Journals Proceedings

Abstract

17á–Methyltestosterone or MT is a synthetic androgenic steroid hormone. It is commonly used in Nile tilapia farming in order to induce the gender of all tilapia fry to be male. MT is also an endocrine disruptor (EDCs) that can disturb the function of the reproductive system of human and animals. Therefore, to prevent the contamination of MT in the environment, wastewater containing MT has to be treated prior to be discharged. In this study, synthetic wastewater containing MT at the initial concentrations of 100, 500 and 1000 ppb was treated by irradiation with UVC lamp at the power of 20 watts. The concentration of MT was monitored using HPLC. For 100 ppb, it was found that MT concentration reduced to less than 5 ppb within 15 minutes of UVC irradiation. The degradation of MT is found to be first order reaction. The degradation rate constant of MT was slightly decreased with the increase of the initial concentration. Degradation mechanism was investigated by adding Tert-butyl alcohol. From the experimental results, the main mechanism of MT degradation by UVC irradiation was direct photolysis.