Skip to main content
Log in

Biodegradation of 17-β-estradiol in water

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study reports a potential biotechnical method of 17-β-estradiol removal in aquatic systems. The different bacterial strains isolated from sewage water samples were Bacillus sp., Enterobacter sp. I, Enterobacter sp. II, Klebsiella sp., Aeromonas veronii and Aeromonas punctate. These isolates were characterized on the basis of a single PCR reaction from the 5′ end of the PCR fragment to obtain > 700 bp of high-quality sequence. The adjoining lineages of each organism were obtained by BLAST searches. The identified bacterial species were incubated in a saline media under different concentrations of 17-β-estradiol in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The concentrations of CO2 and 17-β-estradiol were measured by GC and HPLC, respectively. The percentage degradations of 17-β-estradiol in aerobic and anaerobic conditions were 100 and 91.56%, respectively, using Klebsiella and Bacillus species. The developed and reported method is an inexpensive, selective and economic. This method may be used to remove 17-β-estradiol in any water resource.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aboul-Enein HY, Ali I (2000) Macrocyclic antibiotics as effective chiral selectors for enantiomeric resolution by liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis. Chromatographia 52:679–691

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aboul-Enein HY, Ali I (2002) Comparative study of the enantiomeric resolution of chiral antifungal drugs econazole, miconazole and sulconazole by HPLC on various cellulose chiral columns in normal phase mode. J Pharm Biomed Anal 27:441–446

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Adeel M, Song X, Wang Y, Francis D, Yang Y (2017) Environmental impact of estrogens on human, animal and plant life: a critical review. Environ Int 99:107–119

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Adler P, Steger-Hartmann T, Kalbfus W (2001) Distribution of natural and synthetic estrogenic steroid hormones in water samples from Southern and Middle Germany. Acta Hydrochim Hydrobiol 29:227–241

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Afifi R, Elnwishy N, Hannora A, Hedstrom M, Mattiasson B, Omran H, Ali I (2016) SPE and HPLC monitoring of 17-β-estradiol in Egyptian aquatic ecosystems. J Liq Chromatogr Relat Technol 39(8):428–434

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I (2010) The quest for active carbon adsorbent substitutes: inexpensive adsorbents for toxic metal ions removal from wastewater. Sep Purf Rev 39:95–171

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Aboul-Enein HY (2003) Enantioseparation of some clinically used drugs by HPLC using cellulose Tris(3,5-dichlorophenylcarbamate) chiral stationary phase. Biomed Chromatogr 17:113–117

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Naim L, Ghanem A, Aboul-Enein HY (2006a) Chiral separations of piperidine-2,6-dione analogues on Chiralpak IA and Chiralpak IB columns by using HPLC. Talanta 69:1013–1017

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Kumerer K, Aboul-Enein HY (2006b) Mechanistic principles in chiral separations using liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis. Chromatographia 63:295–307

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Aboul-Enein HY, Gupta VK (2009) Nanochromatography and nanocapillary electrophoresis: pharmaceutical and environmental analyses. Wiley, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Aboul-Enein HY, Kümmerer K (2011) Analyses of drugs and pharmaceuticals in the environment, In biophysico-chemical processes of anthropogenic organic compounds in environmental systems. In: Xing B, Senesi N, Huang PM (eds) IUPAC sponsored book series. Wiley, New York, pp 439–462

    Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Khan TA, Asim M (2012) Removal of arsenate from groundwater by electrocoagulation method. Environ Sci Pollut Res 19:1668–1676

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Asim M, Khan TA (2013) Arsenite removal from water by electro-coagulation on zinc–zinc and copper–copper electrodes. Int J Environ Sci Technol 10:377–384

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Alotham ZA, Alwarthan A, Asim M, Khan TA (2014) Removal of arsenic species from water by batch and column operations on bagasse fly ash. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21:3218–3229

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Alotham ZA, Alwarthan A (2015) Green synthesis of iron nano-impregnated adsorbent for fast removal of fluoride from water. J Mol Liq 211:457–465

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Alotham ZA, Alwarthan A (2016a) Synthesis of composite iron nano adsorbent and removal of ibuprofen drug residue from water. J Mol Liq 219:858–864

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Alotham ZA, Alwarthan A (2016b) Molecular uptake of congo red dye from water on iron composite nano particles. J Mol Liq 219:171–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Alotham ZA, Alwarthan A (2016c) Green synthesis of functionalized iron nano particles and molecular liquid phase adsorption of ametryn from water. J Mol Liq 211:1168–1174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Alotham ZA, Alwarthan A (2016d) Uptake of pantoprazole drug residue from water using novel synthesized composite iron nano adsorbent. J Mol Liq 218:465–472

