Removal potential of anti-estrogenic activity in secondary effluents by coagulation

Anti-estrogenic activity in wastewater is gaining increased attention because of its endocrine-disrupting function. In this study, the level and removal efficiency by coagulation of anti-estrogenic activity in secondary effluents of domestic wastewater treatment plants were studied. Anti-estrogenic activity was detected in secondary effluent samples at a tamoxifen (TAM) equivalent concentration level of 0.38-0.94 mg-TAM L-1. Dissolved organic matters (DOM) with the molecular weight (MW) less than 3000 Da in hydrophobic acids (HOA) and hydrophobic neutrals (HON) fractions of the secondary effluent were the key fractions related to anti-estrogenic activity. Coagulation with FeCl3 and polyaluminium chloride (PAC) can remove the anti-estrogenic activity of the secondary effluents, but the removal efficiency was limited. The removal efficiency using FeCl3 coagulant was higher than that induced by PAC. Dissolved organic carbon was continuously removed with increased coagulant dose (0-120 mg L-1 FeCl3 or 0-60 mg L-1 PAC). However, the removal of anti-estrogenic activity was not enhanced further when the coagulant concentration was beyond a critical value (30 mg L-1 FeCl3 or 10 mg L-1 PAC). The highest removal of anti-estrogenic activity was about 36% by FeCl3 and 20% by PAC. Size exclusion chromatography results indicated difficulty in removing DOM with MW less than 3000 Da in the secondary effluent during coagulation even at a high coagulant concentration, which led to low removal efficiency of anti-estrogenic activity. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.