Pilot-Scale Removal of Trace Steroid Hormones and Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products from Municipal Wastewater Using a Heterogeneous Fenton’s Catalytic Process

Abstract

The pollution of water sources by endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) is a growing concern, as conventional municipal wastewater treatment systems are not capable of completely removing these contaminants. A continuous stir tank reactor incorporating a modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) catalyst and dosed with hydrogen peroxide in a heterogeneous Fenton’s process was used at pilot scale to remove these compounds from wastewater that has undergone previous treatment via a conventional wastewater treatment system. The treatment system was effective at ambient temperature and at the natural pH of the wastewater. High levels of both natural and synthetic hormones (EDCs) and PPCPs were found in the effluent after biological treatment of the wastewater. The treatment system incorporating the modified PAN catalyst/H2O2decomposed >90% of the EDCs and >40% of PPCPs using 200 mgL−1H2O2, 3 hr residence time. The estrogenic potency EE2-EQ was removed by 82.77%, 91.36%, and 96.13% from three different wastewater treatment plants. BOD was completely removed (below detection limits); 30%–40% mineralisation was achieved and turbidity reduced by more than 68%. There was a <4% loss in iron content on the catalyst over the study period, suggesting negligible leaching of the catalyst.

Impact of water matrix on the removal of micropollutants by advanced oxidation technologies

“…A modified PAN catalyst system was effective in the removal of the target pollutants in WW, at ambient temperature and natural pH: > 80% of the estrogens were removed; > 84% of triclosan; 46-84.5% of carbamazepine; depending on the sampling location and consequent different characteristics of the WW effluents. [56] -Room temperature; natural pH.…”

Heterogeneous Fenton catalysts for the abatement of organic pollutants from aqueous solution: a review

“…The authors also observed complete decolourization of a pollutant in the optimal conditions. Chi et al 155 prepared a modied PAN ber by reacting 27.9 g PAN mesh with a 1 L solution of 49.6 g L À1 hydroxylamine sulphate and 23.17 g L À1 dihydrazine sulphate at pH 9.5, 100 AE 2 C under reux for 2 h with constant stirring. The authors used this heterogeneous Fenton catalyst for the removal of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) from municipal wastewater in a continuous stirred tank reactor.…”

Advance Oxidation Process (AOP) of Bisphenol A Using a Novel Surface-Functionalised Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) Fibre Catalyst

“…The degradation of BPA is shown in Figures 5 and 6. In Figure 5, a very fast degradation was achieved in less than 10 min of the catalytic reaction with an initial concentration of hydrogen peroxide corresponding to the theoretical amount of oxygen needed for the complete mineralisation of the BPA organic pollutant [36].…”