Occurrence and environmental impact of pharmaceutical residues from conventional and natural wastewater treatment plants in Gran Canaria (Spain)

Source apportionment and specific-source-site risk of quinolone antibiotics for effluent-receiving urban rivers and groundwater in a city, China

There is a large surface-groundwater exchange downstream of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and antibiotics upstream may influence sites downstream of rivers. Thus, samples from 9 effluent-receiving urban rivers (ERURs) and 12 groundwater sites were collected in Shijiazhuang City in December 2020 and April 2021. For ERURs, 8 out of 13 target quinolone antibiotics (QNs) were detected, and the total concentration of QNs in December and April were 100.6-4,398 ng/L and 8.02-2,476 ng/L, respectively. For groundwater, all target QNs were detected, and the total QNs concentration was 1.09-23.03 ng/L for December and 4.54-170.3 ng/L for April. The distribution of QNs was dissimilar between ERURs and groundwater. Most QN concentrations were weakly correlated with land use types in the system. The results of a positive matrix factorization model (PMF) indicated four potential sources of QNs in both ERURs and groundwater, and WWTP effluents were the main source of QNs. From December to April, the contribution of WWTP effluents and agricultural emissions increased, while livestock activities decreased. Singular value decomposition (SVD) results showed that the spatial variation of most QNs was mainly contributed by sites downstream (7.09%-88.86%) of ERURs. Then, a new method that combined the results of SVD and PMF was developed for a specific-source-site risk quotient (SRQ), and the SRQ for QNs was at high level, especially for the sites downstream of WWTPs. Regarding temporal variation, the SRQ for WWTP effluents, aquaculture, and agricultural emissions increased. Therefore, in order to control the antibiotic pollution, more attention should be paid to WWTP effluents, aquaculture, and agricultural emission sources for the benefit of sites downstream of WWTPs.

Priority list of pharmaceutical active compounds in aquatic environments of Mexico considering their occurrence, environmental and human health risks

Pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) are detected pollutants in aquatic environments worldwide at concentrations ranging from ng L-1 to µg L-1. Currently, PhAC monitoring is poorly realized in Mexico. This study proposes a priority list of PhACs in Mexican aquatic environments, considering their occurrence and environmental and human health risks. Ecological risks were assessed as Risk Quotients (RQ) values using the PhAC concentrations detected in surface water, obtaining high risks (RQ > 1) against aquatic organisms, especially of naproxen, ibuprofen, diclofenac, acetaminophen, 17β-estradiol, carbamazepine, ketoprofen, caffeine. In contrast, potential human health risks (RQH) were assessed on the Mexican population using the concentrations quantified in groundwater, demonstrating potential risks (RQH > 0.2) on the population, particularly of DCF and CBZ. Thus, a priority list of PhACs can be used as a reference for environmental monitoring in Mexican water supplies as well as PhACs monitoring in countries of the Caribbean region and Central America.

Application of non-lethal bioSPME-LC-MS/MS for the detection of human pharmaceuticals in soft corals: A survey at the North Nilandhe atoll (Maldives)

At present the information regarding the occurrence of human pharmaceuticals (PhaCs) in coral reefs and their potential impacts on the associated fauna is limited. To optimize the collection of data in these delicate environments, we employed a solid-phase microextraction (bioSPME) and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) procedure that enabled in vivo determinations in soft corals. Specifically, we researched the antibiotics Ofloxacin Sulfamethoxazole and Clarithromycin, the anti-inflammatory Diclofenac Propyphenazone Ketoprofen and Amisulpride, the neuroactive compounds Gabapentin-lactam, the beta-blocker Metoprolol and the antiepileptic Carbamazepine. Reproducibility was between 2.1% and 9.9% and method detection limits LODs) were between 0.2 and 1.6 ng/g and LOQs between 0.8 and 5.4 mg/g. The method was then applied to establish a baseline for the occurrence of these compounds in the Maldivian archipelago. Colonies of Sarcophyton sp. and Sinularia sp. were sampled along an inner-outer reef transect. Five of the ten targeted PhaCs were identified, and 40% of the surveyed coral colonies showed the occurrence of at least one of the selected compounds. The highest concentrations were found inside the atoll rim. Oxoflacin (9.5 ± 3.9 ng/g) and Ketoprofen (4.5 ± 2.3 ng/g) were the compounds with the highest average concentrations. Outside the atoll rim, only one sample showed contamination levels above the detection limit. No significant differences were highlighted among the two surveyed soft coral species, both in terms of average concentrations and bioconcentration factors (BCFs).

Green synthesis of BiVO4/Eco-graphene nanostructures for the elimination of sulfamethoxazole by adsorption and photo-degradation using blue LED light

Photo-catalysts based on BiVO4 (BV) and Eco-graphene (EG) were synthesized and obtained in a single step with high-quality properties. These nanostructures (NEs) were obtained through a green chemistry route and by adding 2, 3, and 5 wt% of a homemade EG. The BV/X EG NEs (where X = corresponds to the weight % of EG) demonstrated high photocatalytic activity, obtaining Sulfamethoxazole degradation percentages of 40, 45, 52, and 57 for BV, BV/2 EG, BV/3 EG, and BV/5 EG respectively, using a blue LED light. In addition, it was observed that the presence of EG slightly affected the surface area and porosity of BV. Moreover, it was observed that the presence of EG stabilized the scheelite monoclinic phase (m-s), and decreased the crystal size and band-gap values of BV-based samples. It was detected that EG contents increased the BV reduction, creating oxygen vacancies and V4+ states, which favored electron transfer, enhanced the photo-catalytic activity, and decreased the recombination rate. The adsorption influence of the BV/EG system was also studied. Finally, the stability tests of these materials after four cycles of reuse allowed keeping practically the full degradation capacity, demonstrating that these NEs represent a promising material driven by visible light that can be used for wastewater decontamination in the presence of drugs.

Single and combined effects of caffeine and salicylic acid on mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis: Changes at histomorphological, molecular and biochemical levels

Caffeine (CAF) and salicylic acid (SA) are frequently detected in waterbody, though information on their biological impact is poor. This work assesses the effects of CAF (5ng/L to 10µg/L) and SA (0.05µg/L to 100µg/L) alone and combined as CAF+SA (5ng/L+0.05µg/L to 10µg/L+100µg/L) on mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis under 12-days exposure by histomorphology of digestive gland and oxidative stress defense at molecular and biochemical levels. Besides evaluating tissue accumulation, absence of histomorphological damage and haemocyte infiltration highlighted activation of defensive mechanisms. Up-regulation of Cu/Zn-sod, Mn-sod, cat and gst combined with increased catalase and glutathione S-transferase activity were found in CAF-exposed mussels, while SA reduced ROS production and mitochondrial activity. CAF+SA exposure induced differential responses, and the integrated biomarker response (IBR) revealed more pronounced effects of SA than CAF. These results enlarge knowledge on pharmaceuticals impact on non-target organisms, emphasizing the need for proper environmental risk assessment.

