Ozonation of estrogenic chemicals in biologically treated sewage.

The present study shows that ozonation of effluents from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is likely to be a future treatment solution to remove estrogens and xeno-estrogens. The required ozone dose and electrical energy for producing the ozone were determined in two WWTP effluents for removal of 17 estrogenic chemicals. The estrogenic compounds included parabens, industrial phenols, sunscreen chemicals, and steroid estrogens. The obtained values of Electrical Energy per Order (EEOs) for the treatment of the estrogens were in the range 0.14-1.1 kWh/m(3) corresponding to 1.7-14 g O3/m(3). It is furthermore suggested that UV-absorbance is a useful parameter for online control of the ozone dose in a full scale application since the absorbance of the WWTP effluents and the remaining concentration of the estrogens and xeno-estrogens correlated well with the applied ozone dose.