Removal of 17beta-estradiol and its metabolites from aquaculture wastewater using advanced oxidation processes

淡水鳗鱼产业在全球创造了超过10亿美元的产值，其中95%以上来自水产养殖。虽然这是一个商业利润丰厚的行业，但鳗鱼水产养殖确实受到限制--雄性鳗鱼平均成熟150克，而雌性鳗鱼成熟到500克以上。此外，鳗鱼直到生命后期才开始性别区分，通常会在高密度水产养殖环境中发育成雄性。因此，这些变量制约了淡水鳗鱼养殖的当前经济价值。为了解决这些问题，人们研究了天然雌激素(17β-雌二醇或E2)作为饲料添加剂，以促进淡水鳗鱼的生长和雌性化。新斯科舍省一家水产养殖公司NovaEel Inc.为美国鳗鱼开发了一种添加天然雌激素的饲料。然而，这种饲料制度导致在水产养殖废水中存在雌激素，如雌二醇及其代谢物雌酮(E1)和雌三醇(E3)。内分泌干扰物(EDCs)，如E2，正成为人类和水生生物日益关注的问题。因此，在废水排放到城市污水流和环境中之前，妥善管理这些废水并确保足够的雌激素降解是至关重要的。本研究的目的是确定从水产养殖废水中去除雌激素的最有效、商业上可行和环境友好的方案。我们的假设是，UV/TiO2光电催化将提供一种有效和可持续的替代更容易获得的处理技术，并将导致最低限度的雌激素副产物的形成。

The freshwater eel industry is responsible for more than one billion dollars in production globally, and of that production, more than 95% comes from aquaculture. Though a commercially lucrative industry, eel aquaculture does have constraints - male eels mature to an average of 150 g whereas female eels mature to more than 500 g. Additionally, eels do not differentiate their sex until later in life and will generally develop into males in high density aquaculture settings. As a result, these variables constrain the current economic value of freshwater eel culture. In order to combat these issues, natural estrogen (17beta-estradiol or E2) has been studied as a feedsupplement to increase growth and feminization in freshwater eels. NovaEel Inc., a Nova Scotian aquaculture company, has developed a natural estrogen supplemented feed for American eels. However, this feed regime results in the presence of estrogens such as E2, along with its metabolites: estrone (E1) and estriol (E3) in aquaculture waste streams. Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) such as E2 are becoming emerging concerns for both human and aquatic life. As such, it is crucial to manage these waste streams properly and ensure that sufficient degradation of estrogens is achieved before wastewater is discharged into municipal waste streams and into the environment.The objective of this research is to determine the most effective, commercially feasible and environmentally friendly option for the removal of estrogens from aquaculture wastewater. Our hypothesis is that UV/TiO2 photoelectrocatalysis will offer an effective and sustainable alternative to more readily available treatment technologies and will result in the formation of minimal estrogenic by-products.