Combined biologic aerated filter and sulfur/ceramisite autotrophic denitrification for advanced wastewater nitrogen removal at low temperatures

An innovative advanced wastewater treatment process combining biologic aerated filter （BAF） and sulfur/ ceramisite-based autotrophic denitrification （SCAD） for reliable removal of nitrogen was proposed in this paper. In SCAD reactor, ceramisite was used as filter and Ca （HCO3）2 was used for supplying alkalinity and carbon source. The BAF-SCAD was used to treat the secondary treatment effluent. The performance of this process was investigated, and the impact of temperature on nitrogen removal was studied. Results showed that the combined system was effective in nitrogen removal even at low temperatures （8℃）. Removal of total nitrogen （TN）, NH4＋ -N, NO3-N reached above 90% at room temperature. Nitrification was affected by the temperature and nitrification at low temperature （8℃） was a limiting factor for TN removal. However, denitrification was not impacted by the temperature and the removal of NO3 -N maintained 98% during the experimental period. The reason of effective denitrification at low temperature might be the use of easily dissolved Ca（HCO3）2 and high-flux ceramisite, which solved the problem of low mass transfer efficiency at low temperatures. Besides, vast surface area of sulfur with diameter of 2-6 mm enhanced the rate of microbial utilization. The removal of nitrate companied with the production of SO42-, and the average concentration of SO27 was about 240mg.L^-1. These findings would be beneficial for the application of this process to nitrogen removal especially in the winter and cold regions.     

Occurrence and removal of N-nitrosodimethylamine and its precursors in wastewater treatment plants in and around Shanghai

Six wastewater treatment plants （WWTPs） were investigated to evaluate the occurrence and removal of N-nitrosodimethylamine （NDMA）, NDMA formation potential （FP） and four specific NDMA precursors, dimethylamine （DMA）, trimethylamine （TMA）, dimethyl- formamide （DMFA） and dimethylaminobenzene （DMAB）. DMA and tertiary amines with DMA functional group commonly existed in municipal wastewater. Chemically enhanced primary process （CEPP） had no effect on removal of either NDMA or NDMA FP. In WWTPs with secondary treatment processes, considerable variability was observed in the removal of NDMA （19%-85%） and NDMA FP （16%-76%）, moreover, there was no definite relationship between the removal of NDMA and NDMA FP. DMA was well removed in all the six surveyed WWTPs; its removal efficiency was greater than 97%. For the removal of tertiary amines, biologic treatment processes with nitrification and denitrification had better removal efficiency than conventional activated sludge process. The best removal efficiencies for TMA, DMFA and DMAB were 95%, 68% and 72%, respectively. CEPP could remove 73% of TMA, 23% of DMFA and 36% of DMAB. After UV disinfection, only 17% of NDMA was removed due to low dosage of UV was applied in WWTP. Although chlorination could reduce NDMA precursors, NDMA concentration was actually increased after chlorination.     

Occurrence and fate of antibiotics in advanced wastewater treatment facilities and receiving rivers in Beijing,China

The occurrence and removal of 13 antibiotics were investigated in five wastewater treatment plants （WWTPs） with advanced wastewater treatment processes in Beijing, China. Most of the target antibiotics were detected in the secondary and tertiary effluents, with the concentrations of 4.8-1106.0 and 0.3-505.0ng·L^-1. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics showed relatively high concentrations in all samples （782-1814ng·L^-1）. Different tertiary treatment processes showed discrepant antibiotics removal performances. Ozonation process was found more effective in removing target antibiotics compared to the coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation process and sand filtration process. Investigation of the target antibiotics in three typical urban rivers in Beijing was carried out to understand antibiotics occurrence in surface water environment. Eight antibiotics were detected in the studied rivers, with highest concentration of antibiotics in the fiver which was mainly replenished by reclaimed water. This study showed the necessity of employing more effective advanced treatment facilities to further reduce the discharge amount of antibiotics.     

