Polymer-based spherical activated carbon – ultrafiltration (UF-PBSAC) for the adsorption of steroid hormones from water: material characteristics and process configuration

Abstract The European Union has proposed the value of 1 ng L−1 as a drinking water quality standard for estradiol. With conventional technologies only partially removing estradiol, the investigation of novel alternatives is more than ever required. Tagliavini and Schafer proposed that the use of a thin activated carbon layer combined with a membrane is worth considering. In this work, the process was further advanced through a systematic investigation of the role of activated carbon size, activation and surface chemistry on the removal of estradiol. The use of smaller carbon particles allows reaching the ambitious target value of 1 ng L−1 in a millimetric layer. Further, adsorption kinetic enhancement by increasing the oxygen content on the carbon improves the removal from 96 to 99 % (for a layer of 2 mm) for OH-containing pollutants such as estradiol. High removal, together with low pressure and no by-product formation, are characteristics that make the UF-PBSAC a promising and competitive approach.