Occurrence and removal of estrogens in Brazilian wastewater treatment plants

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 490; pp. 288 - 295
• Main Authors: Pessoa, Germana P., de Souza, Neyliane C., Vidal, Carla B., Alves, Joana A.C., Firmino, Paulo Igor M., Nascimento, Ronaldo F., dos Santos, André B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 15-08-2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Biological treatment of waters; Biotechnology; Brazil; Endocrine disrupting chemical; Endocrine Disruptors - analysis; Environment and pollution; Estradiol - analogs & derivatives; Estradiol - analysis; Estrogens - analysis; Estrone - analysis; Ethinyl Estradiol - analysis; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General purification processes; Hormone; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Occurrence; Pollution; Removal; Sewerage works: sewers, sewage treatment plants, outfalls; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; Waste Disposal, Fluid - statistics & numerical data; Waste Water - chemistry; Waste Water - statistics & numerical data; Wastewater treatment plant; Wastewaters; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water treatment and pollution; South America; Brazil; America; Brazil, Ceara; ASW, Brazil; Hormone; Removal; Wastewater treatment plant; Endocrine disrupting chemical; Occurrence; Ethinylestradiol; Activated sludge; Mimetic hormone; Water treatment; Chlorination; Stabilization pond; Estrogen; 17β-Estradiol; Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor; Endocrine disruptor; Sewage treatment plant; Biological purification; Bioreactor; Decontamination; Estrone; Waste water purification; Sex steroid hormone
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.008

This paper evaluated the occurrence and removal efficiency of four estrogenic hormones in five biological wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), located in the State of Ceará, Brazil. The five WWTPs comprised: two systems consisted of one facultative pond followed by two maturation ponds, one facultative pond, one activated sludge (AS) system followed by a chlorination step, and one upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor followed by a chlorination step. Estrogen occurrence showed a wide variation among the analyzed influent and effluent samples. Estrone (E1) showed the highest occurrence in the influent (76%), whereas both 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) presented a 52% occurrence, and the compound 17β-estradiol 17-acetate (E2-17A), a 32% one. The occurrence in the effluent samples was 48% for E1, 28% for E2, 12% for E2-17A, and 40% for EE2. The highest concentrations of E1 and EE2 hormones in the influent were 3050 and 3180ngL−1, respectively, whereas E2 and E2-17A had maximum concentrations of 776 and 2300ngL−1, respectively. The lowest efficiencies for the removal of estrogenic hormones were found in WWTP consisted of waste stabilization ponds, ranging from 54 to 79.9%. The high-rate systems (AS and UASB), which have chlorination as post-treatment, presented removal efficiencies of approximately 95%.
•The occurrence of four endocrine disrupting chemicals was evaluated.•The removal efficiency of four hormones in low-cost plants was examined.•Estrogen occurrence showed a wide variation in influent and effluent samples.•Estrone showed the highest occurrence in the influent and the effluent samples.•WSP treatment was observed to be less effective for removing estrogens.