Detection, Occurrence, and Treatment of Nonylphenol and Bisphenol-A in Taiwanese Drinking Water Sources

Abstract

This study investigated the occurrence and treatment of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), i.e., nonylphenol (NP) and bisphenol-A (BPA), in Taiwanese drinking water sources. The performance of coagulation-sedimentation and rapid filtration in removing a suite of EDCs was evaluated. The rapid filtration process was more effective in removing EDCs than the coagulation and sedimentation processes. In addition, the bioassay techniques E-SCREEN and T47D-KBluc were also used to assess water quality for human health protection. The humic acid may form a gel cake on the surface of membrane and enhance the removal efficiency. Calcium ions not only increase the ionic strength of the solution but also compress the double layer between the adsorbent and the adsorbate, resulting in enhanced removal efficiency. It was thus concluded that both enhancements of ionic strength and molecular size would increase the efficiency of EDC removal. The two selected bioassays suggested that the water quality in Taiwan is satisfactory and good for human health.