Biodegradation of natural and synthetic estrogens in moving bed bioreactor

• Published in: Chinese journal of chemical engineering 2018-02, Vol.26 (2), p.393-399
• Main Authors: Amin, Mohammad Mehdi, Bina, Bijan, Ebrahim, Karim, Yavari, Zeynab, Mohammadi, Farzaneh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorption; Biodegradation; Estrogen hormones; Nitrification
• ISSN: 1004-9541; 2210-321X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2017.06.006

Estrogen hormones as a group of endocrine disruptive compounds (EDC) can interfere with endocrine system in humans and animals. The goal of this study was to investigate the elimination rate of Estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethinyl estradiol (EE2) in Moving Bed Bioreactor (MBBR). These analytes extracted by Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction (DLLME) technique, followed by derivatization, and detected by GC/MS. Estrogen removal efficiency in MBBR improved at high solid retention times (SRTs), which notion is owing to development of nitrification. Estrogen specific removal rate was between 0.22–1.45μg·(g VSS)−1·d−1 for natural and synthetic hormones. The adsorption rate was 0.9​%–3.2%, 0–1.3%, and 0.7%–5.7% for E1, E2, and EE2, respectively. In addition, the biodegradation rates were more than 95% for these compounds. These results illustrated that in MBBR, the biodegradation and the adsorption to biomass are considered as two significant routes for elimination of estrogenic compounds. As a whole, the deterioration rate of estrogens enhanced by MBBR compared to other biological wastewater treatment processes such as conventional activated sludge.