A tubular porous stainless steel membrane contactor was characterized in terms of ozone-water mass transport, as well as its application in removing 23 pharmaceuticals (PhACs) detected in the secondary-treated municipal wastewater, under continuous mode operation. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient (Ka) was evaluated based on liquid flow rate, gas flow rate, and ozone gas concentration. The Ka values were substantially improved with an increment in liquid flow rate (1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Res
February 2024
In this investigation, the presence of antibiotics and pharmaceuticals in Costa Rican surface waters, specifically in regions near feline habitats, was examined. The study revealed that 47% of the water samples contained detectable traces of at least one antibiotic. Ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin were the most frequently detected compounds, each with a detection rate of 27%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemosphere
October 2023
The presence of pharmaceutical active products (PhACs) in the aquatic environment is a matter of current concern, and there is an increasing trend to include these compounds in water quality monitoring programs and environmental risk assessments. Several studies have reported the presence of PhACs in environmental waters worldwide, but only a few studies have focused on Latin American countries. Thus, available information on the occurrence of parent pharmaceuticals, especially their metabolites, is very scarce.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA primary pollution source by pharmaceuticals is hospital wastewater (HWW). Herein, the methods involved in the action of a biological system (BS, aerobic activated sludge) or a sonochemical treatment (US, 375 kHz and 30.8 W), for degrading four relevant pharmaceuticals (azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, paracetamol, and valsartan) in HWW, are shown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this work, the occurrences of bacteria families and relevant pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater effluents from Bogotá (Colombia), and their treatment by the photo-electro-Fenton process were studied. Twenty-five representative pharmaceuticals (azithromycin, carbamazepine, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, diclofenac, enalapril, gabapentin, iopromide, metoprolol, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, valsartan, clindamycin, erythromycin, levamisole, lincomycin, norfloxacin, oxolinic acid, phenazone, primidone, salbutamol, sulfadiazine, tetracycline, tramadol, and venlafaxine) were quantified in the effluent by LC-MS/MS analysis. Four of these target compounds (azithromycin, diclofenac, trimethoprim, norfloxacin) were found at concentrations that represent an environmental risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis work presents the treatment of selected emerging concern pharmaceuticals in real hospital wastewater (HWW) from Tumaco-Colombia by combination of a biological system with a sonochemical process. Fifteen compounds, commonly present in HWW, were considered: acetaminophen, diclofenac, carbamazepine, venlafaxine, loratadine, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, valsartan, irbesartan, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, clarithromycin, azithromycin, erythromycin and clindamycin. Initially, HWW was characterized in terms of global parameters and the pharmaceuticals content.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe simultaneous degradation of seventeen emerging concern pollutants in effluent from the municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWTP) of Bogotá-Colombia was studied using high frequency ultrasound (375 kHz). The considered compounds in the effluent corresponded to pharmaceuticals (diclofenac, carbamazepine, venlafaxine, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, valsartan, losartan, irbesartan, sulfamethoxazole, clarithromycin, azithromycin, erythromycin, metronidazole, trimethoprim and clindamycin); cocaine and its major metabolite benzoylecgonine. Due to limitation of the MWTP for the pollutants elimination, ultrasound was applied to remove these compounds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this work, the presence of selected emerging contaminants has been investigated in two reservoirs, La Fe (LF) and Rio Grande (RG), which supply water to two drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) of Medellin, one of the most populated cities of Colombia. An analytical method based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) of the sample followed by measurement by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed and validated for this purpose. Five monitoring campaigns were performed in each reservoir, collecting samples from 7 sites (LF) and 10 sites (RG) at 3 different depths of the water column.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) relies on the principle that traces of compounds, which a population is exposed to or consume, are excreted unchanged or as metabolites in urine and/or feces, and ultimately end up in the sewer network. Measuring target metabolic residues i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Wastewater analysis is an innovative approach that allows monitoring illicit drug use at the community level. This study focused on investigating geographical differences in drug consumption by comparing epidemiological, crime and wastewater data.
Methods: Wastewater samples were collected in 19 cities across Germany and Switzerland during one week, covering a population of approximately 8.
Tropical fruits are being increasingly consumed around the world because of their appreciated characteristics, particularly their high nutritional value and distinctive taste, which are different from those of traditional fruits. Owing to their introduction into international markets it is necessary to have a reliable analytical methodology available for the sensitive determination of pesticide residues in order to monitor the compliance of maximum residue limits (MRLs). From an analytical point of view, tropical fruits have generally been far less studied than other fruits frequently consumed in the European Union or USA, which are among the most important markets.
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