A comparative study of removal of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) from treated wastewater using highly crosslinked polymeric adsorbents and activated carbon

BACKGROUNDRemoval of some EDCs, such as triclosan including its metabolites (2,4-dichloro phenol and 2,3,4-trichloro phenol), estrogens (estrone, 17--estradiol and 17--ethinyl estradiol) and some pharmaceuticals (clofibric acid, clofibrate, clofibrate methyl ester, carbamazepine) from water and treated wastewater by commercial highly crosslinked polymer adsorbents (Diaion SP207, Diaion SP825, Dowex L493) and activated carbon was investigated using batch adsorption. The analyses of EDCs were performed by solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. RESULTSThe optimum dosages of polymer adsorbents were in the range 0.2-1.2 g L-1, while the respective values for activated carbon were in the range 0.05-0.2 g L-1. When treated municipal wastewater was used as the water matrix, removal rates of EDCs for activated carbon clearly deteriorated compared with pure water solutions. However, when the synthetic resins were tested in treated effluent, most substances exhibited similar or even higher removals. CONCLUSIONSPolymer adsorbents exhibited good performance for removal of EDCs from water. Their use in biologically treated effluent for EDCs removal is also a viable option. (c) 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.