Determination the biochemical kinetics of natural and synthetic estrogens in moving bed Bioreactor

Aim: Estrogenic compounds as a group of endocrine disruptive compounds can interfere with endocrine system beings. In the present work, an attempt has been made, to characterize the kinetic coefficients of natural and synthetic estrogens, in a pilot-scale moving bed biofilm bioreactor (MBBR). Materials and Methods: The substrate removal rates were investigated at different organic loading rates, and hydraulic retention times. By applying some biokinetic models including first order, second order, Stover-Kincannon, and the Monod equation, the kinetic constants (m, Ks, k, Y, and Kd) were determined. Results: Estrogen-specific removal rate was between 0.22 and 1.45 μg. g VSS-1.d-1 for natural and synthetic hormones. The experimental data showed that the Stover-Kincannon model and second-order model were the fit models and have high correlation coefficients more than 99%. Conclusion: These findings indicated that theses mathematical models could be promising models for effectively predicting kinetic parameters for performance of MBBR reactors.