Combining environmental, health, and safety features with a conductor like Screening Model for selecting green solvents for antibiotic analyses

Extraction and chromatographic techniques for analyzing pharmaceutically active compounds necessitate large quantities of organic solvents, resulting in a high volume of hazardous waste. The concept of green solvents focuses on protecting the environment by reducing or even eliminating the use of toxic solvents. The main objective of this critical review article is to build a framework for choosing green solvents for antibiotic analyses. The article briefly discusses the chemical properties of ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, and trimethoprim, and the current state of methodologies for their analyses in water and wastewater. It evaluates the greenness of solvents used for antibiotic analyses and includes insights on the comparison between conventional and green solvents for the analyses. An economic and environmental health and safety analysis combined with a Conductor-like Screening Model for Real Solvent (COSMO-RS) molecular simulation technique for predicting extraction efficiency was used in the evaluation. Methyl acetate and propylene carbonate tied for the greenest solvents from an environmental and economic perspective, whereas the COSMO-RS approach suggests dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the most suitable candidate. Although DMSO ranked third environmentally and economically, after methyl acetate and propylene carbonate, it would be an ideal replacement of hazardous solvents if it could be manufactured at a lower cost. DMSO showed the highest extraction capacity, as it can interact with antibiotics through hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding. This article can be used as a green solvent selection guide for developing sustainable processes for antibiotic analyses.

Impacts of wastewater effluents and seasonal trends on levels of antipsychotic pharmaceuticals in water and sediments from two cold-region rivers

Most pharmaceuticals are found at trace concentrations in aquatic systems, but their continuous release and potential accumulation can lead to adverse health effects in exposed organisms. Concentrations can vary temporally, driven by variations in discharges of receiving waters, sorption to sediments, and other biotic and abiotic exchange processes. The principal aim of this research was to better understand the occurrence, trends, and dynamics of pharmaceuticals in a cold-climate, riverine environment. To this end, a suite of seven representative antipsychotic pharmaceuticals was measured upstream and downstream of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Saskatchewan, Canada, located in the South Saskatchewan River and Wascana Creek, respectively, across three seasons. Concentrations of analytes were in the ng/L range and generally greater downstream of both WWTPs compared to upstream. Some compounds, including the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline, which was the most abundant analyte in water and sediment from both sites and across seasons, reached low μg/L concentrations. Data collected from this research effort indicate contamination with antipsychotic pharmaceuticals, with the potential to adversely impact exposed organisms.

Literature Review: Evaluation of Drug Removal Techniques in Municipal and Hospital Wastewater

There are several techniques for the removal of pharmaceuticals (drugs) from wastewater; however, strengths and weaknesses have been observed in their elimination processes that limit their applicability. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the best techniques for the removal of pharmaceuticals from municipal and hospital wastewater. For this, a non-experimental, descriptive, qualitative-quantitative design was used, corresponding to a systematic review without meta-analysis. Based on established inclusion and exclusion criteria, 31 open-access articles were selected from the Scopus, ProQuest, EBSCOhost, and ScienceDirect databases. The results showed that high concentrations of analgesics such as naproxen (1.37 mg/L) and antibiotics such as norfloxacin (0.561 mg/L) are frequently found in wastewater and that techniques such as reverse osmosis, ozonation, and activated sludge have the best removal efficiency, achieving values of 99%. It was concluded that reverse osmosis is one of the most efficient techniques for eliminating ofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, and diclofenac from municipal wastewater, with removal rates ranging from 96 to 99.9%, while for hospital wastewater the activated sludge technique proved to be efficient, eliminating analgesics and antibiotics in the range of 41-99%.

Comparative study of organic contaminants in agricultural soils at the archipelagos of the Macaronesia

The occurrence of organic pollutants in soil is a major environmental concern. These compounds can reach the soil in different ways. Point sources, related to pesticides that are used intentionally, can be applied directly to the soil, or reach the soil indirectly due to application to the aerial parts of crops. On the other hand, non-point sources, which reach soils collaterally during irrigation and/or fertilization, or due to the proximity of plots to industrialized urban centers. Long-range transport of global organic pollutants must also be taken into account. In this study, 218 pesticides, 49 persistent organic pollutants, 37 pharmaceutical active compounds and 6 anticoagulant rodenticides were analyzed in 139 agricultural soil samples collected between 2018 and 2020 in the Macaronesia. This region comprised four inhabited archipelagos (Azores, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, and Madeira) for which agriculture is an important and traditional economic activity. To our knowledge, this is the first study on the levels of organic compound contamination of agricultural soils of the Macaronesia. As expected, the most frequently detected compounds were pesticides, mainly fungicides and insecticides. The Canary Islands presented the highest number of residues, with particularly high concentrations of DDT metabolites (p,p' DDE: 149.5 ± 473.4 ng g^-1; p,p' DDD: 16.6 ± 35.6 ng g^-1) and of the recently used pesticide fenbutatin oxide (302.1 ± 589.7 ng g^-1). Cape Verde was the archipelago with the least contaminated soils. Very few pharmaceutical active compounds have been detected in all archipelagos (eprinomectin, fenbendazole, oxfendazole and sulfadiazine). These results highlight the need to promote soil monitoring programs and to establish maximum residue limits in soils, which currently do not exist at either continental or local level.

Removal efficiency of organic micropollutants in successive wastewater treatment steps in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant: Bench-scale application of tertiary treatment processes to improve removal of organic micropollutants persisting after secondary treatment

The goal of this study was to investigate the occurrence and removal of 52 organic micropollutants (OMPs) during each wastewater treatment step in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Pharmaceuticals such as metformin, acetaminophen, caffeine, ibuprofen, cimetidine and naproxen were found with high average concentrations in the influent. Most OMPs were not affected by the primary treatment (removal <10%), while secondary biological treatment contributed the most to overall removal of the OMPs. Among the three lanes of the secondary treatment of the WWTP, a combined anaerobic-anoxic-oxic process followed by a membrane bioreactor (A2O-MBR) process effectively facilitated removal of the OMPs (96%) using a different redox: a conventional activated sludge (CAS) process exhibited removal of approximately 85% of total concentrations of the OMPs, while a Modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) process achieved approximately 92.1% removal. Removal of more than 50% of the concentrations of 13 targeted OMPs was observed in the secondary effluent (except for metformin showing only 3.8% removal) via adsorption with powdered activated carbon (PAC) as additional tertiary treatment. Metformin, inadequately removed by additional tertiary treatments, was effectively removed by a biological activated carbon (BAC) process, reaching a removal efficiency of 90.5%. To increase the removal of the amounts and types of OMPs with various physico-chemical properties, hybrid processes through a combination of diverse advanced treatment should be tailored to WWTPs.