Evaluation of endocrine disruption and dioxin-like effects of organic extracts from sewage sludge in autumn in Beijing,China

Study on effective disposal and utilization of sewage sludge has recently been the target of growing interest in China. However, potential risks are associated with the use of sludge due to its contamination with toxic organics, heavy metals and pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, a screening assessment was conducted on sewage sludge samples collected from 17 different sewage treatment plants in Beijing, based on a batch of in vitro bioassays, including a set of recombinant gene yeast assays for endocrine disruption, and an ethoxy resorufin-O- deethylase （EROD） assay using H4IIE cells for aryl hydrocarbon receptor （Ah-R） agonistic activities. Our results suggested that moderate levels of estrogen receptor agonistic activities （0.9 ng E2. g-1 to 6.8 ng E2. gl, dw）, but relative higher androgen receptor antagonistic activ- ities （nd to 45%）, progestin receptor antagonistic activities （nd to 80%） and Ah-R agonistic activities （1390 to 6740 pg 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin （TCDD）·g-1, dw） were found in sewage sludge samples. However, there were no significant correlations between the toxic effects of sewage sludge and the sewage treatment processes. In addition, the 17β-estradiol （E2） equivalent quantity （EEQ） level of the sewage sludge was increased after the composting treatment, whereas the 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodi- benzo-p-dioxin toxic equivalent quantity （TEQ） level of sewagesludge composted was much lower than that of sewage sludge.     

Effects of shear force on formation and properties of anoxic granular sludge in SBR

This paper reports the effects of shear force on anoxic granular sludge in sequencing batch reactors （SBR）. The study was carried out in two SBRs （SBR1 and SBR2） in which sodium acetate （200mg COD·L^-1） was used as the sole substrate and sodium nitrate （40 mgNO3-N·L^-1） was employed as the electron acceptor. The preliminary objective of this study was to cultivate anoxic granules in the SBR in order to investigate the effects of shear force on the formation of anoxic granular sludge and to compare the properties of anoxic sludge in the SBR. This study reports new results for the values of average velocity gradient, a measure of the applied shear force, which was varied in the two SBRs （3.79 s^-1 and 9.76 s^-1 for SBR1 and SBR2 respectively）. The important findings of this research highlight the dual effects of shear force on anoxic granules. A low shear force can produce large anoxic granules with high activity and poor settling ability, whereas higher shear forces produce smaller granules with better settling ability and lower activity. The results of this study show that the anoxic granulation is closely related to the strength of the shear force. For high shear force, this research demonstrated that： 1） granules with smaller diameters, high density and good settling ability were formed in the reactor, and 2） granular sludge formed faster than it did in the low shear force reactor （41days versus 76 days）. Once a steady-state has been achieved, the nitrate and COD removal rates were found to be 98% and 80%, respectively. For low shear force, such as was applied in SBR1, this research demonstrated that： 1） the activity of anoxic granular sludge in low shear force was higher than that in high shear force, 2） higher amount of soluble microbial products （SMPs） were produced, and 3） large pores were observed inside the larger granules,which are beneficial for nitrogen gas diffusion. Electron microscopic examination of the anoxic granules in both reactors showed that the morphology of the granules was ellipsoidal with a clear outline. Coccus and rod-shaped bacteria were wrapped by filamentous bacteria on the surface of granule.     

Removal of clofibric acid from aqueous solution by polyethylenimine-modified chitosan beads

Polyethylenimine （PEI）-modified chitosan was prepared and used to remove clofibric acid （CA） from aqueous solution. PEI was chemically grafted on the porous chitosan through a crosslinking reaction, and the effects of PEI concentration and reaction time in the preparation on the adsorption of clofibric acid were optimized. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） showed that PEI macromolecules were uniformly grafted on the porous chitosan, and the analysis of pore size distribution indicated that more mesopores were formed due to the crosslinking of PEI molecules in the macropores of chitosan. The PEI-modified chitosan had fast adsorption for CA within the initial 5 h, while this adsorbent exhibited an adsorption capacity of 349 mg· g^-1 for CA at pH 5.0 according to the Langmuir fitting, higher than 213 mg· g^-1 on the porous chitosan. The CA adsorption on the PEI- modified chitosan was pH-dependent, and the maximum adsorption was achieved at pH 4.0. Based on the surface charge analysis and comparison of different pharmaceu- ticals adsorption, electrostatic interaction dominated the sorption of CA on the PEI-modified chitosan. The PEI- modified chitosan has a potential application for the removal of some anionic rnicropollutants from water or wastewater.     

Removal of Cu（ll） ions from aqueous solution by activated carbon impregnated with humic acid

Humic acid （HA） was impregnated onto powdered activated carbon to improve its Cu（II） adsorption capability. The optimum pH value for Cu（II） removal was 6. The maximum adsorption capacity of HAimpregnated activated carbon was up to 5.98mg.g-1, which is five times the capacity of virgin activated carbon. The adsorption processes were rapid and accompanied by changes in pH. In using a linear method, it was determined that the equilibrium experimental data were better represented by the Langmuir isotherm than by the Freundlich isotherm. Surface charges and surface functional groups were studied through zeta potential and FTIR measurements to explain the mechanism behind the humicacid modification that enhanced the Cu（II） adsorption capacity of activated carbon.     

