The occurrence and fate of antibiotic in the environment is an uttermost concern due to development of resistant gene and lowering effect of antibiotic on diseases. In India itself, the problem is ...intense due to extensive & uncontrolled use of drugs at different medical facilities. They get mixed up with ground and surface water due to lack of proper treatment of hospital wastewater before discharging it. As it contains high concentration of antibiotics, drug residues along with certain heavy metals. The contamination due to this is not only limited to water but affects whole ecosystem severely. The concentration of these antibiotics depends upon various factors such as a characteristic of water and soil, irrational water source, cropping forms, seasonal variation of medicines. Many investigations on the toxicity of these antibiotics and their traces in aquatic environment pose serious threats. If we compare treatments with respect to different drugs then we observe that iodinated contrast media shows better removal efficiency in an MBR with UV about 66% of total load and 99% for all other drugs. It can be concluded from this study that use of about 23 mg/L of packed activate carbon with 1.08 g O3/g of DOC with 2400 J/m2 UV will be best for achieving high efficiency in drugs removal.
In this paper, our main objective was to review the occurrences and fate of common drugs and antibiotics present in effluents from hospital wastewaters. These effluents get mixed up the others streams of water and are used in various purposes like irrigation and other domestic activities, thus making the situation more complex. The conventional adopted treatment techniques for these hospital effluents are also discussed in detail.
•Occurrence of antibiotics in treated wastewater effluent has been a concern worldwide.•Hospital effluents represent an important source for the release of antibiotics into the environment.•Potential area of concern is the uptake of these antibiotics by crops irrigated by treated wastewater.•Conventional adopted treatment techniques for hospital effluents discussed in detail.
Studies focusing on the fate of organic compounds specifically recalcitrant organics and pharmaceuticals in a deammonification plant are scarce. This study downscaled a full-scale deammonification ...plant, which was being operated with the same wastewater streams of this study and evaluated for the first time the fate of different fractions of organic compounds in deammonification process along with the removal of nitrogenous compounds. Organic compounds in the feed and effluent were analyzed and their changes in the deammonification process were characterized. The results demonstrate that deammonification achieved over 90% of ammonium removal. COD monitoring revealed that around 11% of COD was reduced during the process mainly due to aerobic COD degradation and heterotrophic denitrifying bacteria. Analysis of the organic fractions revealed that high molecular weight components (around 11 kDa) are susceptible to removal and their concentrations tend to decrease in the reactor. Concentrations of humic substances, specifically fulvic acid-like substances, were reduced. Tracking nine different pharmaceutical residues revealed that morphine and cotinine were completely removed, while pregabalin and oxazepam which are known to be highly recalcitrant were more than 60% removed. The research finding can help in optimizing treatment processes by revealing the fate of different organic compounds, especially pharmaceuticals, within the deammonification process, thereby contributing to better effluent quality, regulatory compliance, and environmental protection.
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•Deammonification removes 90% ammonium from the mixture of anaerobic digestate and landfill leachate.•Molecular weights around 11 kDa are susceptible to degradation during deammonification.•Fulvic acid like substances are degraded during deammonification.•Pregabalin, and oxazepam were degraded by 69 and 61% during deammonification.
•There has been increasing interest in disposable sensors in pharmaceutical analysis.•Various applications of screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) in pharmaceutical analysis are discussed.•SPEs used for ...the analysis of pharmaceutical residues in different matrices are described.•The basic fabrication and recent advances in the design of SPEs are presented.•Different SPE modification procedures are described.
Miniaturization is crucial for the development of the current analytical tools. Several types of disposable electrochemical sensors based on the technology of screen printing have been designed for economic and practical feasibility. In the past few decades, several advances have been made in the setup and assembly of printing materials for screen-printed electrodes (SPEs). Due to their excellent material properties, simplicity, disposability, and short response times, SPEs have been efficiently used for rapid in situ analysis. This review aims to describe the elementary fabrication principles, the different designs of SPEs, and the different analytical methods based on SPEs. We particularly focus on the electrochemical application of SPEs in pharmaceutical analysis, including the determination of drugs, metabolites, and degradation products in different matrices.
According to the World Health Organization, >360 million people worldwide suffer from mental diseases such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder, for which psychotropic drugs are frequently ...prescribed. Despite being highly metabolized in the human organism, non-metabolized portions of these drugs are excreted, subsequently reaching wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), where they may be incompletely removed during treatment, leading to the contamination of surface waters. In this work, ten psychotropic drugs widely consumed in Brazil (alprazolam, amitriptyline, bupropion, carbamazepine, clonazepam, escitalopram, fluoxetine, nortriptyline, sertraline, and trazadone) were monitored at five WWTPs located in the metropolitan region of Campinas (São Paulo State, Brazil). The drugs were determined in the influents, at different stages of the treatments, and in the effluents. Surface waters from the Atibaia River and the Anhumas Creek were also monitored. Quantitation of the pharmaceuticals was carried out by online solid-phase extraction coupled with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The method was validated and presented a limit of quantitation of 50 ng L−1 for all the drugs assessed. Six of the substances monitored were quantified in the samples collected from the different treatment processes employed at the WWTPs. These technologies were unable to act as barriers for these psychotropics drugs. The concentrations ranged from 50 to 3000 ng L−1 in the WWTP effluents, while the main contaminants were found in surface waters at concentrations from 25 to 3530 ng L−1. The levels of the psychotropic detected in this work did not appear to present risks to the aquatic biota.