Caffeine as a contaminant of concern: A review on concentrations and impacts in marine coastal systems

Caffeine has been identified as emerging contaminant of concern due to its widespread occurrence in the aquatic environment and potential to be biologically active. Recently, these concerns have been translated in an increasing research on its occurrence and effects on biota. However, there is still a limited knowledge on seawater matrices and the implications of caffeine presence in coastal and marine ecosystems are not fully known. The present review aims to fill these knowledge gaps, analysing the existing literature regarding the occurrence, effects and potential risks of caffeine residues to coastal ecosystems, contributing to the risk assessment of this psychoactive drug in the aquatic environment. The analysed literature reported caffeine concentrations in the coastal ecosystems, raising high concerns about the potential adverse impacts on the ecological safety and human health. Caffeine has been found in tissues from coastal and marine biota including microalgae, coral reefs, bivalves and fish due to bioaccumulation after chronic, long-term exposures in a contaminated environment. Additionally, caffeine residues had been demonstrated to have adverse impacts on aquatic organisms, at environmentally realistic concentrations, inducing oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation, neurotoxicity, changing energy reserves and metabolic activity, affecting reproduction and development and, in some cases, causing mortality. Considering the increasing adverse impacts of caffeine pollution in the coastal environment, this review highlights the urgent need to minimize the increasing load of caffeine to the aquatic ecosystems; being imperative the implementation of scientific programs and projects to classify effectively the caffeine as a high-priority environmentally hazardous emerging pollutant.

Occurrence of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in WWTP effluent-receiving water bodies and reclaimed wastewater treatment plants

There is a growing concern on the fate and the consequent ecological or health risks of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in natural or artificial water environment. The effluent of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has been reported to be an important source of antibiotics and ARGs in the environment. WWTP effluent could be discharged into surface water bodies or recycled, either of which could lead to different exposure risks. The impact of WWTP effluents on the levels of antibiotics and ARGs in effluent-receiving water bodies and the removal efficiency of antibiotics and ARGs in reclaimed wastewater treatment plants (RWTPs) were seldom simultaneously investigated. Thus, in this study, we investigated the occurrence of antibiotics and ARGs in four WWTP effluents, and their downstream effluent-receiving water bodies and RWTPs in seasons of low-water-level. The total concentrations of ofloxacin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, roxithromycin, azithromycin, erythromycin, tetracycline, oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, and sulfamethoxazole in the secondary effluents were 1441.6-4917.6 ng L^-1. Ofloxacin had the highest concentration. The absolute and relative abundances of total ARGs (qnrD, qnrS, ermA, ermB, tetA, tetQ, sul1, and sul2) in the secondary effluents were 10³-10⁴ copies mL^-1 and 10^-4-10^-2 ARG/16S rRNA. Sul1 and sul2 were the major species with the highest detection frequencies and levels. In most cases, WWTP effluents were not the major contributors to the levels and species of antibiotics and ARGs in the surface water bodies. Four RWTPs removed 43.5-98.9% of antibiotics and - 0.19-2.91 log of ARGs. Antibiotics and ARGs increased in chlorination, ozonation and filtration units. Antibiotics had significantly positive correlations with ARGs, biological oxygen demands, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and ammonia nitrogen in the four effluent-receiving water bodies. In RWTPs, the total concentrations of antibiotics showed a significant positive correlation with the total abundance of ARGs.

A Review of the Occurrence of Pharmaceutical Compounds as Emerging Contaminants in Treated Wastewater and Aquatic Environments

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In recent years, pharmaceutical compounds have emerged as potential contaminants in the aquatic matrices of the environment. High production, consumption, and limited removal through conventional treatment processes/wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are the major causes for the occurrence of pharmaceutical compounds in wastewater and aquatic environments worldwide. A number of studies report adverse health effects and risks to aquatic life and the ecosystem because of the presence of pharmaceutical compounds in the aquatic environment. This paper provides a state-of-the-art review of the occurrence of pharmaceutical compounds in treated wastewater from various WWTPs, surface water and groundwater bodies. Additionally, this review provides comprehensive information and pointers for research in wastewater treatment and waterbodies management.

Biodegradation of salicylic acid, acetaminophen and ibuprofen by bacteria collected from a full-scale drinking water biofilter

This study examined the biodegradation of two pharmaceuticals-acetaminophen, and ibuprofen, and one natural organic surrogate-salicylic acid, by bacteria seeded from backwash water collected from a full-scale biofiltration plant. The degradation was studied in the presence of oxygen. Complete removal of salicylic acid was observed in 27-66 h depending on the seasonality of the collected backwash water, while 90-92% acetaminophen removal was observed in more than 225 h. Ibuprofen demonstrated poor removal efficiencies with only 50% biodegradation after 230 h. Adenosine tri phosphate (ATP) in the reactor was found to be linked with the biodegradation rate. ATP was found to be correlated with oxygen uptake rate (OUR). ATP also had a correlation with each of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), protein and polysaccharides. These results highlight the potential for increasing the biodegradation rates to achieve enhanced contaminant removal.

Screening and Seasonal Behavior of Analgesics, Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs, and Antibiotics in Two Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants

Pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) belonging to analgesics, antibiotics, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) therapeutic classes were monitored in wastewater influents and effluents from two Portuguese urban wastewater treatment plants (UWWTPs) for 24 months. Both facilities were chosen due to their effluents are discharged in highly touristic and sensitive areas, Tagus river and Ria Formosa coastal lagoon, respectively. Target PhACs, acetaminophen, diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen, sulfadiazine, and sulfamethoxazole were measured using solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled to liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). PhACs occurrence in the influents was higher than 98%, with acetaminophen presenting the highest concentrations, with values between 16.3 µg/L and 124 µg/L. In the effluents, distinct behavior was observed with diclofenac and sulfamethoxazole showing recalcitrant characteristics, whereas acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen showed removal efficiencies above 95%. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen amount in influents showed consistently higher concentration levels in autumn (in Beirolas and Faro Nw UWWTPs) and winter (only in Beirolas UWWTP) seasons. These seasonal trends were observed to a greater extent in Beirolas UWWTP than in Faro Nw UWWTP. This study enabled the comprehensive definition of a behavior pattern for these target contaminants, contributing to better characterization and build-up a library of PhACs occurrence. It also allowed a robust seasonal profiling of the target compounds due to the high number of samples analyzed by each season and a longer monitoring campaign, making the obtained results more significant.

Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater Treatment Plants: A Systematic Review on the Substances of Greatest Concern Responsible for the Development of Antimicrobial Resistance

In recent years, there is a growing concern about the alarming spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in different environments. Increasingly, many species of bacteria, fungi and viruses are becoming immune to the most commonly used pharmaceuticals. One of the causes of the development of the resistance is the persistence of these drugs, excreted by humans, in municipal and hospital wastewater (WW). Consequently, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are a primary source of antimicrobial resistance genes as novel pollutants. This systematic review sought to examine the relevant literature on pharmaceutical residues (PRs) responsible for AMR in municipal and hospital WW in order to propose a classification of the PRs of greatest concern and provide an updated source for AMR management in WWTPs. Among 546 studies collected from four databases, 18 were included in the present review. The internal and external validity of each study was assessed, and the risk of bias was evaluated on a 20-parameter basis. Results were combined in a narrative synthesis discussing influent and effluent PR concentrations at 88 WWTPs, seasonal variations, differences between hospital and municipal WW, environmental risk assessment values of antimicrobial substances and treatment facilities removal efficiencies. Among the 45 PRs responsible for AMR evaluated in this study, the antibiotics ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, erythromycin, metronidazole, ofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim constitute a considerable risk in terms of ubiquitous distribution, worrying concentrations, risk quotient values and resistance to removal treatments. Gaps in knowledge, data and information reported in this review will provide a valuable source for managing AMR in WWTPs.