Bioremediation of highly contaminated oilfield soil: Bioaugmentation for enhancing aromatic compounds removal

This study evaluated the effectiveness of different amendments--including a commercial NPK fertilizer, a humic substance （HS）, an organic industrial waste （NovoGro）, and a yeast-bacteria consortium--in the remediation of highly contaminated （up to 6% of total petroleum hydrocarbons） oilfield soils. The concentrations of hydrocarbon, soil toxicity, physicochemical properties of the soil, microbial population numbers, enzyme activities and microbial community structures were examined during the 90-d incubation. The results showed that the greatest degradation of total petroleum hydro- carbons （TPH） was observed with the biostimulation using mixture of NPK, HS and NovoGro, a treatment scheme that enhanced both dehydrogenase and lipase activities in soil. Introduction of exogenous hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria （in addition to biostimulation with NPK, HS and NovoGro） had negligible effect on the removal of TPH, which was likely due to the competition between exogenous and autochthonous microorganisms. None- theless, the addition of exogenous yeast-bacteria consor- tium significantly enhanced the removal of the aromatic fraction of the petroleum hydrocarbons, thus detoxifying the soil. The effect of bioaugmentation on the removal of more recalcitrant petroleum hydrocarbon fraction was likely due to the synergistic effect of bacteria and fungi.     

Biosorption of Cr（VI） by carbonized Eupatorium adenophorum and Buckwheat straw： thermodynamics and mechanism

High quality and low cost carbon can be prepared from Eupatorium adenophorum （E. adenophorum） and Buckwheat straw. The biosorbent was used for Cr（VI） removal. The effect of experimental parameters, such as pH, sorbent dosage and temperature were examined and the optimal experimental condition was determned. Solution pH is found influencing the adsorp- tion. Cr（VI） removal efficiency is found to be maximum （98%） at pH= 1. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms were applicable to the adsorption process and their constants were evaluated. The adsorption data obtained agreed well with the Langmuir sorption isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacities for Cr（VI） ranged from 46.23 to 55.19mg.g^-1 for temperature between 298 K and 308 K under the condition of pH = 1.0. Thermodynamic parameters such as free energy change （AG）, enthalpy （AH） and entropy （AS） indicate a spontaneous, endothermic and increased randomness nature of Cr（VI） adsorption. Studies found that the raw E. adenophorum and buckwheat straw mixed materials with simple treatment had a high efficiency for the removal of Cr（VI） and would be a promising adsorbent.     

N2O emission from a sequencing batch reactor for biological N and P removal from wastewater

Nitrous oxide （N2O） is a greenhouse gas that can be released during biological nitrogen removal from wastewater. N2O emission from a sequencing batch reactor （SBR） for biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal from wastewater was investigated, and the aims were to examine which process, nitrification or denitrification, would contribute more to N2Oemission and to study the effects of heterotrophic activities on N2O emission during nitrification. The results showed that N2O emission was mainly attributed to nitrification rather than to denitrification. N2O emission during denitrification mainly occurred with stored organic carbon as the electron donor. During nitrification, NaO emission was increased with increasing initial ammonium or nitrite concentrations. The ratio of N2O emission to the removed ammonium nitrogen （N2O- N/NH4-N） was 2.5% in the SBR system with high heterotrophic activities, while this ratio was in the range from 0.14% to 1.06% in batch nitrification experiments with limited heterotrophic activities.     

