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Yu X, Lyu S, Zhao W, Guo C, Xu J, Sui Q. A picture of pharmaceutical pollution in landfill leachates: Occurrence, regional differences and influencing factors. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2024; 184:20-27. [PMID: 38788499 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2024.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill sites have been identified as a significant source of pharmaceuticals in the environment because unused or expired pharmaceuticals are discarded into MSW, which eventually percolate into leachates. However, the contamination of pharmaceuticals in landfill leachate in China is not comprehensively understood. Previous research into factors influencing pharmaceutical concentrations focused on a limited number and type of target pollutants or restricted study area. In the present study, 66 pharmaceuticals were analyzed (including 45 antibiotic and 21 non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals, also categorized as 59 prescription and 7 non-prescription pharmaceuticals) in leachate samples from landfill sites with various characteristics in different regions of China. The results indicated that non-antibiotic pollutants were present at significantly higher concentrations than antibiotic pollutants, with median concentrations of 1.74 μg/L and 527 ng/L, respectively. Non-antibiotic pollutants also presented a higher environmental risk than antibiotic pollutants, by 2 to 4 orders of magnitude, highlighting that non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals should not be overlooked during the assessment of landfill leachate. Pharmaceutical concentrations in landfill leachate samples exhibited regional differences; the population size served by the landfills was the dominant factor contributing to the observed differences. In addition, landfill characteristics such as the solid waste composition and MSW loading can also affect pharmaceutical concentrations in landfill leachate. Despite the implementation of the classification and disposal policy of MSW in Shanghai, China since July 2019, specifying that unused or expired pharmaceuticals should be discarded as hazardous waste, high levels of pharmaceutical contaminations were detected in leachate from the main components of classified MSW (i.e., residual and food waste). These findings emphasize the importance of pharmaceutical management in solid waste systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Yu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Shuguang Lyu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Wentaonceo Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Changsheng Guo
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Jian Xu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Qian Sui
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China.
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Pang L, He K, Zhang Y, Li P, Lin Y, Yue J. Predicting environmental risks of pharmaceutical residues by wastewater surveillance: An analysis based on pharmaceutical sales and their excretion data. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 916:170204. [PMID: 38262535 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Pharmaceutical residues are increasingly becoming a significant source of environmental water pollution and ecological risk. This study, leveraging official national pharmaceutical sales statistics, predicts the environmental concentrations of 33 typical pharmaceuticals in the Tianjin area. The results show that 52 % of the drugs have a PEC/MEC (Predicted Environmental Concentration/Measured Environmental Concentration) ratio within the acceptable range of 0.5-2, including atenolol (1.21), carbamazepine (1.22), and sulfamethoxazole (0.91). Among the selected drugs, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and acetaminophen had the highest predicted concentrations. The EPI (Estimation Programs Interface) biodegradation model, a tool from the US Environmental Protection Agency, is used to predict the removal efficiency of compounds in wastewater treatment plants. The results indicate that the EPI predictions are acceptable for macrolide antibiotics and β-blockers, with removal rates of roxithromycin, spiramycin, acetaminophen, and carbamazepine being 14.1 %, 61.2 %, 75.1 %, and 44.5 %, respectively. However, the model proved to be less effective for fluoroquinolone antibiotics. The ECOSAR (Ecological Structure-Activity Relationships) model was used to supplement the assessment of the potential impacts of drugs on aquatic ecosystems, further refining the analysis of pharmaceutical environmental risks. By combining the concentration and detection frequency of pharmaceutical wastewater, this study identified 9 drugs with significant toxicological risks and marked another 24 drugs as substances of potential concern. Additionally, this study provides data support for addressing pharmaceutical residues of priority concern in subsequent research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihao Pang
- College of Environmental Science and Safety Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Kai He
- College of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 51000, China.
| | - Yuxuan Zhang
- College of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 51000, China
| | - Penghui Li
- College of Environmental Science and Safety Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Yingchao Lin
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China.
| | - Junjie Yue
- College of Environmental Science and Safety Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China.