Comparison of advanced biological treatment and nature-based solutions for the treatment of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs): A comprehensive study for wastewater and sewage sludge

Passing of pharmaceutical residues into environment in an uncontrolled manner as a result of continuous increase in drug consumption across the globe has become a threatening problem for the ecosystems and almost all living creatures. In this study, diclofenac (DCF), carbamazepine (CBZ), 17β-estradiol (17β-E2) and 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) belonging to different therapeutic classes were investigated simultaneously in advanced biological treatment and nature-based treatments during 12-months sampling campaign. In this context, behavior patterns of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) throughout the both wastewater and sludge lines in advanced biological wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), wastewater stabilization pond (WSP) and constructed wetland (CW) were discussed in detail based on each treatment processes seasonally. Furthermore, statistically evaluated data obtained in full-scale WWTPs were compared with each other in order to determine the valid removal mechanisms of these pharmaceutical compounds. While DCF and CBZ were detected very intensively both in the wastewater and sludge lines of the investigated WWTPs, steroid hormones,17β-E2 and EE2, were determined below the LOQ value in general. Annual average removal efficiencies achieved in studied WWTPs for DCF ranged between -23.3% (in CW) and 75.2% (in WSP), while annual average removal rates obtained for CBZ varied between -20.7% (in advanced biological treatment) and 10.0% (in CW). It has been found that DCF was highly affected by different wastewater treatment processes applied in the WWTPs compared to CBZ which showed extraordinary resistance to all different treatment processes. Although calculated in different rates for each compounds, biodegradation/biotransformation and sorption onto sewage sludge were determined as the main removal mechanisms for PhACs in plants. Although showed a similar behavior in the sludge dewatering unit (decanter) present in the advanced biological WWTP, quite different behaviors observed in the anaerobic digester for DCF (up to 15% decrease) and CBZ (up to 95% increase). Sorption and desorption behaviors of DCF and CBZ were also evaluated in the sludge treatment processes found in advanced biological WWTP. Percentages of originated extra annual average of pharmaceutical loads were calculated as 0.64% and 0.90% for DCF and CBZ, respectively in the advanced biological WWTP due to the sidestream caused by the sludge dewatering unit.

Occurrence of pharmaceutical residues, personal care products, lifestyle chemicals, illicit drugs and metabolites in wastewater and receiving surface waters of Krakow agglomeration in South Poland

This is the first study of broad range of chemical classes CECs conducted in the upper Wisla river catchment including the biggest WWTPs in this region and surface waters. The list of compounds is extensive and the paper provides, for the first time, better understanding of environmental burden from PCPCs in Poland. Cumulative contribution of hypertension pharmaceuticals, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and lifestyle chemicals was 89% and 95% in wastewater influent, and 75% in wastewater effluent at both WWTPs. Significant removal efficiencies, exceeding 90%, were found for parabens, UV filters, NSAIDs, steroid estrogens, plasticizers, antibacterials/antibiotics, stimulants and metabolites and lifestyle chemicals. The comparison of the average mass loads of CECs between the influent and effluent, has shown that 27% and 29% of all detected CECs were removed by less than 50%. An increase of concentrations of CECs in the effluent was observed for 18% and 20% of all detected CECs in Kujawy and Plaszow WWTPs, respectively. Negative mass balances of fexofenadine, venlafaxine, o-desmethyltramadol, ketamine and temazepam were noted within WWTPs, which are a result of dissolution of persistent contaminants accumulated in aggregates and/or back-transformation or de-conjugation of metabolites into parent compounds. 44 CECs were detected in surface waters located upstream and downstream of the WWTPs. The concentrations of compounds were largely dependent on the dilution factor of WWTP discharge. The risk quotation (RQ) values for compounds present in surface waters were calculated in relation to their potential for bioaccumulation. Among compounds with high potential for bioaccumulation, with log K_OW ≥ 4.5, diclofenac, atorvastatin and triclosan were found to be of high risk. Many CECs with high, moderate or even low environmental impact have shown high potential for bioaccumulation and should be considered as priority at the same risk level. Moreover, possible synergistic action is still of concern.

Electrochemical degradation of psychotropic pharmaceutical compounds from municipal wastewater and neurotoxicity evaluations

Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are released daily into surface water, and their recalcitrant properties often require tertiary treatment. Electrochemical oxidation (EO) is often used as an alternative way to eliminate these compounds from water, although the literature barely addresses the neurotoxic effects of residual by-products. Therefore, this study investigated the performance of EO in the removal of five CECs (alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam, lorazepam, and carbamazepine) and performed neurotoxicity evaluations of residual EO by-products in Wistar rat brain hippocampal slices. Platinum-coated titanium (Ti/Pt) and boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes were studied as anodes. Different current densities (13-75 A m^-2), pH values (3-10), electrolyte dosages (NaCl), and matrix effects were assessed using municipal wastewater (MWW). The drugs were successfully degraded after 5 min of reaction for both the Ti/Pt and BDD electrodes when a current density of 75 A m^-2 was applied. For Ti/Pt and BDD, neutral and acidic pH demonstrated better CEC removal performance, respectively. Compound degradation using MWW achieved 40% removal after 120 min for Ti/Pt and ranged between 33 and 52% for the BDD anode. For Ti/Pt, neurotoxicity studies using MWW indicated a decrease in reactive oxygen species (ROS) signals. However, when an artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) medium was reapplied, the signal recovered and increased to a value above the baseline, indicating that cells recovered part of their normal activity but remained in a different condition. For the BDD anode, the treated MWW did not cause significant ROS production variations, suggesting that he EO was effective in eliminating the toxicity of the treated solution.

Determination of pharmaceuticals in solid samples in municipal wastewater treatment plants by online SPE LC-MS/MS using QuEChERS extraction

In this study, a pretreatment method based on the QuEChERS method has been applied for simultaneously extracting 27 residual pharmaceuticals from wastewater solids. The extracted compounds have been analyzed using online solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled to liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). A recovery test was conducted according to the absorbent type, and buffers were added in the sample extraction step. The highest recovery efficiency could be observed when Na₂SO₄ was used as an absorbent and Na₂EDTA was injected during the extraction process; the recovery efficiencies of the proposed method for the target compounds ranged from 61.3 to 137.2%, and the repeatability was 6.8%. These recovery and repeatability data showed that the proposed method could reliably analyze the 27 target residual pharmaceuticals. The concentrations of the target compounds were all below the limits of quantification: 830 ng g^-1 for the target compounds in suspended solids, 2353 ng g^-1 in activated sludge, and 1929 ng g^-1 in waste sludge. The analytical method established in this study can be applied to quantify residual pharmaceuticals in solid samples and to investigate their behaviors in a municipal wastewater treatment plant.

