Huang, Fan;
(2021)
Removal of estrogens and mitigation of estrogenic activity in natural water matrix using GAC-biofiltration system combined with photolysis as pretreatment.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
This thesis is aimed at investigating the removal of estrogens in a natural water matrix using a granular activated carbon (GAC) sandwich biofiltration (GSBF) system, combined with the photolysis pretreatment process. To elucidate the main mechanisms of the decontamination process, the adsorption of estrogens onto GAC particles and photolysis of them under the irradiation of ultraviolet light (UV) in the batch experiment was studied firstly, in which the impacts induced by the presence of humic acid and matrix in natural water on the removal of estrogens was investigated, and corresponding kinetic models were adopted to explain the adsorption and photodegradation mechanisms. Then, a bench-scale GSBF system composed of fine sand and a GAC layer joining a photolysis reactor was installed for investigating elimination of free estrogens―estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), and 17α-ethinyl estradiol (EE2) and estrogenic activity based on the adsorption and degradation models recorded earlier. Furthermore, the capacity of photolysis pretreatment for facilitating removal of estrogens was evaluated. The result showed that good removal for estrogens (96.2 % to 99.5 %) was constantly achieved by the GSBF over the eight weeks of the operation stage, while limited removal (20.95 % to 60.88 %) for both estrogens was observed in the slow sand filtration (SSF). Additionally, a significant reduction of estrogenic activity was achieved in GSBF, while a modest reduction was obtained for SSF. The involvement of photolysis was found to be effective to control the increase of head loss as a result of inhibiting the overgrowth of microorganisms. Therefore, photolysis pretreatment, coupling with the GSBF, is a promising treatment system for removing estrogens and estrogenic activity sustainably.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Removal of estrogens and mitigation of estrogenic activity in natural water matrix using GAC-biofiltration system combined with photolysis as pretreatment |
| Event: | UCL (University College London) |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2022. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Civil, Environ and Geomatic Eng |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10141351 |
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