A study published in Environmental Technology found that biological treatment followed by UV light and hydrogen peroxide removed three endocrine-disrupting chemicals more effectively than conventional treatment under laboratory conditions.
Goa, October 26, 2026: Researchers from Goa Institute of Management (GIM) and CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Nagpur, have identified a treatment sequence that improved the removal of emerging pollutants from municipal wastewater in laboratory experiments.
The study found that biological treatment followed by ultraviolet (UV) light and hydrogen peroxide was the most effective of six treatment combinations tested for removing three endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The findings have been published in the journal Environmental Technology.
The research examined whether combining existing wastewater treatment methods in a particular sequence could improve pollutant removal without replacing conventional treatment processes.
Three Emerging Pollutants Examined in the Study
The researchers investigated three chemicals commonly associated with consumer and industrial products:
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Diethyl phthalate (DEP): A phthalate compound used in certain consumer and industrial applications.
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Butyl paraben (BuP): A preservative used in some personal care and consumer products.
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Bisphenol A (BPA): A chemical used in the manufacture of certain plastics and resins.
These substances belong to a group of chemicals known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which can interfere with the body's hormonal system. They may enter wastewater through domestic and industrial discharges, creating challenges for treatment systems, particularly when several pollutants occur together.
Biological Treatment Followed by UV and Hydrogen Peroxide Performs Best
The study was conducted by Prof. Mehak Puri, Assistant Professor at GIM's Centre for Excellence in Sustainable Development, in collaboration with Dr. Kavita Gandhi and Dr. M. Suresh Kumar of CSIR-NEERI.
The team compared six combinations of biological treatment and advanced oxidation processes. Advanced oxidation using UV light and hydrogen peroxide helps break down pollutants through chemical reactions.
The researchers evaluated different treatment sequences to determine which combination delivered the highest removal efficiency for the target chemicals.
The biological treatment followed by UV/H₂O₂ treatment, described as Bio/UV/H₂O₂ in the research, produced the strongest results among the tested combinations.
Study Reports Complete DEP Removal and More Than 90% Removal of Other Chemicals
Under the laboratory conditions used in the study, the selected treatment sequence achieved the following results:
Diethyl phthalate (DEP)
100%
Complete removal reported
Butyl paraben (BuP)
>90%
Removal efficiency
Bisphenol A (BPA)
>90%
Removal efficiency
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
90.5%
Reduction in organic load
Chemical Oxygen Demand is an indicator of the amount of oxygen required to chemically oxidise organic matter in water. A reduction in COD indicates a decrease in the wastewater's overall organic load.
By comparison, the conventional municipal wastewater treatment process achieved removal rates of approximately 36.41% to 55.11% for the target chemical mixture under the conditions tested.
Why Combining Treatment Methods Matters
Conventional wastewater treatment systems are primarily designed to address established treatment requirements. Some emerging pollutants can remain in treated wastewater, particularly when multiple chemicals are present together.
The research indicates that combining biological treatment with an advanced oxidation process may improve the removal of selected contaminants. The sequence matters because the performance of a treatment system can vary depending on whether biological or oxidation treatment is applied first.
The study provides comparative evidence that the Bio/UV/H₂O₂ sequence can outperform the other combinations evaluated for the three target chemicals.
Prof. Mehak Puri Highlights the Challenge of Emerging Pollutants
Commenting on the findings, Prof. Mehak Puri said emerging pollutants are a growing concern because conventional treatment systems may not be designed to remove them, especially when different chemicals occur together.
She highlighted the need to investigate treatment options that can address mixtures of pollutants and noted the limited standards and policies specifically addressing these contaminants in India.
The research explores how existing treatment technologies could be combined to improve removal performance, offering a basis for further investigation into the treatment of emerging pollutants.
Further Research Needed Before Large-Scale Implementation
The researchers cautioned that the experiments were conducted at laboratory scale using real municipal wastewater, with the target chemicals added at concentrations higher than those typically found in the environment.
This approach enabled controlled comparisons of the six treatment combinations. However, the results do not yet establish how the process would perform at environmentally relevant pollutant concentrations or in continuously operating municipal wastewater treatment plants.
The published study also identifies energy consumption and operating costs as important considerations for practical application. Further validation under environmentally relevant concentrations and continuous-flow conditions is needed before the method can be assessed for wider deployment.
The findings therefore provide a starting point for future research into hybrid biological and advanced oxidation treatment systems rather than confirmation that the process is already ready for large-scale use.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What did the Goa Institute of Management wastewater study find?
The study found that biological treatment followed by UV light and hydrogen peroxide was the most effective of six tested treatment combinations for removing three endocrine-disrupting chemicals from municipal wastewater under laboratory conditions.
2. Which institutions conducted the research?
The research involved Prof. Mehak Puri of Goa Institute of Management and Dr. Kavita Gandhi and Dr. M. Suresh Kumar of CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur.
3. Which pollutants were examined?
The study examined diethyl phthalate (DEP), butyl paraben (BuP) and bisphenol A (BPA).
4. What was the removal efficiency of the selected treatment method?
The Bio/UV/H₂O₂ sequence achieved complete DEP removal, more than 90% removal of BuP and BPA, and a 90.5% reduction in Chemical Oxygen Demand under the reported laboratory conditions.
5. How did the treatment compare with conventional wastewater treatment?
The conventional treatment plant achieved approximately 36.41% to 55.11% removal of the target chemical mixture under the study's tested conditions.
6. What is advanced oxidation in wastewater treatment?
Advanced oxidation uses processes that generate highly reactive chemical species to break down pollutants. In this study, the researchers used UV light and hydrogen peroxide.
7. Can the method be used immediately in municipal wastewater treatment plants?
The study does not establish immediate large-scale readiness. Further testing at environmentally relevant pollutant concentrations and in continuous-flow systems is required, alongside assessment of energy consumption and operating costs.
8. Where were the research findings published?
The findings were published in Environmental Technology in a paper titled “Comparative experimental evaluation of sequential biological-UV/H₂O₂ treatment for endocrine-disrupting chemical mixtures under controlled batch conditions.”
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