Adsorption and biotransformation of 17β-estradiol in biological activated carbon adsorbers

Abstract

As the first systematic study dealing with the adsorption of estrogens by granular activated carbon (GAC), the removal behavior of 17β-estradiol (E2) and its biotransformation product of estrone (E1) in fixed GAC columns was examined using four biological activated carbon (BAC) columns (BAC-1∼BAC-4) generated by coating four GAC columns with detached microorganisms from the riverbed sediment of a representative drinking river water source containing lower content of natural organic matter (NOM). For comparison, parallel adsorption experiments were also performed using another four GAC columns (GAC-1∼ GAC-4) packed by strictly following the configurations of four BAC columns. Adsorption experimental results obtained by intermittently spiking E2 over a total running period about 350 days into the river water mixed with or without a peaty water containing higher content of NOM showed that E2 was readily removed by adsorption and the combined adsorption/biodegradation. The vertical profiles of E2 and E1, which have great significance for better understanding and optimization of the adsorption process for removal of human estrogens, were also obtained.