Removal of steroid hormone micropollutants from water using a membrane composite of UF with permeate side adsorption

A novel way of removing micropollutants – especially steroid hormones – from water has been developed in Germany at the Institute for Advanced Membrane Technology (IAMT) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). As this article shows, it is based on the combination of a polymeric ultrafiltration (UF) membrane and activated carbon. The two resulting separation processes work independently and can be tuned separately, depending on the quality of the water to be treated. Whilst meeting the ambitious requirements for steroid hormone removal, it also has the potential to fulfil the needs of alternative water management strategies.