Combined use of surfactant-induced coagulation of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) with peroxidase-mediated degradation for the rapid removal of estrogens and phenolic compounds from water

Abstract

Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-induced coagulation of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) [PAH] was studied for the rapid removal of estrogens and phenolic compounds from water. When electrically equivalent amount (62mgL−1) of SDS was added into the aqueous solution of 20mgL−1 PAH with vigorous mixing, PAH was quantitatively (>99%) recovered from water as condensed aggregates of PAH–SDS complexes. According to the fluorescence spectrum of a molecular probe, the complexes provided hydrophobic regions suitable for incorporating hydrophobic organic pollutants. However, rather polar estrone, β-estradiol, estriol, and ethynylestradiol were insufficiently removed. Combined use of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and hydrogen peroxide significantly increased the collection yields of these estrogens, because of their HRP-induced oxidation of and spontaneous binding to PAH. With the HRP activity of 100UL−1 and the hydrogen peroxide concentration of 10mgL−1, nearly complete (>98%) removal of four estrogens was achieved within 10min at 30°C in the pH region from 6 to 7.5. The method was also useful for the rapid removal of different phenolic compounds and selected pharmaceuticals. The applicability to wastewater treatment was successfully demonstrated by using secondary effluents.