The removal of 18 bisphenols at wastewater relevant concentrations (μg L-1 range) was investigated and compared between Chlorella vulgaris cultures with pH adjusted to 6.8 and pH non-adjusted cultures where pH raised to above 10. Bisphenols with a high partition coefficient (log P > 6) partitioned to biomass soon after spiking, whereas bisphenols with a low partition coefficient (log P < 4) remained largely in the aqueous phase. Hydrophobic bisphenols and BPF isomers were removed to a large degree in pH adjusted conditions, while BPS and BPAF were the most recalcitrant. The overall average removal after 13 days was similar in both experiments, with 72 ± 2% and 73 ± 5% removed in pH non-adjusted and pH adjusted series, respectively. The removal correlated with chlorophyll a concentration for most bisphenols meaning that algae played a crucial role in their removal, while culture pH also governed the removal of some compounds.
Keywords: Biodegradation; Contaminants of emerging concern; Mass balance; Microalgae; Photobioreactor.
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