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Study on the removal of hormones from domestic wastewaters with lab-scale constructed wetlands with different substrates and flow directions

  • Water: From Pollution to Purification
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Abstract

Eight wastewater samples from a university campus were analysed between May and July of 2014 to determine the concentration of 14 natural and synthetic steroid hormones. An on-line solid-phase extraction combined with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (on-line SPE-UHPLC-MS/MS) was used as extraction, pre-concentration and detection method. In the samples studied, three oestrogens (17β-estradiol, estrone and estriol), two androgens (boldenone and testosterone), three progestogens (norgestrel, progesterone and norethisterone) and one glucocorticoid (prednisone) were detected. The removal of hormones was studied in primary and secondary constructed wetland mesocosms. The porous media of the primary constructed wetlands were palm tree mulch. These reactors were used to study the effect of water flow, i.e. horizontal (HF1) vs vertical (VF1). The latter was more efficient in the removal of 17β-estradiol (HF1: 30%, VF1: 50%), estrone (HF1: 63%, VF1: 85%), estriol (100% both), testosterone (HF1: 45%, VF1: 73%), boldenone (HF1:-77%, VF1: 100%) and progesterone (HF1: 84%, VF1: 99%). The effluent of HF1 was used as influent of three secondary constructed wetland mesocosms: two double-stage vertical flow constructed wetlands, one with gravel (VF2gravel) and one with palm mulch (VF2mulch), and a mineral-based, horizontal flow constructed wetland (HFmineral). VF2mulch was the most efficient of the secondary reactors, since it achieved the complete removal of the hormones studied with the exception of 17ß-estradiol. The significantly better removal of BOD and ammonia attained by VF2mulch suggests that the better aeration of mulch favoured the more efficient removal of hormones.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by funds provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Research Project CTM2015-66095-C2-1-R. Rayco Guedes-Alonso thanks the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain) for his Ph.D. student grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Universitario de Estudios Ambientales y Recursos Naturales (i-UNAT), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35017, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

    José Alberto Herrera-Melián, Rayco Guedes-Alonso, Alejandro Borreguero-Fabelo, José Juan Santana-Rodríguez & Zoraida Sosa-Ferrera

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  1. José Alberto Herrera-Melián
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  2. Rayco Guedes-Alonso
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  3. Alejandro Borreguero-Fabelo
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  4. José Juan Santana-Rodríguez
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  5. Zoraida Sosa-Ferrera
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Correspondence to José Alberto Herrera-Melián.

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Herrera-Melián, J.A., Guedes-Alonso, R., Borreguero-Fabelo, A. et al. Study on the removal of hormones from domestic wastewaters with lab-scale constructed wetlands with different substrates and flow directions. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 20374–20384 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9307-8

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