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•10 Psychotropics drugs were prioritized for monitoring in water and WWTPs.•The validated SPE-UHPLC-MSMS method presented a LOQ of 50 ng L−1.•Psychotropics drugs were detectable at ppt levels in superficial water.•WWTPs did not work as a barrier to remove psychotropics from effluents.•The occurrence levels of psychotropics do not pose risk for the biota.
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•Four pharmaceutical residues were removed by solar photocatalysis on different soils.•The influence of TiO2 load and soil moisture content was evaluated.•Degradations were found to ...be faster in soils with lesser organic matter content.•Removal varied from 83.2 to 100 % after 50 h of solar photocatalytic treatment.
Pharmaceutical compounds are chemicals widely applied for the treatment and prevention of human/animal diseases. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are identified as one of their main transfer pathways to aquatic environment since traditional wastewater treatments do not completely remove them. Agricultural irrigation with reclaimed water from WWTP effluents is a growing strategy in areas where water scarcity is a limiting issue. However, the residual presence of these compounds in wastewaters facilitates a new terrestrial route of environmental exposure, increasing the risks of soil pollution and giving rise to dangerous situations for human health and the environment. In this study we have evaluated the effectivity of TiO2 photocatalysis using solar irradiation for the degradation of four contaminants (diclofenac, ibuprofen, ketoprofen and sulfadiazine) in different soil matrices. Influential parameters of photocatalytic process (TiO2 dosage and soil moisture content) were optimized at laboratory scale using UV-LED lamps as light source. Solar remediation trial was performed exposing polluted soils to different treatments (in presence and absence of photocatalyst) during August 2023. After 50 h of solar exposure degradations of these pharmaceuticals reached 97.8–99.5 %, 99.7–100 % and 83.2–97.5 % for soils S1, S2 and S3 respectively. For all compounds, removal followed the order S2 > S1 > S3, in coincidence with the lesser organic matter content of soils. Results suggest that TiO2 photocatalysis under sunlight irradiation could be a useful tool for remediating soils polluted with pharmaceutical residues.
The increasing availability of antibiotics in wastewater has created a serious threat to non-target organisms in the environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential toxicity of ...amoxicillin on duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza during a short-term exposure (7 d). The duckweed was exposed to a range of environmentally relevant (0.0001–0.01 mg L−1) and high (0.1 and 1 mg L−1) concentrations of amoxicillin. Subsequently, biomarkers of toxicity such as growth, pigments (Chl a, Chl b and carotenoids), antioxidative enzyme activity (catalase, CAT; superoxide dismutase, SOD; and ascorbate peroxidases, APX), and biochemical content (protein, lipid and starch) were analysed in their fronds. The high dose (1 mg L−1) of amoxicillin caused a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in photopigments, protein, starch and lipid content and an increase in carotenoids/total Chl and Chl a/Chl b ratios in fronds of Spirodela polyrhiza. The results showed a shift in biomarkers: a decrease in frond growth and relative growth rate (RGR) (16.2–53.8%) and an increase in the activities (mmol mg protein−1) of CAT (0.021–0.041), APX (0.84–2.49) and SOD (0.12–0.23) in fronds. The significantly (p < 0.05) greater reduction in amoxicillin content in duckweed setups (84.6–100%) than in the control (62.1–73%) suggested that phytodegradation is an important mechanism in removing antibiotics from water, apart from hydrolysis and photodegradation, which occur in control setups. Overall, the results suggested a toxic effect of amoxicillin on Spirodela polyrhiza, even at low concentrations, and nonetheless, the duckweed contributed directly to the degradation of antibiotics in the water and throughout the phytoremediation process.
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•To our best knowledge, this is first study on toxicity of amoxicillin to Spirodela polyrhiza.•The amoxicillin induced the production of CAT, SOD, APX, etc. in plants.•Amoxicillin reduced significantly (84–100%) in reactor, suggesting phytodegradation, hydrolysis and photodegradation as major mechanisms for antibiotic removal.
This paper collects data from worldwide research groups and aims to critically review and analyse the advances of knowledge development in the area of occurrence, transportation, monitoring and ...treatment of emerging micro-pollutants from around the globe and to recommend the research needs in this research area. This review discovers that •A waste water treatment plant is one of pathways for micro-pollutants to transfer into surface waters; •Sample preparation, matrix effects and validation methods are challenges and more advanced analytical instrumentation and procedures are critical in analysing emerging micro-pollutants; •Traditional activated sludge and/or bio-filtration processes showed less efficiency to remove emerging micro-pollutants; •Advanced oxidation processes need to be validated for the efficiency and cost effectiveness; • More researches are needed to classify the type and toxicity of by-products resulting from the reactions between advanced oxidation processes and emerging micro-pollutants. The suggested future research needs from this review are challenges but provide us opportunities to effectively monitor and eliminate emerging micro-pollutants in the environment.