E. coli and bacteriophage MS2 disinfection by UV,ozone and the combined UV and ozone processes

The combination of low-dose ozone with ultraviolet （UV） irradiation should be an option to give benefit to disinfection and reduce drawbacks of UV and ozone disinfection. However, less is known about the disinfection performance of UV and ozone （UV/ozone） coexposure and sequential UV-followed-by-ozone （UV- ozone） and ozone-followed-by-UV （ozone-UV） expo- sures. In this study, inactivation of E. coli and bacterioph- age MS2 by UV, ozone, UV/ozone coexposure, and sequential UV-ozone and ozone-UV exposures was investigated and compared. Synergistic effects of 0.5-0.9 log kill on E. coli inactivation, including increases in the rate and efficiency, were observed after the UV/ozone coexposure at ozone concentrations as low as 0.05 mg-L-1 in ultrapure water. The coexposure with 0.02-mg.L-1 ozone did not enhance the inactivation but repressed E. coli photoreactivation. Little enhancement on E. coli inactivation was found after the sequential UV-ozone or ozone-UV exposures. The synergistic effect on MS2 inactivation was less significant after the UV/ozone coexposure, and more significant after the sequential ozone-UV and UV-ozone exposures, which was 0.2 log kill for the former and 0.8 log kill for the latter two processes, at ozone dose of 0.1 mg. t-1 and UV dose of 8.55 mJ. cm 2 in ultrapure water. The synergistic effects on disinfection were also observed in tap water. These results show that the combination of UV and low-dose ozone is a promising technology for securing microbiological quality of water.     

Production of N2O in two biologic nitrogen removal processes: a comparison between conventional and short-cut nitrogen removal processes

The N2O production in two nitrogen removal processes treating domestic wastewater was investigated in laboratory-scale aerobic-anoxic sequencing batch reactors （SBRs）. Results showed that N2O emission happened in the aerobic phase rather than in the anoxic phase. During the aerobic phase, the nitrogen conversion to N2O gas was 27.7% and 36.8% of NH＋-N loss for conventional biologic N-removal process and short-cut biologic N-removal process. The dissolved N2O was reduced to N2 in the anoxic denitrification phase. The N2O production rate increased with the increasing of nitrite concentration and ceased when NH＋-N oxidation was terminated. Higher nitrite accumulation resulted in higher NEO emission in the short-cut nitrogen removal process. Pulse-wise addition of 20 mg NO2 -N. L- 1 gave rise to 3-fold of N2O emission in the conventional N-removal process, while little change happened with 20 mg NOS-N L-1 was added to SBR1.     

Removal of pharmaceutical and personal care products by sequential ultraviolet and ozonation process in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant

The application of appropriate advanced treat- ment process in the municipal wastewater treatment plants （WWTPs） has become an important issue considering the elimination of emerging contaminants, such as pharma- ceutical and personal care products （PPCPs）. In the present study, the removal of 13 PPCPs belonging to different therapeutic classes by the sequential ultraviolet （UV） and ozonation process in a full-scale WWTP in Beijing was investigated over the course of ten months. Most of the target PPCPs were effectively removed, and the median removal efficiencies of individual PPCPs, ranging from -13% to 89%, were dependent on their reaction rate constants with molecular ozone. Noticeable fluctuation in the removal efficiencies of the same PPCPs was observed in different sampling campaigns. Nevertheless, the sequential UV and ozonation process still made a significant contribution to the total elimination of most PPCPs in the full-scale WWTP, by compensating for the poor or fluctuant removal performance of PPCPs by biologic treatment process.     

Process control factors for continuous microbial perchlorate reduction in the presence of zero-valent iron

Process control parameters influencing microbial perchlorate reduction via a flow-through zero-valent iron （ZVI） column reactor were investigated in order to optimize perchlorate removal from water. Mixed perchlorate reducers were obtained from a wastewater treatment plant and inoculated into the reactor without further acclimation. Examined parameters included hydraulic residence time （HRT）, pH, nutrients requirement, and perchlorate reduction kinetics. The minimum HRT for the system was concluded to be 8 hr. The removal efficiency of 10 mg. L-1 influent perchlorate concentration was reduced by 20%-80% without control to the neutral pH （HRT = 8 hr）. Therefore pH was determined to be an important parameter for microbial perchlorate reduction. Furthermore, a viable alternative to pH buffer was discussed. The microbial perchlorate reduction followed the first order kinetics, with a rate constant （K） of 0.761 hr-1. The results from this study will contribute to the implementation of a safe, cost effective, and efficient system for perchlorate reduction to below regulated levels.     

Optimization of methyl orange removal from aqueous solution by response surface methodology using spent tea leaves as adsorbent

The effective disposal of redundant tea waste is crucial to environmental protection and comprehensive utilization of trash resources. In this work, the removal of methyl orange （MO） from aqueous solution using spent tea leaves as the sorbent was investigated in a batch experiment. First, the effects of various parameters such as temperature, adsorption time, dose of spent tea leaves, and initial concentration of MO were investigated. Then, the response surface methodology （RSM）, based on Box- Behnken design, was employed to obtain the optimum adsorption conditions. The optimal conditions could be obtained at an initial concentration of MO of 9.75 mg·L-1, temperature of 35.3℃, contact time of 63.8 min, and an adsorbent dosage 3.90 g· L-1. Under the optimized condi- tions, the maximal removal of MO was 58.2%. The results indicate that spent tea leaves could be used as an effective and economical adsorbent in the removal of MO from aqueous solution.     

