Removal of ecotoxicity of 17α-ethinylestradiol using TAML/peroxide water treatment

Abstract

17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), a synthetic oestrogen in oral contraceptives, is one of many pharmaceuticals found in inland waterways worldwide as a result of human consumption and excretion into wastewater treatment systems. At low parts per trillion (ppt), EE2 induces feminisation of male fish, diminishing reproductive success and causing fish population collapse. Intended water quality standards for EE2 set a much needed global precedent. Ozone and activated carbon provide effective wastewater treatments, but their energy intensities and capital/operating costs are formidable barriers to adoption. Here we describe the technical and environmental performance of a fast- developing contender for mitigation of EE2 contamination of wastewater based upon small- molecule, full-functional peroxidase enzyme replicas called “TAML activators”. From neutral to basic pH, TAML activators with H2O2 efficiently degrade EE2 in pure lab water, municipal effluents and EE2-spiked synthetic urine. TAML/H2O2 treatment curtails estrogenicity in vitro and substantially diminishes fish feminization in vivo. Our results provide a starting point for a future process in which tens of thousands of tonnes of wastewater could be treated per kilogram of catalyst. We suggest TAML/H2O2 is a worthy candidate for exploration as an environmentally compatible, versatile, method for removing EE2 and other pharmaceuticals from municipal wastewaters.

Use of a Battery of Chemical and Ecotoxicological Methods for the Assessment of the Efficacy of Wastewater Treatment Processes to Remove Estrogenic Potency

“…Letters above bars in graph-B represent statistical similarity. This figure has been modified from Mills et al 12 Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.…”

“…Furthermore, adsorption and separation methods simply separate EDC from one phase to another rather than eliminating them via degradation. TAML activators have been developed to catalyze hydrogen peroxide oxidation of organic micropollutants in wastewater 12,[24][25][26] . TAML activators with H 2 O 2 effectively degrade EE2 and other steroid estrogens in pure laboratory water as well as in effluents from municipal wastewater treatment plants and in spiked urine samples 12 .…”

“…TAML activators have been developed to catalyze hydrogen peroxide oxidation of organic micropollutants in wastewater 12,[24][25][26] . TAML activators with H 2 O 2 effectively degrade EE2 and other steroid estrogens in pure laboratory water as well as in effluents from municipal wastewater treatment plants and in spiked urine samples 12 . Laboratory studies, shows TAML/H 2 O 2 treatment provides high steroid estrogen removal including EE2 removal and substantially reduces estrogenic activity measured in vitro using the YES bioassay and substantially diminishes fish feminization in vivo measured using the VTG bioassay (Figure 1 and Figure 6).…”

Farmakoekologija – okolišna sudbina lijekova

“…Kombinacija tog oksidansa i metalnog kompleksa brzo i potpuno razgrađuje hormonske spojeve u vodi. 49 Znanstvenici tvrde da je jedan kilogram katalizatora i peroksida dovoljan za obradu na desetke tisuća tona otpadnih voda. Prema rezultatima studije proizlazi da je eliminacija estrogenih spojeva iz vode dvostruko jeftinija ukoliko se primjenjuje kemijska metoda koju predlažu Susan Jobling i Terence Collins.…”

Regulamentação do estrogênio sintético 17α-etinilestradiol em matrizes aquáticas na Europa, Estados Unidos e Brasil

“…These are dumped in sewage, which later reaches aquatic environments in natura or in the form of effluents treated in sewage treatment stations 23,24,25 . Importantly, conventional sewage treatment technologies have limited ability to remove this estrogen 26,27,28,29,30,31 . The situation is aggravated by the fact that 17α-ethinylestradiol is the most persistent of the estrogens, with a half-life in water of approximately 17 days and a low photodegradation rate 32,33 .…”