•A waste water treatment plant is one of pathways for micro-pollutants to transfer into surface waters.•Sample preparation, matrix effects and validation methods are challenges in analysing emerging micro-pollutants.•More advanced analytical instrumentation and procedures are critical to tackle micro-pollutants' monitoring.•Traditional activated sludge and/or bio-filtration processes showed less efficiency to remove emerging micro-pollutants.•AOPs need to be validated for the efficiency and cost effectiveness in eliminating emerging micro-pollutants.
In this work, we have analyzed the presence of pharmaceutical compounds in the wastewater of a regional hospital in Vlora, Albania, during June 2020 and June 2021. For this analysis, we measured the ...concentration of 19 preselected pharmaceutical molecules in discharging water by direct sampling in the waters, and we investigated the presence of pharmaceuticals in the algae Ulva Lactuca. Chemical analysis has been conducted via liquid chromatography in tandem with mass spectrometry at a limit of quantization of 0.1 ng/L. It resulted that, from the ensemble of 19 pharmaceutical molecules consisting of antibiotics, analgesics, psychiatric drugs, and beta-blockers, the antibiotics were found at the highest concentration. The quantity of medical chemicals’ presence varies from 0.2 to 0.24 mg/L. Traces of pharmaceuticals are obtained from Ulva Lactucaalgae in effluent water next to the city treatment plant. The concentration for each of the 19 molecules considered in this work remains below 0.1 ng/L. Finally, the values of physicochemical parameters were found within the range reported by several studies for hospital influent waters, collected in different countries and for many years. Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2023-04-03-03 Full Text: PDF
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•Mesoporous MnxCo3−xO4 nanocages were prepared by a self-assembly method.•MnxCo3−xO4 nanocages showed excellent catalytic activity toward PMS.•Co-rich MnxCo3−xO4 nanocages presented ...higher catalytic activity due to the higher Co2+/Co3+ content.•Rational PMS activation mechanism and CBZ oxidation pathway were put forward.•MnxCo3−xO4 nanocages activated PMS system can effectively control the potential risk of the highly toxic intermediates.
Mesoporous MnxCo3−xO4 nanocages with high cobalt content, large surface area and high pore volume were synthesized through a self-assembly method. The as-prepared MnxCo3−xO4 nanocages displayed satisfactory catalytic activity toward peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and the metal ions leaching concentration could be negligible. Sulfate radical was identified as the predominant active species through radical quenching experiments and electron spin resonance spin-trapping technique. The kinetics of the oxidation process was of pseudo-first order. The increasing cobalt content in MnxCo3−xO4 NCs was in favor of enhancing the decomposition of PMS. MnxCo3−xO4 nanocages dosage, PMS concentration and reaction temperature put the promoting effect on the degradation, while initial CBZ concentration had the retarding impact. MnxCo3−xO4 nanocages could efficiently operate over a wide pH range of 5.0–8.0. Coexisting chloride ions exerted a dual role in the decomposition of PMS and this role was concentration-dependent. XPS analysis confirmed the reversible valence equilibrium between metal ions and the recovery of surface adsorbed oxygen, which ensured their sustainable catalytic activity even after five consecutive runs. Based on the main intermediates identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, a possible pathway of CBZ oxidation was proposed. The potential risk resulting from the highly toxic intermediates can also be effectively controlled by MnxCo3−xO4 NCs activated PMS system.
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•COFs/MOFs development, sustainability, reusability, and stabilities are discussed.•COFs/MOFs electrochemical sensors for drugs and pharmaceutical residue are studied.•Strategies to ...improve the detection sensitivity, selectivity, and response time of COFs/MOFs sensors are discussed.•Challenges and outlooks for COFs and MOFs electrochemical sensors are discussed.
Pharmaceutical residues are the undecomposed remains from drugs used in the medical and food industries. Due to their potential adverse effects on human health and natural ecosystems, they are of increasing worldwide concern. The acute detection of pharmaceutical residues can give a rapid examination of their quantity and then prevent them from further contamination. Herein, this study summarizes and discusses the most recent porous covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for the electrochemical detection of various pharmaceutical residues. The review first introduces a brief overview of drug toxicity and its effects on living organisms. Subsequently, different porous materials and drug detection techniques are discussed with materials’ properties and applications. Then the development of COFs and MOFs has been addressed with their structural properties and sensing applications. Further, the stability, reusability, and sustainability of MOFs/COFs are reviewed and discussed. Besides, COFs and MOFs’ detection limits, linear ranges, the role of functionalities, and immobilized nanoparticles are analyzed and discussed. Lastly, this review summarized and discussed the MOF@COF composite as sensors, the fabrication strategies to enhance detection potential, and the current challenges in this area.
