Activated carbon for the removal of pharmaceutical residues from treated wastewater

• Published in: Water science and technology 2014-01, Vol.69 (11), p.2372-2380
• Main Authors: EK, Mats, BARESEL, Christian, MAGNER, Jörgen, BERGSTRÖM, Rune, HARDING, Mila
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Applied sciences; Aquatic organisms; Biological and medical sciences; Capacity; Carbon; Carbon - chemistry; Carbon filters; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Estrogens - chemistry; Exact sciences and technology; Filters; Fluid filters; General purification processes; Medical sciences; Nitrogen - chemistry; Ozone; Pharmaceutical Preparations - chemistry; Pharmaceuticals; Pollution; Removal; Residues; Security; Sewage; Sewage disposal; Sewage treatment; Sewage treatment plants; Sewerage works: sewers, sewage treatment plants, outfalls; Toxicology; Waste Disposal, Fluid - economics; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; Wastewater; Wastewater treatment; Wastewater treatment plants; Wastewaters; Water; Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry; Water Purification - methods; Water treatment and pollution
• ISSN: 0273-1223; 1996-9732
• DOI: 10.2166/wst.2014.172

Pharmaceutical residues, which pass naturally through the human body into sewage, are in many cases virtually unaffected by conventional wastewater treatment. Accumulated in the environment, however, they can significantly impact aquatic life. The present study indicates that many pharmaceutical residues found in wastewater can be removed with activated carbon in a cost-efficient system that delivers higher resource utilisation and security than other carbon systems. The experiment revealed a substantial separation of the analysed compounds, notwithstanding their relatively high solubility in water and dissimilar chemical structures. This implies that beds of activated carbon may be a competitive alternative to treatment with ozone. The effluent water used for the tests, performed over 20 months, originated from Stockholm's largest sewage treatment plant. Passing through a number of different filters with activated carbon removed 90-98% of the pharmaceutical residues from the water. This paper describes pilot-scale tests performed by IVL and the implications for an actual treatment plant that has to treat up to several thousand litres of wastewater per second. In addition, the advantages, disadvantages and costs of the method are discussed. This includes, for example, the clogging of carbon filters and the associated hydraulic capacity limits of the activated carbon.