Bennett, Jessica Lee2025-04-212025-04-212025-04-15https://hdl.handle.net/10222/85029The growing presence of steroid estrogens in aquatic systems poses risk to ecological health and stability. These compounds can elicit endocrine disrupting effects at even trace (i.e., parts-per-trillion) concentrations making monitoring and treatment efforts especially challenging. The objectives of the work were to 1) Develop and validate a QuEChERS method for improved isolation of parts-per-trillion concentrations aqueous steroid estrogens in a complex water matrix for quantitation via LC-MS/MS, 2) Evaluate the effectiveness of a commercially available treatment technology, medium-pressure UV (MP UV) photolysis, for aqueous steroid estrogen removal to develop an understanding of existing treatment capabilities, 3) Determine the efficacy of NO3- as an in-situ photooxidant in the MP UV treatment process and understand its implications for mitigating aqueous steroid estrogens, and 4) Assess the utility of UV LED photolysis as a tuneable treatment approach for targeted degradation of aqueous steroid estrogens and other trace organic compounds.en-USEnvironmental chemistryWater treatmentWater monitoringTrace organic contaminantsUV LEDs