Degradation of 17β-estradiol and its conjugates: Effects of initial concentration and MLSS concentration

There have been many strong retrospective observations regarding adverse effects in reproductive and fertile developments in human and the wildlife caused by the endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) present in the aquatic environment recently. Degradation by biomass is one of the main removal mechanisms for 17β-estradiol (E2), the most important EDC, and its conjugates from sewage in wastewater treatment plants. In this batch study, the degradation rates of E2 and its conjugates were found to be affected by initial concentration of concerned pollutants and mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration of activated sludge tested. Quantitative analysis was performed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). Overall, Michaelis–Menten Model adequately described the degradation of E2 and its conjugates over the range of the initial concentrations and MLSS concentrations tested. The degradation rates increased with the increase of initial concentration and MLSS concentration.