Enhanced adsorption of phosphate by loading nanosized ferric oxyhydroxide on anion resin

Ferric oxyhydroxide loaded anion exchanger （FOAE） hybrid adsorbent was prepared by loading nanosized ferric oxyhydroxide （FO） on anion exchanger resin for the removal of phosphate from wastewater. TEM and XRD analysis confirmed the existence of FO on FOAE. After FO loading, the adsorption capacity of the hybrid adsorbent increased from 38.70 to 51.52mg.g-1. Adsorption processes for both FOAE and anion resin were better fit to the pseudo first order model. Batch adsorption experiments revealed that higher temperature （313K）, higher initial phosphate concentration （50 mg.L-1） and lower solution pH （pH value of 2） would be more propitious to phosphate adsorption. Competition effect of coexisting anions on phosphate removal can be concluded as sulfate 〉 nitrate 〉 chloride. Freundlich isotherm model can describe the adsorption of phosphate on FOAE more accurately, which indicated the heterogeneous adsorption occurred on the inner-surface of FOAE.     

Removal of non-point pollutants from bridge runoff by a hydrocyclone using natural water head

A hydrocyclone using natural water head provided by bridge was operated for the treatment of stormwater runoff. The hydrocyclone was automatically controlled using electronic valve which is connected to a pressure meter. Normally the hydrocyclone was open during dry days, but it was closed after the capture of the first flush. The results indicated that the average pressure and the flow rate were directly affected by the rainfall intensity. The pressure head was more than 2 m when the rainfall intensity was above 5mm·h^-1. The percentage volume of underflow with high solids concentration decreased as the pressure and flow rate increased, but the percentage volume of overflow with almost no solids showed the opposite behavior. The total suspended solids （TSS） concentration ratio between the overflow and inflow （TSSover/TSSin） decreased as a function of the operational pressure, while the corresponding ratio of underflow to inflow （TSSunaer/TSSi,） increased. The TSS separation efficiency was evaluated based on a mass balance. It ranged from 25% to 99% with the pressure head ranging from 1.4 to 9.7 m, and it was proportional to pressure and flow rate. Normally, the efficiency was more than 50% when the pressure was higher than 2 m. The analysis of the water budget indicated that around 13% of the total runoff was captured by the hydrocyclone as a first flush, and this runoff was separated as underflow and overflow with the respective percentage volumes of 29% and 71%. The pollutants budget was also examined based on a mass balance. The results showed that the percentage of TSS, chemical oxygen demand （COD）, total nitrogen （TN）, and total phosphorus （TP） in underflow were 73%, 59%, 7.6%, and 49%, respectively. Thus, it can be concluded that the hydrocyclone worked well. It separated the first flush as solids-concentrated underflow and solids-absent overflow, and effectively reduced the runoff volume needing further treatment. Finally, four types of optional post treatment design are presented and compared.     

Effects of phosphorus concentration on Cr（VI） sorption onto phosphorus-rich sludge biochar

To investigate effects of phosphorus content on Cr（VI） sorption onto phosphorus-rich biochar, sewage sludge of different phosphorus concentrations from 4 to 60 mg.g-1 by dry weight were prepared and carbonized to make biochar for batch sorption experiments. Test results revealed that different phosphorous concentration of raw sludge had respective impacts on surface area, pore surface area, average pore diameter and pH value of derived biochar. The adsorption kinetics of phosphorus-rich biochar could be described by the pseudo-second-order model. The sorption isotherm data followed Langmiur model better than Freundlich model. Biochar produced from sludge with phosphorus concentration of 20 mg. gl gave the largest chromium sorption capacity, which could be attributed to its largest surface area and pores surface area comparing with those of＇biochars from sludge with other phosphorus concentrations. The chromium loaded biochar was analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and X-ray Diffraction measurement. The results indicated that chemical functional groups hydroxyl and methyl on surface of biochar were involved in Cr（VI） binding and its reducing to Cr（III）. Then, a portion of Cr （III） in form of various phosphate precipitates was bound onto biochar surface and the rest was released into the solution. The experimental results suggested that phos- phorus played an important role in pore and surface area development of sludge biochar during pyrolytic process. It also could react with Cr（III） on the biochar surface that impacted on capacity of Cr（VI） removal from solution by sludge biochar. Therefore, phosphorus concentration in sludge should be considered when sludge pyrolytic residue would be reused for heavy metals sorbing.     

