVI interaction with steroidal estrogens under aerobic conditions prevailing in currently applied water treatment technologies.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, CZ-62500 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Barbora
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jarošová
authors.affiliation: Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Departments of Physical Chemistry and Experimental Physics, Faculty of Science, Palacký University in Olomouc, 17. listopadu 1192/12, CZ-771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic. Electronic address: jan.filip@upol.cz.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Filip
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, CZ-62500 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Klára
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hilscherová
authors.affiliation: Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Departments of Physical Chemistry and Experimental Physics, Faculty of Science, Palacký University in Olomouc, 17. listopadu 1192/12, CZ-771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jiří
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tuček
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, CZ-62500 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Zdeněk
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Šimek
authors.affiliation: University of Saskatchewan, Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences and Toxicology Centre, 44 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B3, Canada; Department of Biology & Chemistry and State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Giesy
authors.affiliation: Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Departments of Physical Chemistry and Experimental Physics, Faculty of Science, Palacký University in Olomouc, 17. listopadu 1192/12, CZ-771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Radek
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zbořil
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, CZ-62500 Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Luděk
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bláha
mesh_terms: D004958:Estradiol / Q000737:chemistry; D004967:Estrogens / Q000737:chemistry*; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol / Q000737:chemistry; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol; D004958:Estradiol; D007501:Iron
keywords: Chemical composition; Estrogens; Sorption; Total estrogenic activity; Zero-valent iron nanoparticles