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Alotham ZA, Alwarthan A (2016e) Sorption, kinetics and thermodynamics studies of atrazine herbicide removal from water using iron nano-composite material. Int J Environ Sci Technol 10:733–742

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Alotham ZA, Alwarthan A (2017a) Uptake of propranolol on ionic liquid iron nanocomposite adsorbent: kinetic, thermodynamics and mechanism of adsorption. J Mol Liq 236:205–213

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ali I, Alothman ZA, Alwarthan A (2017b) Supra molecular mechanism of the removal of 17-β-estradiol endocrine disturbing pollutant from water on functionalized iron nano particles. J Mol Liq 441:123–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen HR, Siegrist H, Halling-Sørensen B, Ternes T (2003) Fate of estrogens in a municipal sewage treatment plant. Environ Sci Technol 37:4021–4026

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Andrea W, Josef M, Thomas T (2003) Study on endocrine distupters in drinking water. Final Report ENV.D.1/ETU/2000/0083 Schmallenberg and Wiesbaden, February 26

  • Ansari FA, Khatoon H (1997) Curing of R plasmids present in gram negative bacteria isolated from poultry in Karachi by ethidium bromide. Pak J Pharm Sci 10:13–16

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Burton JL, Wells M (2002) The effect of phytoestrogens on the female genital tract. J Clin Pathol 55:401–407

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell DJ, Mastrocco F, Nowak E, Johnston J, Yekel H, Pfeiffer D, Hoyt M, DuPlessie BM, Anderson PD (2009) An assessment of potential exposure and risk from estrogens in drinking water. Environ Health Perspect 118:338–344

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cook JW, Dodds EC, Hewett CL, Lawson W (1934) The oestrogenic activity of some condensed-ring compounds in relation to their biological activities. Proc R Soc Lond 114:272–286

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fernández L, Louvado A, Esteves VI, Gomes NCM, Almeida A, Cunha  (2017) Biodegradation of 17β-estradiol by bacteria isolated from deep sea sediments in aerobic and anaerobic media. J Hazard Mater 323:359–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fujii K, Kikuchi S, Satomi M, Ushio-Sata N, Morita N (2002) Degradation of 17β-estradiol by a gram-negative bacterium isolated from activated sludge in a sewage treatment plant in Tokyo, Japan. Appl Environ Microbiol 68(4):2057–2060

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Geize R, Dijkhuizen L (2004) Harnessing the catabolic diversity of rhodococci for environmental and biotechnological applications. Curr Opin Microbiol 7(3):255–261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen PD, Hock HDB, Sherry AMJ, Blaise MMC (1998) A biomarker for endocrine disruptors. Trends Anal Chem 17:448–451

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jahnke GD, Choksi NY, Moore JA, Shelby MD (2003) Thyroid toxicants: assessing reproductive health effects. Environ Health Perspect 112:363–368

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang L, Yang J, Chen J (2010) Isolation and characteristics of 17β-estradiol-degrading Bacillus spp. strains from activated sludge. Biodegradation 21(5):729–736

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khanal SK, Xie B, Thompson ML, Sung S, Ong SK, Leeuwent VJ (2007) Fate, transport, and biodegradation of natural estrogens in the environment and engineered systems. Environ Sci Technol 8:6537–6546

    Google Scholar 

  • Koh YKK, Chiu TY, Boobis A, Cartmell E, Scrimshaw MD, Lester JN (2008) Treatment and removal strategies from wastewater. Environ Technol 29:245–267

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Laurenson JP, Bloom RA, Page S, Sadrieh N (2014) Ethinyl estradiol and other human pharmaceutical estrogens in the aquatic environment: a review of recent risk assessment data. AAPS J 16(2):299–310

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Le Noir M, Lepeuple AS, Guieysse B, Mattiasson B (2007) Selective removal of 17[beta]-estradiol at trace concentration using a molecularly imprinted polymer. Water Res 41:2825–2831

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee H, Liu D (2002) Degradation of 17β-estradiol and its metabolites by sewage bacteria. Water Air Soil Pollut 134:353–368

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li S, Liu J, Sun M, Ling W, Zhu X (2017) Isolation, characterization, and degradation performance of the 17β-estradiol-degrading bacterium Novosphingobium sp. E2S. Int J Environ Res Public Health 14:115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li M, Zhao X, Zhang X, Wu D, Leng S (2018) Biodegradation of 17β-estradiol by bacterial co-culture isolated from manure. Sci Rep 8(1):3787

