Sorption and Degradation of Selected Pharmaceuticals in Controlled Laboratory Column Experiments

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleen Schübl ◽  
Aleksandra Kiecak ◽  
Christine Stumpp
Keyword(s):  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
Microbial Activity ◽  
Reactive Transport ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Redox Conditions ◽  
Column Experiments ◽  
Pharmaceutically Active Compounds ◽  
Active Compounds ◽  
Transport Behavior ◽  
The Impact

<p>Pharmaceutically active compounds have increasingly been detected in groundwater worldwide. Despite constituting a major risk for ecosystems and human health, their fate in the environment has still not been thoroughly investigated. This study characterizes the transport behavior of five selected pharmaceutically active compounds (antipyrine, atenolol, caffeine, carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole) in two sediments (coarse quartzsand and sandy loam) using column experiments with long-term injection of spiked groundwater accompanied by monitoring of microbial activity in the columns. Transport parameters were estimated using an analytical reactive transport model. When five selected compounds were injected simultaneously, transport behavior of antipyrine, carbamazepine and the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole were similar to the conservative tracer in both sediments and under varying redox conditions. During the entire duration of the experiments of about two months no degradation was observed, thus showing the low potential for natural attenuation. Atenolol and caffeine were subject to retardation which was significantly stronger in the sandy loam sediment compared to the coarse quartzsand. This was attributed to higher contents in clay and organic carbon in sandy loam. Biodegradation of caffeine was observed in three out of four non-sterilized settings after an adaption period of 120 to 420 hours and was dependent on the presence of dissolved oxygen. Atenolol was biologically degraded in the coarse quartzsand while the type of degradation remained unclear in the sandy loam sediment. The identification of biodegradation processes was supported by monitoring of intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP<sub>itc</sub>) as a measure for microbial activity. ATP<sub>itc</sub> was present in varying concentrations in all sediments with higher concentrations when degradation of pharmaceuticals, especially caffeine, was observed. When only caffeine and sulfamethoxazole were injected simultaneously, sulfamethoxazole was degraded while caffeine was not. The latter seems to be influenced by low concentrations in dissolved oxygen rather than the presence of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole. Results of these experiments emphasize the impact of sediment type and redox conditions on pharmaceutical transport as well as the effect of combination and variety of pharmaceuticals that are released together into the environment.</p>

scholarly journals Sorption and biodegradation of six pharmaceutically active compounds under four different redox conditions

Chemosphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 193 ◽  
pp. 811-819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnoud de Wilt ◽  
Yujie He ◽  
Nora Sutton ◽  
Alette Langenhoff ◽  
Huub Rijnaarts
Keyword(s):  
Redox Conditions ◽  
Pharmaceutically Active Compounds ◽  
Active Compounds

scholarly journals Column Experiments on Sorption Coefficients and Biodegradation Rates of Selected Pharmaceuticals in Three Aquifer Sediments

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Kiecak ◽  
Friederike Breuer ◽  
Christine Stumpp
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Coarse Sand ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Column Experiments ◽  
Transport Parameters ◽  
Degradation Rates ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Flow Velocities

The presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment, and in groundwater, has been recognized as a great environmental concern. Biodegradation and sorption are the main processes leading to the removal of contamination from the water phase. The aim of this study was to determine the transport processes of selected pharmaceuticals (antipyrine, atenolol, carbamazepine, caffeine, diclofenac, ketoprofen, sulfamethoxazole) in selected sediments (coarse sand, medium sand, sandy loam) in laboratory experiments. Moreover, the impact of flow velocities on the sorption and degradation rates of the selected compounds was studied. Column experiments were performed at three flow velocities, under abiotic and biotic conditions, applying conservative (bromide) and reactive tracers (pharmaceuticals). From the breakthrough curves, retardation factors and degradation rates were determined and the influence of variable flow conditions on transport parameters was evaluated. Low observed concentrations and recoveries of atenolol indicated a strong influence of sorption on its transport. Diclofenac, caffeine, and carbamazepine were also affected by sorption but to a lesser extent. Sulfamethoxazole, ketoprofen, and antipyrine were recovered nearly completely, indicating an almost conservative transport behavior. Biodegradation was small for all the compounds, as the results from biotic and abiotic column experiments were similar. Transport of the tested pharmaceuticals was not influenced by different flow velocities, as similar modelled degradation rates and retardation factors were found for all tested flow velocities.

The impact of alum coagulation on pharmaceutically active compounds, endocrine disrupting compounds and natural organic matter

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1348-1357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Diemert ◽  
Robert C. Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
River Water ◽  
Natural Organic Matter ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting Compounds ◽  
Pharmaceutically Active Compounds ◽  
Active Compounds ◽  
Endocrine Disrupting ◽  
Grand River ◽  
The Impact

This study assessed the impact of chemical coagulation using alum on the removal of three endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs; bisphenol A, clofibric acid and estriol) and nine pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs; acetaminophen, carbamazepine, diclofenac, gemfibrozil, ketoprofen, naproxen, pentoxifylline, sulfamethoxazole and sulfachloropyridazine). The impact on natural organic matter (NOM) fractions as determined using liquid chromatography–organic carbon detection (LC–OCD; total dissolved organic carbon (DOC), hydrophobic DOC, biopolymers, humic substances, building blocks, low molecular weight neutrals and acids) was also examined. Three test surface waters were included: Lake Ontario, Grand River and Otonabee River water (Ontario, Canada). Gemfibrozil concentrations were reduced in both Otonabee and Grand River waters. Reductions were noted for carbamazepine and (inconsistently) for acetaminophen, and estrone appeared to increase in concentration in Grand River water with increasing alum doses. NOM removal was primarily attributed to the humic fraction, with small reductions in biopolymers in all of the waters studied.

