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International Journal of Environment Science and Technology
Center for Environment and Energy Research and Studies (CEERS)
ISSN: 1735-1472 EISSN: 1735-1472
Vol. 11, No. 1, 2014, pp. 1-8
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Bioline Code: st14001
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
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International Journal of Environment Science and Technology, Vol. 11, No. 1, 2014, pp. 1-8
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Sonochemical degradation of endocrine disrupting chemicals 17β-estradiol and 17α-ethinylestradiol in water and wastewater
Ifelebuegu, A. O.; Onubogu, J.; Joyce, E. & Mason, T.
Abstract
The sonochemical degradation of 17β-estradiol
(E2) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in water and wastewater
was investigated at ultrasonic frequency of 850 kHz.
The effects of pH, initial concentrations, temperature,
power and dissolved organic carbon were examined. The
results obtained indicated that the rate of ultrasonic degradation
of E2 and EE2 in water and wastewater is influenced
by the pH, power, air sparging and the dissolved
organic content of the aqueous solutions. Mass degradation
rates of E2 and EE2 per kW ranged from 1.7 to
4.0 mg kW-1 at varying process parameters. The degradation
process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic
model with rate constant of 1.71 9 10-2 min-1 at 25 °C.
The value for activation energy (Ea = 15.21 kJ mol-1)
obtained from Arrhenius-type plot, indicated that the
ultrasonic degradation of steroid hormones is thermodynamically
feasible, and does not progress only on radical
reactions but other intermediate reaction processes. In
wastewater, the higher dissolved organic carbon significantly
reduced the effectiveness of degradation of the E2
and EE2 showing that ultrasound treatment will be more
effective as a tertiary treatment option in wastewater
applications.
Keywords
Ultrasound; Degradation; Estrogens; Activation energy; Kinetics
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