Evaluation of ibuprofen and diclofenac in the main rivers of Colombia and striped catfish Pseudoplatystoma magdaleniatum

This is one of the first studies carried out over three climatic seasons on the determination of ibuprofen and diclofenac, in the main rivers of Colombia and striped catfish Pseudoplatystoma magdaleniatum. Determination of water concentrations was carried out using SPE extraction, while for the analysis of the muscular tissue, the extraction was carried out by QuEChERS. For both matrices, quantification was done by UHPLC-MS/MS. No levels of ibuprofen or diclofenac concentrations were found in the muscle tissue of Pseudoplatystoma magdaleniatum, in any season or sampling site, during the 2 years of sampling. In some sampling sites, concentrations of up to 75 µg/L of diclofenac were detected, corresponding to the sampling carried out in the dry season, being the highest reported so far in surface waters, possibly generated by large concentrations of population or agricultural activities. On the other hand, for ibuprofen, no concentrations above the limit of quantification (0.50 µg/L) were found in the waters of the Cauca and Magdalena rivers, for any season and sampling site.

A review on analytical methods for pharmaceutical and personal care products and their transformation products

Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) and corresponding transformation products have caused widespread concern due to their persistent emissions and potential toxicity. They have wide octanol-water partition coefficients (K_ow) and different ionization constants (pK_a) resulting in a poor analysis accuracy and efficiency. A suitable analytical method is the first prerequisite for further research on their environmental behavior to prioritize the substances. This study reviewed a full-scale analytical protocol for environmental samples in the recent ten years: from sampling to instrumental methods. Passive sampling techniques were compared and recommended for long-term continuous and scientific observation. A quick and effective sample extraction and clean-up method are highly required. Chromatographic methods coupled to mass spectrometry for determining PPCPs with a wide range of logK_ow (-7.53 to 10.80) were summed up. High-resolution mass spectrometry was confirmed to be a promising strategy for screening unknown transformation products, which would provide a nanogram level of detection limits and more accurate mass resolution. Screening strategies and mass change principles were summarized in detail. The recovery rate was important in multiple contaminants analysis identification and factors affecting the recovery rate of PPCPs were also discussed in this review, including sample matrix, target compounds characteristics, extraction method and solid-phase adsorbent. This review provides useful information for the selection of appropriate analytical methods and future development directions.

Remoción de cinco productos farmacéuticos catalogados como contaminantes emergentes en medio acuoso utilizando la especie vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides)

Los productos farmacéuticos constituyen un grupo único de contaminantes emergentes de gran interés, debido a que se ha determinado su presencia frecuente en aguas superficiales, subterráneas y agua potable. Debido al metabolismo y la absorción incompletos en el organismo humano, una cantidad significativa de estos fármacos se excretan y liberan al ambiente a través de las aguas residuales. Por lo que el objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el potencial de la especie vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) para eliminar del medio acuoso cinco productos farmacéuticos comúnmente recetados y de venta libre como ciprofloxacina, ibuprofeno, sulfametaxazol, diclofenaco y acetaminofén. La especie fue aclimatada en invernado, donde se llevó a cabo los experimentos en condiciones controladas de temperatura y a un pH de 6,5. Las muestras fueron analizadas utilizando espectrofotometría UV-Vis para leer en forma directa las absorbancias de cada producto farmacéutico. Para el análisis estadístico de los datos se empleó la metodología de superficies de respuesta con el fin de encontrar los modelos que ayuden a determinar tiempos y concentraciones óptimas donde se maximiza la absorción de cada fármaco, así como la obtención de las pendientes de crecimiento para determinar hacia donde se deberá buscar el óptimo. Se utilizó el software estadístico R versión 3.6.0 y RStudio versión 1.1.453. Los resultados obtenidos indican que C. zizanioides removió de manera más eficiente ciprofloxacina (98,3%) a una concentración de 3mg/L en un tiempo de 149h, seguido por ibuprofeno y diclofenaco con un máximo de remoción de 73,33% y sulfametaxazol con 66,53%, obteniéndose el menor porcentaje de remoción para acetaminofén de 38,49% a las 192h, donde se realizó toma de muestras cada 48 horas de las soluciones de cada fármaco a diferentes concentraciones (3 mg/L, 6 mg/L, 9 mg/L, 12 mg/L). En este trabajo de investigación se demostró la capacidad removedora de Chrysopogon zizanioides de los cinco fármacos estudiados en medio acuoso en condiciones controladas, vislumbrando un gran potencial en el ámbito de la biotecnología ambiental para el tratamiento terciario de aguas residuales.

Overview of Sample Preparation and Chromatographic Methods to Analysis Pharmaceutical Active Compounds in Waters Matrices

In the environment, pharmaceutical residues are a field of particular interest due to the adverse effects to either human health or aquatic and soil environment. Because of the diversity of these compounds, at least 3000 substances were identified and categorized into 49 different therapeutic classes, and several actions are urgently required at multiple steps, the main ones: (i) occurrence studies of pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) in the water cycle; (ii) the analysis of the potential impact of their introduction into the aquatic environment; (iii) the removal/degradation of the pharmaceutical compounds; and, (iv) the development of more sensible and selective analytical methods to their monitorization. This review aims to present the current state-of-the-art sample preparation methods and chromatographic analysis applied to the study of PhACs in water matrices by pinpointing their advantages and drawbacks. Because it is almost impossible to be comprehensive in all PhACs, instruments, extraction techniques, and applications, this overview focuses on works that were published in the last ten years, mainly those applicable to water matrices.

Occurrence and fate of pharmaceuticals in a wastewater treatment plant from southeast of Spain and risk assessment

Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) can be incorporated into ecosystems and pose potential environmental and health hazards. These pollutants are becoming omnipresent in the environment because they are introduced by several sources, being particularly important the contribution of human-derived pharmaceuticals. The presence of PPCPs in waters has received increasing attention in recent years, resulting in great concern regarding their occurrence, transformation, fate and environmental risk. For that reason, the pharmaceuticals carbamazepine (CBZ), diclofenac (DIC), ibuprofen (IBU), ketoprofen (KET) and naproxen (NPX) were measured in the waters and sludge of several parts of a double step activated sludge wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) from Murcia (Spain). With these results, the biological degradation constant, the sorption coefficient and the pharmaceutical removal were calculated. Possible risks to humans and ecosystems were also evaluated. These showed good degradation of IBU and NPX (74.4 and 84.9%, respectively), while CBZ didn't display any degradation. DIC was the compound most likely to be sorbed into the sludge (3.09 L kg^-1). The PPCPs removal in this double stage WWTP was compared to a previous data obtained in a WWTP of the same region with an activated sludge (single biological batch reactor). The results showed a decrease in the removal of the double stage plant, probably due to the lower hydraulic retention time employed. The study of the human and ecological risk quotients indicates a low risk of the selected pharmaceuticals (RQ < 0.1).

