Fate of Steroid Estrogens in Australian Inland and Coastal Wastewater Treatment Plants

Abstract

Environmental Science and Technology (Revised version January 2005): note also CORRECTION published in EST 39(18): 7344* Corresponding author: Phone +61 2 9385 5082, fax: +61 2 9313 8624, email: andrew.feitz@unsw.edu.au AbstractA comparison of estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) removal at a coastal enhanced primary and inland advanced sewage treatment plant (STP) is reported. The average concentration of estrogens in the raw sewage is similar to reports in other studies. The sequential batch reactor at the advanced STP removed on average 85% of the incoming E1 and 96% of the E2. Further removal was observed during later microfiltration with the estrogen concentration below detection (<0.1 ng.L -1 ) after reverse osmosis. Some 6% of the influent E1+E2 was removed in the waste activated sludge. The detection of EE2 in the waste activated sludge (0.42 ng.g -1 solids dry weight), undetectable in the raw sewage, suggests that EE2 is resistant to biological treatment in the sequential batch reactor and is primarily removed due to sorption. Little estrogen removal was observed at the enhanced primary with only 7% of E1 and 0% of E2 removed. Low removal is expected based on the degree of estrogens partitioning in the organic fraction given the relatively low solids concentration, but surprisingly, some 43% of E2, 24% of E1 and 100% of EE2 remains associated with the solids fraction in the treated effluent. Further research is necessary to determine whether the low level of estrogen removal for the coastal treatment plant will adversely affect the receiving marine environment. 2 IntroductionThere are increasing concerns that the release of steroid estrogens post wastewater treatment is leading to abnormal reproductive systems in freshwater and marine dwelling animals (1-3). Human excretion is considered to be the primary source of steroid estrogens from the urban environment and are is released by individuals into sewerage system in both conjugated and unconjugated forms at µg levels per day (4-6). Johnson and Williams (6) recently developed a model to estimate the quantities of estrogens by the human population, taking in consideration conjugation and metabolism of natural and synthetic hormones in the body and the different quantities released by different population groups. The average human excretion of estrogens per head is reported to be 10.5 µg.d -1 for estrone (E1), 6.6 µg.d -1 for 17β-estradiol (E2), with an additional 3.3 µg.d -1 transformation of the E1 to E2 in the sewer (6). The population normalized concentration of the synthetic steroid 17α-ethinylestradiol, an active agent in the contraceptive pill, is 1 µg.d -1 per head (6).

Fate and analysis of endocrine disrupting chemicals in some sewage treatment plants in Australia

“…This is consistent with work by Leusch et al (2006), who also found that secondary treatment was the most effective treatment step to remove oestrogenic and androgenic activity from sewage water with removal of up to 99% using activated sludge treatment. Braga et al (2005a) investigated the activated sludge process for the removal of oestrogens in a STP in Western Sydney and found 85% removal for oestrone and 96% removal for 17b-oestradiol.…”

Sorption of bisphenol A, 17α-ethynylestradiol and estrone to mineral surfaces

“…Effluent discharge from industrial and domestic waste treatment plants, leaching of bio-solids in landfills and sludge, and recycled water used in agriculture are among the most common ways that such pollutants enter the environment [8,9].…”

Occurrence and behavior of pharmaceuticals, steroid hormones, and endocrine-disrupting personal care products in wastewater and the recipient river water of the Pearl River Delta, South China

“…A negligible mass load of estrogens absorbed onto sludge has been reported previously. 19,42,44 The results suggested that the hormones in the wastewater were efficiently removed/transformed by biodegradation. High biodegradation rate of estrogens, especially in aerobic condition has been extensively reported in the literature.…”

“…These results fell into ranges reported in the literature. 13,15,18,19,29,39,[42][43][44][45] The PCPs were ubiquitously detected in the wastewater samples (Fig. 2b, Table S1 ‡).…”