Study on 17β-Estradiol (E2) Removal in Wastewater by Continuous-Flow Advanced Treatment and Economic Benefit Evaluation

A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the degradation efficiency and treatment cost of 17 beta-estradiol using coagulation, adsorption, and advanced oxidation processes. The results show that granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption collocated Ultraviolet C (UVC)/H2O2 shows the best 17 beta-estradiol (E2) removal. The E2 concentration of effluent water cannot be detected by instrument after one hour reaction. GAC adsorption collocated Ultraviolet A (UVA)/TiO2 after one hour reaction degraded 92% of E2. Adsorption plays the main role in the removal efficiency above. The ultraviolet light (UV)/H2O2 oxidation program requires the least cost and has the best removal rate compared with other single processes. In economic assessment, a unit gram of E2 could be removed for as low as 53 U.S. dollar cost. GAC adsorption collocated UVC/H2O2 could completely removal E2 in water. It costs 76 U.S. dollar to treat one gram E2. The studies provide important information about E2 degradation and compare the technical development for E2 removal. Most importantly, this study provides information of process efficiency and cost for industrial application to contribute to the removal of E2 and industrial application.