Removal of endocrine disrupting compounds, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products in water using carbon nanotubes: A review

Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have been extensively detected in various surface water and wastewater. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have aroused great research attention as a new type of adsorbent due to their unique properties and potential applications for the removal of various inorganic and organic EDCs and PPCPs. This review summarizes the current research on the removal of EDCs and PPCPs with various CNTs, and provides valuable information for CNT applications in the water industry. The removal of various EDCs and PPCPs was reviewed based on the existing literature to address the effects of process parameters, including CNT properties, EDC/PPCP properties, and water chemistry conditions. Regulatory issues, analytical methods, and EDC/PPCP removal in water and wastewater treatment processes were also briefly addressed. Additionally, further research work on CNTs is suggested for the removal of EDCs and PPCPs from water. (C) 2015 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.