Removal of EDCs from Industrial Sludge by Electron Beam

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and potential EDCs are mostly man-made, found in various materials such as pesticides, additives or contaminants in food, and personal care products. The high energy ionizing radiation has the ability to remove the EDCs with a very high degree of reliability and in a clean and efficient manner. The ionizing radiation interacts with EDCs both directly and indirectly. Direct interaction takes place with EDCs and the structure of EDCs is destroyed or changed. During indirect interaction, radiolysis products of water result in the formation of highly reactive intermediates which then react with the target molecules, culminating in structural changes. To confirm the radiation reduction of EDCs in industrial sludge, a pilot scale experiment up to 50 kGy of electron beam (EB) was conducted with samples from the textile dyeing industries. The experimental result showed the over 90% of reduction of Nonylphenol (NP) and Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) at around 10 kGy of absorbed doses.