Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/11794
Title: Removal of ecotoxicity of 17α-ethinylestradiol using TAML/peroxide water treatment
Authors: Mills, MR
Arias-Salazar, K
Baynes, A
Shen, LQ
Churchley, J
Beresford, N
Gayathri, C
Gil, RR
Kanda, R
Jobling, S
Collins, TJ
Issue Date: 2015
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
Citation: Scientific Reports, 5, pp. 10511 - 10511, (2015)
Abstract: 17α -ethinylestradiol (EE2), a synthetic oestrogen in oral contraceptives, is one of many pharmaceuticals found in inland waterways worldwide as a result of human consumption and excretion into wastewater treatment systems. At low parts per trillion (ppt), EE2 induces feminisation of male fish, diminishing reproductive success and causing fish population collapse. Intended water quality standards for EE2 set a much needed global precedent. Ozone and activated carbon provide effective wastewater treatments, but their energy intensities and capital/operating costs are formidable barriers to adoption. Here we describe the technical and environmental performance of a fast- developing contender for mitigation of EE2 contamination of wastewater based upon smallmolecule, full-functional peroxidase enzyme replicas called “TAML activators”. From neutral to basic pH, TAML activators with H2O2 efficiently degrade EE2 in pure lab water, municipal effluents and EE2-spiked synthetic urine. TAML/H2O2 treatment curtails estrogenicity in vitro and substantially diminishes fish feminization in vivo. Our results provide a starting point for a future process in which tens of thousands of tonnes of wastewater could be treated per kilogram of catalyst. We suggest TAML/H2O2 is a worthy candidate for exploration as an environmentally compatible, versatile, method for removing EE2 and other pharmaceuticals from municipal wastewaters.
URI: http://www.nature.com/articles/srep10511
http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/11794
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep10511
metadata.dc.relation.replaces: http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/11104
2438/11104
ISSN: 2045-2322
Appears in Collections:Environment

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
Fulltext.pdf902.64 kBAdobe PDFView/Open


Items in BURA are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.