Transformation of oxcarbazepine and human metabolites of carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine in wastewater treatment and sand filters.

Carbamazepine (CBZ) and oxcarbazepine (OXC) are widely used anticonvulsants that are extensively metabolized in the human body. The pharmaceuticals and their human metabolites are present in influents and effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), in rivers and streams, and in drinking water. In this study, the biodegradation of OXC and its main human metabolite, 10-hydroxy-CBZ (10OHCBZ), and the main human metabolite of CBZ, 10,11-dihydro-10,11-dihydroxy-CBZ (DiOHCBZ), was investigated in contact with activated sludge from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and sand filter material from a waterworks.

Is biological treatment a viable alternative for micropollutant removal in drinking water treatment processes?

In western societies, clean and safe drinking water is often taken for granted, but there are threats to drinking water resources that should not be underestimated. Contamination of drinking water sources by anthropogenic chemicals is one threat that is particularly widespread in industrialized nations. Recently, a significant amount of attention has been given to the occurrence of micropollutants in the urban water cycle.