Background
Recycling wastewater into drinking water is a growing need as the world’s demand for water increases. The presence of hormonally active agents, or endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), in recycled wastewater is of growing concern. EDCs find their way into the wastewater supply from everyday consumer items like plasticizers, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and flame retardants. EDCs have been shown to disrupt hormone function in exposed organisms and they are usually not completely removed during conventional wastewater treatment. Some forms of physical and chemical treatment methods exist for treating EDCs in wastewater, but they are expensive and unattainable for many parts of the world.

Invention Description
This invention describes a bioremediation technique that is capable for removing EDCs from wastewater using a novel process. The active agents used in this process are naturally occurring and are capable of degrading a wide range of compounds including EDCs. The agent induces the enzymatic biocatalysis of EDCs in wastewater. To date the technology has been demonstrated at laboratory scale and may be further optimized by proper adjustment of wastewater conditions prior to full-scale treatment.

File Number: 3713