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Application of a three‐compartment model as a tool to understand the partition of 17α‐ethinylestradiol in mixed liquor systems
Author(s) -
Serrano D.,
Omil F.,
Lema J.M.,
Patureau D.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
environmental progress and sustainable energy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.495
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1944-7450
pISSN - 1944-7442
DOI - 10.1002/ep.11618
Subject(s) - chemistry , partition coefficient , ethinylestradiol , pollutant , partition (number theory) , colloid , matrix (chemical analysis) , environmental chemistry , chromatography , organic chemistry , mathematics , population , demography , combinatorics , sociology , research methodology
A new methodology previously used to study partitioning of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (4.2 > log K ow > 6.6) in complex heterogeneous systems such as mixed liquor in bioreactors was applied to the synthetic hormone 17α‐ethinylestradiol (EE2), that is an organic micropollutant commonly present in sewage. This model considers the mixed liquor as a three‐compartment matrix, in which the pollutant coexists in three states: freely dissolved, sorbed to particles, and sorbed to dissolved and colloidal matter (DCM). In this way, it is possible to gain a better knowledge about the affinity of the pollutant for all these phases, through the determination of equilibrium constants K part and K DCM . According to the results, the measured partition coefficients related to EE2 are in the range of 315–439 L/kg (log K d 2.5–2.64). The values of K part and K DCM determined by this model were 384 L/kg and 45 L/kg, respectively, which indicate that EE2 tends to sorb mainly on particles, while the affinity for DCM is poor. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 32: 257‐262, 2013