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu D, Strachan WM, Thomson K, Kwasniewska K (1981) Determination of the biodegradability of organic compounds. Environ Sci Technol 15(7):788–793

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ng KP, Datuin JP, Bern HA (2001) Effects of estrogens in vitro and in vivo on cartilage growth in the Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). Gen Comparat Endocrinol 121:295–304

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parawira W, Read JS, Mattiasson B, Björnsson L (2008) Energy production from agricultural residues: high methane yields in pilot-scale two-stage anaerobic digestion. Biomass Bioenergy 32:44–50

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pauwels B, Wille K, Noppe H, De Brabander H, Van de Wiele T, Verstraete W, Boon N (2008) 17α-Ethinylestradiol cometabolism by bacteria degrading estrone, 17β-estradiol and estriol. Biodegradation 19(5):683–693

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ra JS, Lee SH, Lee J, Kim HY, Lim BJ, Kim SH, Kim SD (2011) Occurrence of estrogenic chemicals in South Korean surface waters and municipal wastewaters. J Environ Monit 13:101–109

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan KJ (1982) Biochemistry of aromatase: significance to female reproductive physiology. Cancer Res 42:3342–3344

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sambrook J, Fritschi EF, Maniatis T (1989) Molecular cloning: A laboratory manual, 2nd edn. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Shi J, Fujisawa S, Nakai S, Hosomi M (2004) Biodegradation of natural and synthetic estrogens by nitrifying activated sludge and ammonia-oxidizing bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea. Water Res 38(9):2323–2330

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singer RS, Cooke CL, Maddox CW, Isaacson RE, Wallace RL (2006) Use of pooled samples for the detection of salmonella in feces by polymerase chain reaction. J Veter Diag Invest 18:319–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Straus D, Ausubel FM (1990) Genomic subtraction for cloning DNA corresponding to deletion mutations. Proc Natl Acad Sci 87:1889–1893

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tawfic M (2006) Persistent organic pollutants in Egyrpt: an overview. In: Twardowska I, Allen HE, Häggblom MM, Stefaniak S (eds) Soil and water pollution monitoring, protection and remediation. Springer, Berlin, pp 25–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Tikko A, Tripathi AK, Verma SC, Agrawal N, Nath G (2001) Application of PCR fingerprinting techniques for identification and discrimination of salmonella isolates. Cur Sci 80:1049–1052

    Google Scholar 

  • Weber S, Leuschner P, Kämpfer P, Dott W, Hollender J (2005) Degradation of estradiol and ethinyl estradiol by activated sludge and by a defined mixed culture. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 67(1):106–112

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • WHO (2009) Department of reproductive health and research, World health organization, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland. Commentary/Contraception 80:325–326

    Google Scholar 

  • Woźniak B, Kłopot A, Matraszek-Żuchowska I, Sielska K, Żmudzki J (2014) Determination of natural and synthetic oestrogens in surface water using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Bull Vet Inst Pulawy 58(4):603–611

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu P, Zhaaou X, Xu D, Xiang Y, Ling W, Chen M (2018) Contamination and risk assessment of estrogens in livestock manure: a case study in Jiangsu Province, China. Int J Environ Res Public Health 15(1):125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yaghjyan L, Colditz GA (2011) Estrogens in the breast tissue: a systematic review. Can Causes Control 22:529–540

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yoshimoto T, Nagai F, Fujimoto J, Watanabe K, Mizukoshi H, Makino T, Kimura K, Saino H, Sawada H, Omura H (2004) Degradation of estrogens by Rhodococcus zopfii and Rhodococcus equi isolates from activated sludge in wastewater treatment plants. Appl Environ Microbiol 70(9):5283–5289

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu CP, Roh H, Chu KH (2007) 17β-Estradiol-degrading bacteria isolated from activated sludge. Environ Sci Technol 41(2):486–492

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu CP, Deeb AA, Chu KH (2013a) Microbial degradation of steroidal estrogens. Chemosphere 91:1225–1235

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu CP, Deeb RA, Chu KH (2013b) Microbial degradation of steroidal estrogens. Chemosphere 91(9):1225–1235

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all who assisted in conducting this work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to I. Ali.

Additional information

Editorial responsibilty: M. Abbaspour.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Khattab, R.A., Elnwishy, N., Hannora, A. et al. Biodegradation of 17-β-estradiol in water. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 16, 4935–4944 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-018-1929-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-018-1929-y

Keywords

Navigation