Simultaneous Degradation of Estrone, 17β-Estradiol and 17α-Ethinyl Estradiol in an Aqueous UV/H2O2 System

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Xiaoyan Ma²  Chao Zhang²  Jing Deng²  Yali Song⁴  Qingsong Li⁵  Yaping Guo¹  Cong Li³ 

[1] College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China;College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China; E-Mails:;College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China;School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China; E-Mail:;Water Resources and Environmental Institute, Xiamen University of Technology, Xiamen 361005, China; E-Mail:

关键词: UV/H₂O₂;    steroid estrogens;    competitive degradation;    photocatalysis;    water treatment;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph121012016

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

UV/H₂O₂, which is an advanced treatment technology used to reduce multiple contaminants, is effective in potable water treatment. Simultaneous degradation effects and kinetics of three types of coexisting micropollutant estrogens (steroid estrogens, SEs), including estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethinyl estradiol (EE2), in deionized water were studied. Experiments were carried out with ultraviolet-C (UVC) radiation, together with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), in a cylinder photoreactor. The results demonstrated that the degradation processes of all of the estrogens strongly fit first-order kinetics. Single solutions of E1, E2 and EE2 showed higher degradation rates and removal efficiencies under the same reaction conditions compared with those under mixed conditions. Coexisting combinations of estrogens were put into the UV/H₂O₂ system to estimate their possible competitive influences on each other by examining their removal efficiencies and reaction rate constant, k, values. E1 is predominantly reduced rapidly during the competition, while the presence of other estrogens has negligible impacts on E1; however, the degradation of E2 and EE2 is affected by the competitive background, not in relation to the types but to the existing amounts. In the UV/H₂O₂ system, photocatalysis of the estrogens can stably produce an intermediate X, with the highest quantity coming from E1, while considerably lower quantities are obtained from E2 and EE2.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.