Assessment of the abiotic transformation of 17β-estradiol in the presence of vegetable matter

A study using (17)beta-C-14(4)-estradiol (C-14-E2) was performed to confirm and characterize the catalytic transformation of estrogens in the presence of a model vegetable matter (namely rabbit food) as a surrogate material for vegetable wastes found in sewage. Results corroborated the occurrence of an abiotic transformation. Unknown transformation byproduct(s) accounted, respectively, for 38% and 9% of the initial radioactivity in liquid and extractable solid phases after 72 h; on the other hand, only 15% and 7% of this radioactivity corresponded to C-14-E2 in those same matrices. Mass balance was closed including the radioactivity irreversibly bounded to the solid phase. Formation of C-14(4)-estrone was monitored by Liquid Chromatography with tandem Mass Spectrometry detection; negative results were found in all sampling events. This process could be harnessed to optimize sustainable technologies for the removal of phenolic microcontaminants from wastewater. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.