Análise ecotoxicológica e avaliação da eficiência da nano goetita na degradação de estrona utilizando processos oxidativos avançados

Abstract

Estrogen hormones have been frequently detected in various water sources, with their presence associated with hormonal disturbances in aquatic organisms and humans. This study aimed to evaluate and treat a synthetic effluent containing estrone (E1) at a concentration of 5.87 mgL⁻¹, investigating the effectiveness of advanced oxidative processes (POAs) in the treatment of the effluent, using nano-goethite, a promising and underexplored material, as an adsorbent and catalyst. Additionally, a comparison of toxicity between the raw effluent and the treated effluents was made. Adsorption, heterogeneous catalytic ozonation, and heterogeneous photocatalytic ozonation treatments were applied, using 1 gL⁻¹ of nano-goethite for 60 minutes in a photoreactor for the ozonation processes, and 0.5 gL⁻¹ of nano-goethite for 60 minutes in a magnetically stirred beaker for the adsorption treatment. The Chemical Oxygen Demand (DQO) analysis revealed an increase in values after the treatments, with the highest result obtained in heterogeneous photocatalytic ozonation (OFH). Ecotoxicity tests with Artemia salina, Eisenia fetida and Lactuca sativa indicated low toxicity in both the raw effluent and the treated effluents, with a notable negative influence of OFH on the growth of lettuce roots and a slight escape rate of earthworms in the effluent treated by heterogeneous catalytic ozonation (OCH). These results suggest the need for further tests, such as High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analyses, to verify the degradation of E1 and identify the possible byproducts generated during the treatments.