Occurrence and removal of pharmaceutical and personal care products using subsurface horizontal flow constructed wetlands

A significant number of emerging pollutants resulting from point source and diffuse pollution are present in the aquatic environment. These are chemicals that are not commonly monitored, but have the potential to cause adverse effects on human and ecological health. One form of emerging pollutants, pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), are becoming a serious problem in the discharge of domestic wastewater. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine their occurrence in wastewater and surface waters, and to evaluate the efficiency of subsurface horizontal flow constructed wetlands (planted in polyculture and unplanted), in removing two pharmaceuticals: carbamazepine (Cbz) and sildenafil (Sil); and a personal care product: methylparaben (Mp), present in domestic wastewater. The mixed PPCPs were added to wetlands, at nominal concentrations of 200 μg / L for each compound. The working flow of the reactors was 15 mL / min and the hydraulic retention time was three days. The physicochemical parameters evaluated were: organic load, dissolved oxygen, temperature, conductivity, redox potential, dissolved solids, pH and PPCPs concentration. The presence of the three compounds became evident in all sampled sites, with concentrations of up to 10.66 μg / L, 7.24 μg / L and 2.64 μg / L for Cbz, Mp and Sil, respectively. In planted wetlands, removal efficiencies of up to 97% were achieved for Sil, while in the unplanted these were 30% lower. Removal efficiencies greater than 97% were achieved for Mp, however, for Cbz they were less than 10%, evaluated in both treatments. The average removal efficiency for organic load was 95%. It was determined that constructed wetlands can efficiently remove simple molecular structure compounds such as Mp, and complex structures such as Sil. However, Cbz remained as a recalcitrant contaminant.

Molecularly imprinted polymer-based electrochemical sensors for environmental analysis

The ever-increasing presence of contaminants in environmental waters is an alarming issue, not only because of their harmful effects in the environment but also because of their risk to human health. Pharmaceuticals and pesticides, among other compounds of daily use, such as personal care products or plasticisers, are being released into water bodies. This release mainly occurs through wastewater since the treatments applied in many wastewater treatment plants are not able to completely remove these substances. Therefore, the analysis of these contaminants is essential but this is difficult due to the great variety of contaminating substances. Facing this analytical challenge, electrochemical sensing based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) has become an interesting field for environmental monitoring. Benefiting from their superior chemical and physical stability, low-cost production, high selectivity and rapid response, MIPs combined with miniaturized electrochemical transducers offer the possibility to detect target analytes in-situ. In most reports, the construction of these sensors include nanomaterials to improve their analytical characteristics, especially their sensitivity. Moreover, these sensors have been successfully applied in real water samples without the need of laborious pre-treatment steps. This review provides a general overview of electrochemical MIP-based sensors that have been reported for the detection of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, heavy metals and other contaminants in water samples in the past decade. Special attention is given to the construction of the sensors, including different functional monomers, sensing platforms and materials employed to achieve the best sensitivity. Additionally, several parameters, such as the limit of detection, the linear concentration range and the type of water samples that were analysed are compiled.

Presence of antibiotic resistance genes and its association with antibiotic occurrence in Dilúvio River in southern Brazil

It is known that antibiotics are widely used in human and veterinary medicine. In some countries the use is controlled, however few restrictions to their use are enforced in many countries. Antibiotics and their metabolites can reach the water bodies through sewage systems, especially in those countries with partial or absent wastewater treatment systems. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics has been linked with the increase of antibiotic resistant bacteria. The relation between the occurrence of antibiotics and resistance genes in surface waters has been widely studied worldwide evincing the great importance of this subject. In this work, a methodology for quantification of 40 antibiotics of 5 different classes, in river water, by SPE-LC-MS/MS was validated. Samples were taken during a two-year period from Dilúvio River, a stream that crosses the city of Porto Alegre (RS - Brazil) and receives in nature domestic effluent. The methodology met the requirements of validation, with Limit of Quantification varying from 20 ng L^-1 to 100 ng L^-1. A total of 48 samples was analyzed for the presence of antibiotics for two years. From the 40 antibiotics analyzed, 8 of them (Azithromycin, Cephalexin, ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, norfloxacin, sulfadiazine, sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim) were present in all sampling points in the range of <LOQ to 344 ng L^-1. The occurrence of antibiotics resistance genes in the sampling points was determined using qPCR. Specific primers were utilized to detected resistance genes to the β-lactam cephalexin (bla_TEM gene), to the quilonones ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin (qnrS gene), to the macrolides azithromycin and clindamycin (ermB gene), and to the sulfonamides sulfadiazine and sulfamethoxazole (sulI gene), which were quantified the selected water samples. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed the presence of ARGs in all samples, with the highest concentration found for bla_TEM.

Sonochemical degradation of trimethoprim in water matrices: Effect of operating conditions, identification of transformation products and toxicity assessment

The sonochemical degradation of trimethoprim (TMP), a widely used antibiotic, in various water matrices was investigated. The effect of several parameters, such as initial TMP concentration (0.5-3 mg/L), actual power density (20-60 W/L), initial solution pH (3-10), inorganic ions, humic acid and water matrix on degradation kinetics was examined. The pseudo-first order degradation rate of TMP was found to increase with increasing power density and decreasing pH, water complexity (ultrapure water > bottled water > secondary wastewater) and initial TMP concentration. TMP degradation is accompanied by the formation of several transformation products (TPs) as evidenced by LC-QToF-MS analysis. Nine such TPs were successfully identified and their time-trend profiles during degradation were followed. An in silico toxicity evaluation was performed showing that several TPs could potentially be more toxic than the parent compound towards Daphnia magna, Pimephales promelas and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata.

Rat cardiomyocyte H9c2(2-1)-based sulforhodamine B assay as a promising in vitro method to assess the biological component of effluent toxicity

The treatment of wastewaters is crucial to maintain the ecological status of receiving waters, and thereby guarantee the protection of aquatic life and human health. Wastewater quality evaluation is conventionally based on physicochemical parameters, but increasing attention has been paid to integrate physicochemical and biological data. Nevertheless, the regulatory use of fish in biological testing methods has been subject to various ethical and cost concerns, and in vitro cell-based assays have thus become an important topic of interest. Hence, the present study intends: (a) to evaluate the efficiency of two different sample pre-concentration techniques (lyophilisation and solid phase extraction) to assess the toxicity of municipal effluents on rat cardiomyoblast H9c2(2-1) cells, and (b) maximizing the use of the effluent sample collected, to estimate the environmental condition of the receiving environment. The gathered results demonstrate that the H9c2(2-1) sulforhodamine B-based assay is an appropriate in vitro method to assess biological effluent toxicity, and the best results were attained by lyophilising the sample as pre-treatment. Due to its response, the H9c2(2-1) cell line might be a possible alternative in vitro model for fish lethal testing to assess the toxicity of municipal effluents. The physicochemical status of the sample suggests a high potential for eutrophication, and iron exceeded the permissible level for wastewater discharge, possibly due to the addition of ferric chloride for wastewater treatment. In general, the levels of carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole are higher than those reported for other countries, and both surpassed the aquatic protective values for long-term exposure.

