REMOVAL OF PHARMACEUTICALS BY ADSORBTION

FROM THE WASTEWATER

By: Sara Ayman Rashed

TABLE OF CONTENT

• INTRODUCTION
• PHARMACEUTICAL RESIDUES IN FRESHWATER

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 INTRODUCTION

Pharmaceuticals are environmental contaminants that

have been widely detected in aquatic media.
The U.S. Geological Survey study from 2004 to 2009
found that pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities
significantly contribute to environmental pollution. The
study highlighted that wastewater from two such facilities
had pharmaceutical concentrations 10 to 1,000 times
higher than 24 other wastewater plants without such
inputs.
Furthermore, the treated water released from these two
WWTPs into local streams carried the pharmaceutical
pollutants downstream, with detectable levels found as far
as 30 kilometers from one plant's discharge point.

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 INTRODUCTION

Pharmaceuticals in water bodies can originate from

various sources apart from manufacturing plants. One
significant source is the livestock industry, which often
uses antibiotics and other drugs, leading to pharmaceutical
runoff into nearby streams. Furthermore, human activities
contribute to this issue. Medications that individuals
consume but do not fully metabolize end up in
wastewater, which can eventually reach sewage-treatment
plants. Surprisingly, these pharmaceuticals can be
detected in streams located miles away from these plants,
as many do not routinely remove these substances from
the water they treat.

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