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Yu X, Zhao W, Lyu S, Cai Z, Yu G, Wang H, Barceló D, Sui Q. Estimating the Mass of Pharmaceuticals Harbored in Municipal Solid Waste Landfills by Analyzing Refuse Samples at Various Ages and Depths. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:6063-6071. [PMID: 36988440 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c09455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Pharmaceuticals have been detected at high concentrations in municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill leachates, which are recognized as an underestimated source of pharmaceutical residues in the environment. However, limited efforts have been made to characterize pharmaceuticals in MSW landfill refuse, which is also of significant concern given the potential long-term environmental impact. Herein, we excavated landfill refuse from six cells with landfill ages of 7-27 years in the largest MSW landfill in Shanghai (in each cell, landfill refuse was collected from different depths of 2-8 m) and analyzed samples for the presence of 55 pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics and non-antibiotics. The results reveal the presence of 42 pharmaceuticals in landfill refuse, with median concentrations ranging from 0.30 to 116 μg/kg. Antibiotic and non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals exhibited diverse concentration trends with age, related to changes in policy intervention and consumption over time. Different concentration variations of individual pharmaceuticals were observed in refuse samples excavated at different depths and positively correlated to their sorption ability. The mass of pharmaceuticals in the investigated landfill was estimated from the obtained concentrations to be 80-220 tons with 95% probability, based on Monte Carlo analysis. To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first estimate of pharmaceutical mass in an MSW landfill. The results will be helpful for understanding the potential long-term environmental impact of pharmaceuticals in landfills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Yu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Wentao Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Shuguang Lyu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Zhenxiao Cai
- MicroHAOPs Inc., University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Gang Yu
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Hualin Wang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Damià Barceló
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Qian Sui
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200092, China
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González-González RB, Sharma A, Parra-Saldívar R, Ramirez-Mendoza RA, Bilal M, Iqbal HMN. Decontamination of emerging pharmaceutical pollutants using carbon-dots as robust materials. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 423:127145. [PMID: 34547693 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Environmental pollution is a critical issue that requires proper measures to maintain environmental health in a sustainable and effective manner. The growing persistence of several active pharmaceutical residues, such as antibiotics like tetracycline, and anti-inflammatory drugs like diclofenac in water matrices is considered an issue of global concern. Numerous sewage/drain waste lines from the domestic and pharmaceutical sector contain an array of toxic compounds, so-called "emerging pollutants" and possess adverse effects on entire living ecosystem and damage its biodiversity. Therefore, effective solution and preventive measures are urgently required to sustainably mitigate and/or remediate pharmaceutically active emerging pollutants from environmental matrices. In this context, herein, the entry pathways of the pharmaceutical waste into the environment are presented, through the entire lifecycle of a pharmaceutical product. There is no detailed review available on carbon-dots (CDs) as robust materials with multifunctional features that support sustainable mitigation of emerging pollutants from water matrices. Thus, CDs-based photocatalysts are emerging as an efficient alternative for decontamination by pharmaceutical pollutants. The addition of CDs on photocatalytic systems has an important role in their performance, mainly because of their up-conversion property, transfer photoinduced electron capacities, and efficient separation of electrons and holes. In this review, we analyze the strategies followed by different researchers to optimize the photodegradation of various pharmaceutical pollutants. In this manner, the effect of different parameters such as pH, the dosage of photocatalyst, amount of carbon dots, and initial pollutant concentration, among others are discussed. Finally, current challenges are presented from a pollution prevention perspective and from CDs-based photocatalytic remediation perspective, with the aim to suggest possible research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ashutosh Sharma
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Centre of Bioengineering, Campus Queretaro, Av. Epigmenio González 500, Fracc, SanPablo, CP 76130 Queretaro, Mexico
| | | | | | - Muhammad Bilal
- School of Life Science and Food Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huaian 223003, China
| | - Hafiz M N Iqbal
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey 64849, Mexico.
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