Occurrence of caffeine in the freshwater environment: Implications for ecopharmacovigilance

Owing to the substantial consumption of caffeinated food, beverages, and medicines worldwide, caffeine is considered the most representative pharmaceutically active compound (PhAC) pollutant based on its high abundance in the environment and its suitability as an indicator of the anthropogenic inputs of PhACs in water bodies. This review presents a worldwide analysis of 132 reports of caffeine residues in freshwater environments. The results indicated that more than 70% of the studies reported were from Asia and Europe, which have densely populated and industrially developed areas. However, caffeine pollution was also found to affect areas isolated from human influence, such as Antarctica. In addition, the maximum concentrations of caffeine in raw wastewater, treated wastewater, river, drinking water, groundwater, lake, catchment, reservoir, and rainwater samples were reported to be 3.60 mg/L, 55.5, 19.3, 3.39, 0.683, 174, 44.6, 4.87, and 5.40 μg/L, respectively. The seasonal variation in caffeine residues in the freshwater environment has been demonstrated. In addition, despite the fact that there was a small proportion of wastewater treatment plants in which the elimination rates of caffeine were below 60%, wastewater treatment is generally believed to have a high caffeine removal efficiency. From a pharmacy perspective, we proposed to adopt effective measures to minimize the environmental risks posed by PhACs, represented by caffeine, through a new concept known as ecopharmacovigilance (EPV). Some measures of EPV aimed at caffeine pollution have been advised, as follows: improving knowledge and perceptions about caffeine pollution among the public; listing caffeine as a high-priority PhAC pollutant, which should be targeted in EPV practices; promoting green design and production, rational consumption, and environmentally preferred disposal of caffeinated medicines, foods, and beverages; implementing intensive EPV measures in high-risk areas and during high-risk seasons; and integrating EPV into wastewater treatment programs.

Adsorptive removal of cationic tricyclic antidepressants using cation-exchange resin

This study aimed to select a high-performance cation-exchange resin (CER) and estimate its uptake of positively ionized tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), i.e., amitriptyline (AMI), imipramine (IMI), clomipramine (CLO), and desipramine (DES), which are frequently used, and detected in wastewater treatment systems. For the selection of the resin, the one-point check test of AMI in distilled water was examined using several CERs. As a result, the strong-acid polystyrene CER, Dowex 50WX4-200, was selected on the basis of its outstanding uptake of AMI. The maximum adsorption capacities of Dowex 50WX4-200 for removal of the TCAs ranged from 2.53 ± 0.20 mmol/g to 3.76 ± 0.12 mmol/g, which are significantly higher when compared with those of previously reported adsorbents. This is likely because the combination of electrostatic and π-π interactions between the TCAs and Dowex 50WX4-200 may lead to high uptakes of the TCAs. Additionally, the removal efficiency of DES as a representative of the TCAs was tested in actual wastewater system containing activated sludge and miscellaneous cations. Consequently, the removal efficiencies of the DES in distilled water, aerobic wastewater, and filtered wastewater were 95.68%, 77.99%, and 56.66%, respectively. It is interesting to note that the activated sludge could also contribute to adsorption of the DES, leading to increased removability, while the cations present in the wastewater acted as competing ions, decreasing the removal efficiency.

Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim ratio as a new marker in raw wastewaters: A critical review

Global Trimethoprim (TMP) and Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) occurrences in raw wastewaters were systematically collected from the literature (n = 140 articles) in order to assess the relevance of using the SMX/TMP ratio as a marker of the main origin of wastewaters. These two antibiotics were selected due to their frequent use in association (i.e. co-trimoxazole) in a 5:1 ratio (SMX:TMP) for medication purposes, generating a unique opportunity to globally evaluate the validity of this ratio based on concentration values. Several parameters (e.g. sorption, biodegradation) may affect the theoretical SMX/TMP ratio. However, the collected data highlighted the good agreement between the theoretical ratio and the experimental one, especially in wastewater treatment plant influents and hospital effluents. Only livestock effluents displayed a very high SMX/TMP ratio, indicative of the very significant use of sulfonamide alone in this industry. Conversely, several countries displayed low SMX/TMP ratio values, highlighting local features in the human pharmacopoeia. This review provides new insights in order to develop an easy to handle and sound marker of wastewater origins (i.e. human/livestock), beyond atypical local customs.

A Survey of the Presence of Pharmaceutical Residues in Wastewaters. Evaluation of Their Removal using Conventional and Natural Treatment Procedures

To encourage the reutilization of treated wastewaters as an adaptation strategy to climate change it is necessary to demonstrate their quality. If this is ensured, reclaimed waters could be a valuable resource that produces very little environmental impact and risks to human health. However, wastewaters are one of the main sources of emerging pollutants that are discharged in the environment. For this, it is essential to assess the presence of these pollutants, especially pharmaceutical compounds, in treated wastewaters. Moreover, the different treatment processes must be evaluated in order to know if conventional and natural treatment technologies are efficient in the removal of these types of compounds. This is an important consideration if the treated wastewaters are used in agricultural activities. Owing to the complexity of wastewater matrixes and the low concentrations of pharmaceutical residues in these types of samples, it is necessary to use sensitive analytical methodologies. In this study, the presence of 11 pharmaceutical compounds were assessed in three different wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Gran Canaria (Spain). Two of these WWTPs use conventional purification technologies and they are located in densely populated areas, while the other studied WWTP is based in constructed wetlands which purify the wastewaters of a rural area. The sampling was performed monthly for two years. A solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was applied for the analysis of the samples, and the 11 pharmaceuticals were detected in all the studied WWTPs. The concentrations were variable and ranged from ng·L^-1 in some compounds like diclofenac or carbamazepine to µg·L^-1 in common pharmaceutical compounds such as caffeine, naproxen or ibuprofen. In addition, removal efficiencies in both conventional and natural purification systems were evaluated. Similar removal efficiencies were obtained using different purifying treatments, especially for some pharmaceutical families as stimulants or anti-inflammatories. Other compounds like carbamazepine showed a recalcitrant behavior. Secondary treatments presented similar removal efficiencies in both conventional and natural wastewater treatment plants, but conventional treatments showed slightly higher elimination ratios. Regarding tertiary system, the treatment with highest removal efficiencies was reverse osmosis in comparison with microfiltration and electrodialysis reversal.

