PARENT SESSION

PT04 Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in Wastewater Treatment Effluents
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Tuesday

(PT047) Estrogens in a simulated sewage treatment process: applications to NASA water recycling system and wastewater.

Kvanli, D¹, Morse, A¹, Jackson, W¹, Anderson, T¹, ¹ Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA

ABSTRACT- Due to the high cost of supplying water for space exploration, it would be beneficial to recycle waste water for reuse. Biological reactors are being evaluated for partial treatment of waste streams for reuse. As a large component of the waste water is urine, the fate of pharmaceuticals in these systems is potentially very important. It is also important in terrestrial applications, especially in areas where water resources are insufficient and reuse may be appropriate. A method to extract both natural (17beta-estradiol, estriol, and estrone) and synthetic (ethynylestradiol) estrogens was developed for use in analyzing effluents from waste water treatment facilities in Texas or more challenging waste streams such as small closed loop applications (e.g. space exploration). One effluent examined was from a reactor (Urine Humidity Condensate Reactor) processing urine and humidity condensate, similar to that used on a space station using a method developed for more concentrated waste streams. Each of the four estrogens was detected in influent and effluent waters from the reactor. Mean influent concentrations were found to be 5.76, 11.51, 3.78, and 11.91 g/mL for estriol, 17beta-estradiol, ethynylestradiol, and estrone, respectively. Mean effluent concentrations were detected at 26.74, 20.92, 14.77, and 29.09 g/mL, respectively. The increase in concentration from influent to effluent demonstrates the tendency for estrogens from human sources to be deconjugated by the sewage treatment process, producing the more potent and active form. However, the most environmentally stable estrogen, ethynylestradiol, is found only in a portion of samples indicating that this chemical is mainly excreted in feces. Therefore, the raw waste water from the simulated space station waste stream, which consists solely of urine and condensates, will have low to trace levels of ethynylestradiol. In applying this method to various receiving streams in Texas, concentrations were found ranging from ND to 15 ppm.

Key words: wastewater, estrogens, hplc, solid phase extraction