M3 PM Wastewater Treatment: Analysis, Fate and Removal of Emerging Contaminants
Monday, 14 November 2005: 1:50 PM - 5:30 PM in Ballroom 3

(BAR-1117-542553) Fate and behaviour of pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment processes.

Barcelo, D.¹, Petrovic, M.¹, Gross, M.¹, ¹ IIQAB-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain

ABSTRACT- The release of pharmaceutical residues into the aquatic environment via sewage effluent, agricultural runoff, manufacturing and disposal practices have raised concerns about possible effects to non-target organisms. The amount of drugs and their bioactive metabolites found in the environment is rather low (typically in the ng/L range). However, it is still unclear whether these levels are sufficient to induce adverse effects on aquatic and terrestrial organisms and on humans. For most pharmaceuticals, occurrence, risk assessment and eco-toxicological data are not available and it is still difficult to predict their fate in the aquatic environment. The municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) effluents, due to incomplete removal of the pharmaceutical residues during the wastewater treatment, are the major contributor. Most current WWTP are not designed to treat this type of substances and the significant portion of them can escape elimination in the WWTP and enter the aquatic environment. This work focuses on the occurrence and elimination of pharmaceuticals in conventional and advanced wastewater treatment processes and on the fate in the receiving waters, discussing the efficiency of conventional activated sludge treatment to remove pharmaceutical residues, as well as the possibilities of advanced treatment options (such as MBR or AOP). The elimination of main representatives from 7 classes of therapeutic agents (anti inflammatories, b-blockers, antibiotics, lipid regulators, psychiatric drugs, ulcer healing agents and antihistaminics) has been studied in conventional activated sludge WWTPs in several European countries.

Key words: pharmaceutical residues, activated sludge treatment, removal