Assessment of the abiotic transformation of 17β-estradiol in the presence of vegetable matter

A study using 17β-14C4-estradiol (14C-E2) was performed to confirm and characterize the catalytic transformation of estrogens in the presence of a model vegetable matter (namely rabbit food) as a surrogate material for vegetable wastes found in sewage. Results corroborated the occurrence of an abiotic transformation. Unknown transformation byproduct(s) accounted, respectively, for 38% and 9% of the initial radioactivity in liquid and extractable solid phases after 72 h; on the other hand, only 15% and 7% of this radioactivity corresponded to 14C-E2 in those same matrices. Mass balance was closed including the radioactivity irreversibly bounded to the solid phase. Formation of 14C4-estrone was monitored by Liquid Chromatography with tandem Mass Spectrometry detection; negative results were found in all sampling events. This process could be harnessed to optimize sustainable technologies for the removal of phenolic microcontaminants from wastewater.

Research highlights
► Abiotic transformation of E2 in the presence of vegetable matter is confirmed.
► E2 is transformed to yet unidentified byproducts different from E1.
► Oxidative coupling and adsorption explain the distribution of E2 and byproducts.
► The reaction has the potential to improve the removal of estrogens from wastewater.