Androgens, oestrogens, and progesterone concentrations in wastewater purification processes measured with capillary electrophoresis

Assessment of the usefulness of β-cyclodextrin in the removal of progesterone from the environment

The paper presents the results and interpretation of theoretical calculations for the progesterone-β-cyclodextrin (P@β-CD; G4MP2) and progesterone-β-cyclodextrin-β-cyclodextrin (P@β-CD-β-CD; G2) systems. The geometry of the progesterone molecule was optimized on basis of the DFT theory using the B3LYP, PBE1PBE and M06-2X functionals, for selected Pople basis sets [6-31G, 6-31++G, 6-31++G(d,p), 6-311G, 6-311++G, 6-311++G(d,p)] and the Dunning basis set (aug-cc-pVDZ). Presented results of theoretical calculations provide insight into the mechanism of formation of supramolecular systems of progesterone and β-cyclodextrin, allowing us to understand the impact of differences in the polarizability of specific fragments of the "guest" molecule, through the analysis of the Mulliken population distribution, on the tendency for equilibrium inclusion by "host" molecules characterized by selective affinity towards hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecular systems. The comparison of model structures of "guest-host" systems with 1:1 and 1:2 stoichiometry allows us to assess the contribution of a given type of non-covalent interactions (hydrogen bonds, van der Waals interactions, London dispersion forces) in the formation of supramolecular complexes. Due to the complexity of the real research object, including interactions between large molecules in solution, in this work it was decided to choose an approximation that reflects only the key effects. The results presented in this paper constitute a starting point for both theoretical research on analogous supramolecular systems based on β-cyclodextrin derivatives, as well as instrumental studies (NMR, FT-IR, HPLC) of preparations of real inclusion complexes. The approach adopted now can contribute to a better understanding of the phenomenon used in the development of water purification technologies.

Spatiotemporal variation and removal of selected endocrine-disrupting chemicals in wastewater treatment plants across China: Treatment process comparison

In this study, the spatiotemporal variation in the occurrence of 19 endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) spanning four seasons in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in 17 Chinese cities was investigated. Removal efficiencies for selected EDCs in 17 WWTPs over four seasons were analyzed. Contributions of conventional and advanced process segments to the removal efficiency of EDCs were explored, which compared the removal efficacies of a variety of secondary and advanced processes for EDCs. Results showed that EDCs were extensively detected in WWTPs, with bisphenol A (BPA), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHRD), androstenedione (ADD), and pregnanediol (PD) being dominant in excess sludge and wastewater. Seasonally, the greatest seasonal differences were observed in the influent, with the concentrations of 12 EDCs varying significantly between seasons. Spatially, concentrations of BPA, DHRD, testosterone (TTR), and estriol (E3) in the influent significantly varied between the northern and southern WWTPs. Fourteen EDCs were removed steadily among the four seasons, while most EDCs had considerable removal differences between WWTPs. Contribution of the conventional process segment to the removal of individual EDCs was higher than that of the advanced process segment in WWTPs. Quantitative meta-analysis indicated that the anaerobic-anoxic-anaerobic (AAO) process in the various secondary processes had the highest removal of the target EDCs. Mass balance analysis further suggested that biodegradation in the aerobic tank of the AAO process was the major pathway for most EDCs removal. This study systematically depicts the spatiotemporal distribution of EDCs in WWTPs located across China and deepens the comprehension of EDCs removal in Chinese WWTPs from a treatment process perspective.

Methacrylic functionalized hybrid carbon nanomaterial for the selective adsorption and detection of progesterone in wastewater

Progesterone, an endocrine-disrupting chemical, has been frequently detected in wastewater for decades, posing a serious threat to ecological and human health. However, it is still a challenge to achieve the effective detection of progesterone in complex matrices water samples. In this study, a novel adsorbent CNT@CS/P(MAA) was prepared by grafting methacrylic polymers on the surface of modified carbon nanomaterials. Compared with other reported materials, the hybrid carbon nanomaterial could selectively identify the progesterone in the complex industrial pharmaceutical wastewater, and its adsorption performance is almost independent of the pH and environmental temperature. In addition, this nanomaterial could be reused with a good recovery rate. The prepared nanomaterials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption and desorption experiments, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results confirmed that the methacrylic polymers and chitosan layer were successfully grafted on the surface of carbon nanotubes. Adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics, and selectivity tests showed that CNT@CS/P(MAA) had a high adsorption capacity (44.45 mg·g-1), a fast adsorption rate and a satisfied selectivity for progesterone. Then, CNT@CS/P(MAA) was used as solid phase extraction sorbent and combined with HPLC to enrich progesterone from the wastewater samples. Under the optimum conditions, a good linearity was obtained with the correlation coefficient was 0.9998, and the limit of detection was 0.003 ng·mL-1. Therefore, this method could be used for the selective and effective detection of progesterone in industrial wastewater with complex substrates and provided a new method for the detection of progesterone in other environmental waters.

Performance- and image-enhancing drug use in the community: use prevalence, user demographics and the potential role of wastewater-based epidemiology

Performance- and image-enhancing drug (PIED) misuse is a significant public health issue. Currently, seizure data, surveys, anti-doping testing, and needle service provider data are used to estimate PIED use in populations. These methods are time consuming, single point-in-time measurements that often consist of small sample sizes and do not truly capture PIED prevalence. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been used globally to assess and monitor licit and illicit drug consumption within the general community. This method can objectively cover large populations as well as specific subpopulations (gyms, music festivals, prisons), and has potential as a complementary monitoring method for PIED use. Information obtained through WBE could be used to aid public health authorities in developing targeted prevention and education programmes. Research on PIED analysis in wastewater is limited and presents a significant gap in the literature. The focus is on anabolic steroids, and one steroid alternative currently growing in popularity; selective androgenic receptor modulators. This encompasses medical uses, addiction, prevalence, user typology, and associated public health implications. An overview of WBE is described including its benefits, limitations and potential as a monitoring method for PIED use. A summary of previous work in this field is presented. Finally, we summarise gaps in the literature, future perspectives, and recommendations for monitoring PIEDs in wastewater.

Capillary electrophoresis and liquid chromatography for determining steroids in concentrates of purified water from Päijänne Lake

The research was done with partial filling micellar electrokinetic chromatography, microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography, and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography. The study focuses on determination of male and female steroids from cold and hot tap water of households in Helsinki City. The district´s raw water is made run from Päijänne Lake through a water tunnel to the purification plants in Helsinki area. The effluents delivered from the plants to households as tap water were sampled and used for the study. They were concentrated with solid phase extraction to exceed the detection limits of the three methods. With partial filling method the limits were 0.50, 0.48, 0.33, and 0.50 mg/L for androsterone, testosterone, progesterone, and testosterone-glucuronide, respectively. In microemulsion method the limit values were 1.33, 1.11, and 0.40 mg/L for androsterone, testosterone, and progesterone, respectively, and 0.83, 0.45, and 0.50 mg/L for hydrocortisone, 17-α-hydroxyprogesterone, and 17-α-methyltestosterone, respectively. In the tap water samples, progesterone concentrations represented the highest values being 0.22 and 1.18 ng/L in cold and hot water, respectively. They also contained testosterone (in all samples), its glucuronide metabolite (in 25% of the samples), and androstenedione (in 75% of the samples). The ultra-high liquid chromatographic method with mass spectrometric detection was used for identification of the steroids at µg/L level.