Removal of some endocrine disruptors via adsorption on activated carbon

The present paper was dedicated to the study of endocrine disruptors removal from ultra-pure and real water solutions by adsorption on two types of activated carbon. This category of compounds includes natural substances such as hormones (reproductive, thyroid) or corticosteroids but also numerous chemicals as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, pharmaceuticals or pesticides. Their removal constitute an important preoccupation worldwide due to the fact that they are recognized as affecting the human health in a negative way. Among them, bisphenol A (BPA) and ethinylestradiol (EE2), are widely used for plastic and respectively for oral contraceptive pills production. The adsorption efficiencies of tested activated carbons on the BPA and EE2 removal were investigated using batch adsorption experiments. The recorded results revealed that the used adsorbents possess a high adsorption capacity (1521 μmol/g on NC90 and 1395 μmol/g on F400 for BPA and 1667μmol/g on NC90 and 1196 μmol/g on F400 for EE2) which recommends them for pollutant removal from real water.