Pharmaceutically Active Compounds Degradation Using Doped TiO2 Functionalized Zeolite Photocatalyst

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Ihos ◽  
Corneliu Bogatu ◽  
Carmen Lazau ◽  
Florica Manea ◽  
Rodica Pode
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Active Compound ◽  
Uv Spectra ◽  
Pharmaceutically Active Compounds ◽  
Mineralization Process ◽  
Active Compounds ◽  
Spectra Analysis ◽  
Doped Tio2 ◽  
Toc Removal ◽  
Pharmaceutically Active Compound

The aim of this study was the investigation of photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceutically active compounds using doped TiO2 functionalized zeolite photocatalyst. Diclofenac (DCF), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, that represents a biorefractory micropollutant, was chosen as model of pharmaceutically active compound. The photocatalyst was Z-TiO2-Ag. The concentration of DCF in the working solutions was 10 mg/L,50 mg/L,100 mg/L and 200 mg/L and of photocatalyst 1 g/L in any experiments. The process was monitored by recording the UV spectra of the treated solutions and total organic carbon (TOC) determination. The UV spectra analysis and TOC removal proved that along the advanced degradation of DCF also a mineralization process occurred. The carried out research provided useful information envisaging the treatment of pharmaceutical effluents by photocatalysis.

Evaluation of Toxicity in Receiving Streams

1992 ◽  
Vol 26 (9-11) ◽  
pp. 2357-2360
Author(s):  
J. Zagorc-Koncan ◽  
M. Dular
Keyword(s):  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Toxicity Evaluation ◽  
Copper Cyanide ◽  
Polluted River ◽  
Design Information ◽  
Point Of Entry ◽  
Receiving Stream ◽  
The Impact

A laboratory river model for the study of self-purification inhibition in a stream containing toxic substances is presented. It enables an engineering - technological prediction of the impact of toxic substances or wastewaters on dissolved oxygen (DO) profile in an organically polluted river downstream from the point of entry of toxic effluent thus providing rapidly and inexpensively significant design information to an environmental scientist or engineer. The method was applied to the toxicity evaluation of wastewaters from electroplating industry. The effects of copper, cyanide (representing two significant constituents of this type of wastewaters) and wastewater from electroplating industry on the biodegradation of organic municipal pollution in receiving stream were evaluated experimentally.

Considering the impact of intermittent discharges when modelling overflows

1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (10) ◽  
pp. 23-30
Author(s):  
Sarah Jubb ◽  
Philip Hulme ◽  
Ian Guymer ◽  
John Martin
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Sediment Oxygen Demand ◽  
Combined Sewer Overflows ◽  
River Hydraulics ◽  
Combined Sewer ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Curve Equation

This paper describes a preliminary investigation that identified factors important in the prediction of river water quality, especially regarding dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration. Intermittent discharges from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) within the sewerage, and overflows at water reclamation works (WRW) cause dynamic conditions with respect to both river hydraulics and water quality. The impact of such discharges has been investigated under both wet and dry weather flow conditions. Data collected from the River Maun, UK, has shown that an immediate, transient oxygen demand exists downstream of an outfall during storm conditions. The presence of a delayed oxygen demand has also been identified. With regard to modelling, initial investigations used a simplified channel and the Streeter-Phelps (1925) dissolved oxygen sag curve equation. Later, a model taking into account hydrodynamic, transport and dispersion processes was used. This suggested that processes other than water phase degradation of organic matter significantly affect the dissolved oxygen concentration downstream of the location of an intermittent discharge. It is proposed that the dynamic rate of reaeration and the sediment oxygen demand should be the focus of further investigation.

Phosphorus transport in saturated slag columns: experiments and mathematical models

1996 ◽  
Vol 34 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 153-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. H. Lee ◽  
S. Vigneswaran ◽  
K. Bajracharya
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Sorption Capacity ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Dynamic Condition ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Column Experiments ◽  
Phosphorus Transport ◽  
Waste Products

Excessive phosphorus (P as orthophosphate) is one of the major pollutants in natural water that are responsible for algal blooms and eutrophication. P removal by slag is an attractive solution if the P sorption capacity of slag is significant. To design an efficient land treatment facility, basic information on the behaviour of P in the media-water environment is required. In this study, detailed column experiments were conducted to study the P transport under dynamic condition, and mathematical models were developed to describe this process. The column experiments conducted with dust and cake waste products (slag) from a steel industry as adsorbing indicated that they had higher sorption capacity of P than that of a sandy loam soil from North Sydney, Australia. P transport in the dust and cake columns exhibited characteristic S-shaped or curvilinear breakthrough curves. The simulated results from a dynamic physical nonequilibrium sorption model (DPNSM) and Freundlich isotherm constants satisfactorily matched the corresponding experimental breakthrough data. The mobility of P is restricted by the adsorbents and it is proportional to the sorption capacity of them.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document