Treatment of Deet in an Advanced Ozone Membrane Reactor

The risks posed by endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) on the developmental, behavioral and reproductive well-being of people and animals cannot be ignored considering the increasing occurrence of these compounds in the environment. The persistent and refractory nature of these pollutants is particularly worrying. This work investigates the conversion of DEET in an advanced ozone membrane reactor (AOMR). The reactor uses ozone-resistant polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane for ozone distribution and polyvinylidene fluorine (PVDF) membrane acts as membrane contactor and separator. Activated carbon adsorbents were deposited within the membrane lumen to trap DEET and their byproducts to allow for more complete degradation by ozone. Mass measurements were used to determine the extent of DEET conversion and degradation, while bioassay kits were employed to monitor to acute toxicity, genotoxicity and estrogenic activity of the treated water. More complete mineralization of the DEET lead to lower bioactivity in the treated water compared to DEET treated by either ozonation or membrane separation.