Removal of steroid hormones from mariculture system using seaweed Caulerpa lentillifera

Highlights

•Steroid hormones could be removed efficiently from mariculture system using seaweed;

• Caulerpa lentillifera was the most efficient seaweed for removal of steroid hormones;

• More than 90% of E₂ or EE₂ were removed within 12 h using Caulerpa lentillifera;

• The removal included the rapid biosorption and the slow bio-accumulation;

•The hormones and nutrients in mariculture wastewater could be simultaneously removed.

Abstract

The removal of steroid hormones from the mariculture system using seaweeds (Caulerpa lentillifera, Ulva pertusa, Gracilaria lemaneiformis, and Codium fragile) was investigated. The results illustrated that both 17β-estradiol (E₂) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE₂) could be removed by the seaweeds at different levels, and the Caulerpa lentillifera was the most efficient one. More than 90% of E₂ or EE₂ at concentration of 10 μg/L was removed by Caulerpa lentillifera within 12 h. Processes including initial quick biosorption, the following slow accumulation, and biodegradation might explain the removal mechanisms of E₂/EE₂ by Caulerpa lentillifera. E₂/EE₂ removal was positively related to the nutrient level and the initial concentration of steroid hormone. A significant linear relationship for E₂ and EE₂ existed between the initial pollutant concentration and the average removal rate. The highest removal kinetic constant (k) value was obtained at 30°C as 0.34 /h for E₂ and at 20°C as 0.28 /h for EE₂, demonstrating the promising application potential of Caulerpa lentillifera in the water purification of the industrialized mariculture system with relatively high water temperature. Simultaneous and efficient removal of E₂ and EE₂ by Caulerpa lentillifera was still achieved after 3 cycles in the pilot-scale experiment. The steroid hormones and nutrients in mariculture wastewater could also be simultaneously removed using Caulerpa lentillifera. These findings demonstrated that Caulerpa lentillifera was the promising seaweed for the removal of steroid hormones in mariculture systems.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Phycoremediation / Steroid hormones / Seaweed / Mariculture / Caulerpa lentillifera

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41671319), Taishan Scholars Program of Shandong Province (tsqn201812116), Science and Technology Service Network Initiative of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KFJ-STS-QYZX-114), Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (No. ZR2020QD131), Two-Hundred Talents Plan of Yantai (No. Y739011021), and Yantai Science and Technology Development Project (2020MSGY062).

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