Estrone Degradation: Does Organic Matter (Quality), Matter?

Abstract

Understanding the parameters that drive E1 degradation is necessary to improve existing wastewater treatment systems and evaluate potential treatment options. Organic matter quality could be an important parameter. Microbial communities grown from activated sludge seeds using different dissolved organic matter sources were tested for E1 degradation rates. Synthetic wastewater was aged, filter-sterilized, and used as a carbon and energy source to determine if recalcitrant organic carbon enhances E1 degradation. Higher E1 degradation was observed by biomass grown on 8 d old synthetic wastewater compared to biomass grown on fresh synthetic wastewater (P = 0.033) despite much lower concentrations of bacteria. Minimal or no E1 degradation was observed in biomass grown on 2 d old synthetic wastewater. Organic carbon analyses suggest that products of cell lysis or microbial products released under starvation stress stimulate E1 degradation. Additional water sources were also tested: lake water, river water, and effluents from a municipal wastewater treatement plant and a treatment wetland. E1 degradation was only observed in biomass grown in treatment effluent. Nitrogen, dissolved organic carbon, and trace element concentrations were not causative factors for E1 degradation. In both experiments, spectrophotometric analyses reveal degradation of E1 is associated with microbially derived organic carbon but not general recalcitrance.

Removal of 17β‐estradiol in a Biological Active Carbon Reactor with Acetic Acid and Humic Acid

“…Comparably, only a slight increase of E1 concentration (from 50 6 15 to 55 6 15 ng/L) was observed when the primary carbon source was changed from acetic acid to humic acid. This finding was in agreement with what Tan et al (2015) observed in biodegradation of E1 under different organic matter quality that dissolved organic carbon were not causative factors for E1 degradation. It was suggested that microbiologically derived organic matter may be associated with E1 degradation (Tan et al, 2015).…”

“…This finding was in agreement with what Tan et al (2015) observed in biodegradation of E1 under different organic matter quality that dissolved organic carbon were not causative factors for E1 degradation. It was suggested that microbiologically derived organic matter may be associated with E1 degradation (Tan et al, 2015). This study's findings, together with previous study, indicated that although biological process could remove the majority of natural estrogens in the water treatment, other physiochemical means (e.g., ultraviolet lightadvanced oxidization process) may be needed to further reduce residual estrogens in water (C´edat, et al, 2016).…”

“…Bacterial strains capable of degrading natural and synthetic estrogens have been isolated from water and wastewater treatment systems (Iasur-Kruh et al, 2011;Kurisu et al, 2015;Larcher and Yargeau, 2013;Tan et al, 2013;Tan et al, 2015;Weber et al, 2005;Yu et al, 2007). For most E2 degrading bacterial isolates, E1 is the primary transformation product.…”

“…Recent studies suggested that estrogen degrading bacteria were multiple substrate utilizers depending on broad expression of catabolic enzymes under low substrate concentration (Tan et al, 2013). Organic carbon profiling suggested that microbial organic products released during cell starvation could stimulate E1 degradation, but the specific mechanisms of the stimulation was not clear (Tan et al, 2015). Pure culture study isolated E1 degrading bacterial strain from activated sludge samples using starvation strategy, however the E1 biodegradation was not complete (Li et al, 2012a).…”

Regional variability in bed-sediment concentrations of wastewater compounds, hormones and PAHs for portions of coastal New York and New Jersey impacted by hurricane Sandy

“…Tan et al, 2015 showed that E1 degradation was promoted by 8 day old wastewater, but not by fresher wastewater. These researchers concluded that incubation of fresh wastewater resulted in the generation of microbial degradation products that enabled E1 degradation, with the aging of the wastewater resulting in selection of bacteria that degraded E1.…”