Removal efficiencies of endocrine disrupting chemicals by coagulation/flocculation, ozonation, powdered/granular activated carbon adsorption, and chlorination

Removal efficiencies of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), bisphenol A and nonylphenol, during various types of water treatment processes were evaluated extensively using laboratory- and pilot-scale experiments. The specific processes of interest were coagulation/flocculation sedimentation/filtration (conventional water treatment process), powdered activated carbon (PAC), granular activated carbon (GAC), ozonation and chlorination. Batch sorption tests, coagulation tests, and ozone oxidation tests were also performed at higher concentrations with 14 EDCs including bisphenol A. The conventional water treatment process had very low removal efficiencies (0 to 7%) for all the EDCs except DEHP, DBP and DEP that were removed by 53%, 49%, and 46%, respectively. Ozonation at 1 ㎎O₃/ ℓ removed 60% of bisphenol A and 89% of nonylphenol, while chlorination at 1 ㎎/ℓ removed 58% and 5%, respectively. When ozone and chlorine doses were 4 and 5 ㎎/ℓ, respectively, both EDCs were not detected. PAC removal efficiencies ranged from 15% to 40% at 3 to 10 ㎎/ℓ of PAC with a contact time of 15 minutes. In the high concentration batch sorption tests, EDC removal efficiencies by PAC were closely related to octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow). GAC adsorption was very effective water treatment process. The type and service time of GAC did not affect EDC removal efficiencies. The combination of ozonation and GAC in series appears to remove EDCs effectively to safe levels while conventional water treatment could not.