Occurrence of estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals concern in sewage plant effluent

The purpose of this study was to give a worldwide overview of the concentrations of typical estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals （EDCs） in the effluent of sewage plants and then compare the concentra- tion distribution of the estrogenic EDCs in ten countries based on the survey data of the estrogenic EDCs research. The concentrations of three main categories （totally eight kinds） of estrogenic EDCs including steroidal estrogens （estrone （El）, estradiol （E2）, estriol （E3） and 17a- ethynylestradiol （EE2））, phenolic compounds （nonylphe- nol （NP） and bisphenol A （BPA）） and phthalate esters （dibutyl phthalate （DBP） and dibutyl phthalate （2- ethylhexyl） phthalate （DEHP）） in the effluents of sewage plants reported in major international journals over the past decade were collected. The statistics showed that the concentration distributions of eight kinds of EDCs were in the range of ng·L^-1 to μg·L^-1. The concentrations of steroidal estrogens mainly ranged within 50.00 ng. L-1, and the median concentrations of El, E2, E3 and EE2 were 11.00, 3.68, 4.90 and 1.00 ng·L^-1, respectively. Phenolic compounds and phthalate esters were found at pg. L-1 level （some individual values were at the high level of 40.00 μg·L^-1）. The median concentrations of BPA, NP, DBP and DEHP were 0.06, 0.55, 0.07 and 0.88 μg·L^-1, respectively. The concentrations of phenolic compounds and phthalate esters in the effluents were higher than that of steroids estrogens. The analysis of the concentration in various ten countries showed that steroids estrogens, phenolic compounds and phthalate esters in sewage plant effluents were detected with high concentration in Canada, Spain and China, respectively.     

In vitro agonistic and antagonistic endocrine disrupting effects of organic extracts from waste water of different treatment processes

Effluents from wastewater treatment plant （WWTP） have been reported to have a broad spectrum of endocrine disrupting compounds （EDCs）. The majority of studies have focused on the occurrence of estrogenic activity, while ignoring nuclear hormone receptors （NRs） pathways. In the present study, a battery of in vitro yeast bioassays and a cell bioassay, including antagonistic and agonistic effects on estrogen receptor （ER）, androgen receptor （AR）, progesterone receptor （PR）, estrogen- related receptor （ERR） and aryl hydrocarbon receptor （AHR）, were conducted to evaluate the removal efficien- cies of EDCs by different treatment processes of a WWTP located in Beijing. Estrogenic, anti-estrogenic, anti- androgenic, anti-progesteronic, anti-ERR and the activa- tion of AHR activities were detected in samples from all treatment processes and the receiving water. The concen- tration of estrogenic contaminants with estradiol （E2） equivalent concentrations ranged from 0.82 x 10-9 to 3.54 x 10 9g Ee_EQ.L-1. The concentration of anti-estrogenic contaminants with 4-hydroxytamoxifen （4-OHT） equiva- lent concentrations ranged from 1.24 × 10-6 to 2.36 x 10-6 g 4-OHT-EQ.L-1. The concentration of anti-androgenic contaminants ranged from 2.21 x 10-s to 3.52 × 10-6g flutamide-EQ. L-1. The concentration of anti-progesteronic contaminants ranged from 3.15 x 10^-5 to 2.71 x 10^-4g RU486-EQ. L-1. The concentration of anti-ERR contami- nants ranged from 7.09 x 10-5 to 6.50 x 104 g 4-OHT-EQ × L^-10. The concentration of AHR activators ranged from 1.7 × 10-10 to 3.4 × 10^-10g TCDD-EQ-L-1. These processes including secondary clarifier, coagulation, as well as coal and sand filtration could eliminated 67.2% of estrogenic contaminants, 47.0% of anti-estrogenic contaminants, 98.3% of anti-androgenic contaminants, 88.4% of anti- progesteronic contaminants, 65.4% of anti-ERR contami- nants and 46.9% of AHR activators. WWTP effluents contain multiple receptor disruptors may have very complex adverse effects on exposed organisms.