Literature Review: Evaluation of Drug Removal Techniques in Municipal and Hospital Wastewater

Abstract

There are several techniques for the removal of pharmaceuticals (drugs) from wastewater; however, strengths and weaknesses have been observed in their elimination processes that limit their applicability. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the best techniques for the removal of pharmaceuticals from municipal and hospital wastewater. For this, a non-experimental, descriptive, qualitative–quantitative design was used, corresponding to a systematic review without meta-analysis. Based on established inclusion and exclusion criteria, 31 open-access articles were selected from the Scopus, ProQuest, EBSCOhost, and ScienceDirect databases. The results showed that high concentrations of analgesics such as naproxen (1.37 mg/L) and antibiotics such as norfloxacin (0.561 mg/L) are frequently found in wastewater and that techniques such as reverse osmosis, ozonation, and activated sludge have the best removal efficiency, achieving values of 99%. It was concluded that reverse osmosis is one of the most efficient techniques for eliminating ofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, and diclofenac from municipal wastewater, with removal rates ranging from 96 to 99.9%, while for hospital wastewater the activated sludge technique proved to be efficient, eliminating analgesics and antibiotics in the range of 41–99%.

An Overview of the Impact of Pharmaceuticals on Aquatic Microbial Communities

“…A wide variety of technologies based on biological, chemical and physical processes are described in the literature as able to remove pharmaceuticals from wastewater and water sources. Among the biological processes, it is possible to enumerate the following as examples: activated sludge [ 130 ], microalgae treatment [ 131 ], biofiltration [ 132 ], and constructed wetlands [ 133 ]. Photoreaction can also be used to eliminate some pharmaceuticals, as reviewed by Abd Rahman, Choong [ 134 ], as well as filtration/adsorption processes [ 135 , 136 ] and advanced oxidation processes [ 137 ].…”

Phytoremediation with macrophytes in water contaminated by lead from the fishing port of Paita-Peru

“…El agua es un recurso esencial para el desarrollo de la vida en el planeta Tierra [1]. En los últimos años, los ambientes acuáticos han sido directamente afectados por el vertido de residuos tóxicos debido a actividades humanas, tales como la producción industrial, la exploración geológica, la fertilización agrícola y las actividades mineras, dichas actividades favorecen al crecimiento de la contaminación del recurso hídrico causada por metales pesados [2].…”

“…Entre las diversas especies de plantas acuáticas o macrófitas (Azolla, Eichhornia, Lemma, Potamogeton, Spirodela, Wolfia y Wolfialla) que han sido reportados como fitorremediadoras y a la vez son altamente eficientes en la reducción de la contaminación acuática a través de la bioacumulación de contaminantes en sus tejidos corporales [5]. Existen subconjuntos distintivos de fitorremediación; los más utilizados y exitosos son la fitoestabilización, rizodegradación, rizofiltración, fitodegradación, fitoextracción, fitoacumulación y fitovolatilización [1]. Es por ello que se utilizó la fitorremediación por rizofiltración con Eichhornia Crassipes (Jacinto de agua) de metales pesados en aguas contaminadas por plomo.…”

“…En la provincia de Paita se manifiestan a gran escala las actividades del sector pesquero. En los océanos y estuarios costeros la contaminación del agua es provocada por los derrames de petróleo que son causados por accidentes en los buques petroleros durante el transporte [1]. En el puerto pesquero de Paita, teniendo en cuenta estudios e investigaciones anteriores presenta una contaminación por metales pesados, específicamente el plomo, producido por distintas causas entre ellas está de origen industrial y del sector pesquero.…”

Efficiency of Diclofenac Removal Using Activated Sludge in a Dynamic System (SBR Reactor) with Variable Parameters of pH, Concentration, and Sludge Oxygenation

“…Individual countries, e.g., Hungary, also have their internal effluent quality requirements for pharmaceutical production wastewater [ 17 ]. Hospitals and factories producing medicines are also an additional source carrying a load of pharmaceutical impurities [ 18 , 19 , 20 ]. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Effluent Guidelines and Standards (40 CFR Part 439) in 1976 and amended the regulation in 1983, 1998, and 2003 [ 21 ].…”