Pharmaceuticals residues and xenobiotics contaminants: Occurrence, analytical techniques and sustainable alternatives for wastewater treatment

Emerging contaminants are increasingly present in the environment, and their appearance on both the environment and health of living beings are still poorly understood by society. Conventional sewage treatment facilities that are under validity and were designed years ago are not developed to remove pharmaceutical compounds, their main focus is organic and bacteriological removal. Pharmaceutical residues are associated directly with quantitative production aspects as well as inadequate waste management policies. Persistent classes of emerging compounds such as xenobiotics present molecules whose physicochemical properties such as small molecular size, ionizability, water solubility, lipophilicity, polarity and volatility make degradability, identification and quantification of these complex compounds difficult. Based on research results showing that there is a possibility of risk to human and environmental health the presence of these compounds in the environment this article aimed to review the main pharmaceutical and xenobiotic residues present in the environment, as well as to present the most common methodologies used. The most commonly used analytical methods for identifying these compounds were HPLC and Gas Chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry with potential for characterize complex substances in the environment with low concentrations. An alternative and low-cost technology for emerging compound treatment demonstrated in the literature with a satisfactory performance for several types of sewage such as domestic sewage, wastewater and agroindustrial, was the Wetlands Constructed. The study was able to identify the main compounds that are being found in the environment and identify the most used analytical methods to identify and quantify these compounds, bringing some alternatives combining technologies for the treatment of compounds. Environmental contamination is eminent, since the production of emerging compounds aims to increase along with technological development. This demonstrates the need to explore and aggregate sewage treatment technologies to reduce or prevent the deposition of these compounds into the environment.

Biological removal of pharmaceuticals by Navicula sp. and biotransformation of bezafibrate

Pharmaceutically active compounds are of great concern due to their detection frequency in the environment and the unexpected risks. In this study, the simultaneous removal of mixed pharmaceuticals by microalgae was explored using a typical freshwater diatom Navicula sp. Results showed that Navicula sp. could efficiently remove atenolol, carbamazepine, ibuprofen and naproxen with the efficiencies of >90% after 21 d of exposure. As compared to the removal efficiencies of each pharmaceutical in the individual pharmaceutical treatments, the degradation of sulfamethoxazole, bezafibrate, and naproxen was improved in the mixed treatment, whereas the removal efficiencies of carbamazepine and atenolol decreased. Additionally, the presence of hydrophobic pharmaceuticals (i.e., ibuprofen and naproxen) accelerated the degradation of carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole and inhibited the removal of atenolol in the mixture with the combination of six pharmaceuticals, while the addition of other pharmaceuticals show no significant effect on the removal of ibuprofen and naproxen. The bioaccumulation of pharmaceuticals in Navicula sp. increased as their log K_OW values decreased. Four bezafibrate metabolites were identified and the degradation pathways of bezafibrate in diatom were proposed. It is the first report on the metabolism of BEZ in diatom, and further studies on the environmental risk of the metabolites should be investigated.

Pharmaceuticals, pesticides, personal care products and microplastics contamination assessment of Al-Hassa irrigation network (Saudi Arabia) and its shallow lakes

This study assess the presence of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) and pesticides in different environmental compartments and microplastics in water of a characteristic lagoon wetland in Saudi Arabia to establish the transport, accumulation and fate of these pollutants in a water-stressed area under high anthropogenic pressure. In water, diazinon (up to 1016 ng L^-1), caffeine (up to 20,663 ng L^-1), diclofenac (up to 1390 ng L^-1) and paracetamol (up to 3069 ng L^-1) were at the highest concentrations. The substances with the highest frequency of detection were carbendazim, atorvastatin, caffeine, etoricoxib, lorazepam, metformin, ofloxacin, paracetamol, salicylic acid and tramadol. Considerably less pesticides and PPCPs at concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 126 ng g^-1 dry weight (d.w.) were detected in the other matrices (sediment ≫ soil > plants). The concentration of microplastics in water ranged from 0.7 to 7.8 items/L in the Al-Asfar lake and from 1.1 to 9.0 items/L in the Al-Hubail lake. Risk assessment [using hazards quotients (HQ)] was used to highlight pesticides and PPCPs of major ecological concern that should be closely monitored to avoid adverse effects.

Occurrence of 40 pharmaceutically active compounds in hospital and urban wastewaters and their contribution to Mahdia coastal seawater contamination

In the present study, the occurrence of 40 pharmaceuticals belonging to several therapeutic groups was investigated for the first time in hospital effluent, wastewater treatment plant influent and effluent, and seawater in Mahdia, Tunisia. Forty-six samples were collected within a 6-month sampling period. Pharmaceuticals were analyzed using solid-phase extraction followed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Thirty-three out of the forty target compounds were detected over a wide concentration of ranges, from nanograms per liter to micrograms per liter, depending on the type of sample. Maximum values were detected for caffeine at 902 μgL^-1 in hospital wastewater. This compound, as well as salicylic acid, sulfadiazine, and sulfamethizole, were detected in all samples. The average concentration of total pharmaceuticals in hospital wastewater (340 μgL^-1) was higher than those detected in influent and effluent wastewater and seawater (275.11 and 0.2 μgL^-1, respectively). Risk quotients (RQs) were also estimated to provide a preliminary environmental risk assessment and results revealed that sulfadiazine, sulfamethoxazole, and fluoxetine could pose medium/high risk to the tested aquatic organisms for maximum measured concentrations in wastewater (including hospital and WWTP samples). Although the measured environmental concentrations (MECs) detected in seawater samples might not pose a toxic effect to the aquatic organisms (except for salicylic acid, sulfamethoxazole and fluoxetine), further researches are needed due to the continuous release of wastewater in the environment and the limited efficiency of wastewater treatment processes.

Occurrence, interactive effects and ecological risk of diclofenac in environmental compartments and biota - a review

Diclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug has turned into a contaminant of emerging concern; hence, it was included in the previous Watch List of the EU Water Framework Directive. This review paper aims to highlight the metabolism of diclofenac at different trophic levels, its occurrence, ecological risks, and interactive effects in the water cycle and biota over the past two decades. Increased exposure to diclofenac not only raises health concerns for vultures, aquatic organisms, and higher plants but also causes serious threats to mammals. The ubiquitous nature of diclofenac in surface water (river, lake canal, estuary, and sea) is compared with drinking water, groundwater, and wastewater effluent in the environment. This comprehensive survey from previous studies suggests the fate of diclofenac in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and may predict its persistence in the environment. This review offers evidence of fragmentary available data for the water environment, soil, sediment, and biota worldwide and supports the need for further data to address the risks associated with the presence of diclofenac in the environment. Finally, we suggest that the presence of diclofenac and its metabolites in the environment may represent a high risk because of their synergistic interactions with existing contaminants, leading to the development of drug-resistant strains and the formation of newly emerging pollutants.

Comprehensive investigation of a wide range of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in urban and hospital wastewaters in Greece

Detection and quantification of Pharmaceutical and Personal care products (PPCPs) in wastewaters and aqueous samples is crucial in terms of environmental monitoring and risk assessment for these emerging contaminants in the environment. The majority of the studies on PPCPs in wastewaters involve analysis only of representative compounds for each class, while few studies reported for the analysis of several compounds from multiple classes of PPCPs in samples. In this light, the aim of this work was to develop a multiresidue analytical protocol based on solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled to liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometer-(LC-MS/MS) for simultaneous determination of 138 substances including 37 different classes of PPCPs that can be used for monitoring in wastewater. Hence, an extensive monitoring survey of PPCPs in four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in three cities of North (Thessaloniki) and Central (Larisa, Volos) Greece region has been conducted. In addition, the occurrence of the target compounds in raw waters of effluents from two medium-size hospitals located in the Larisa Region was investigated. Analgesics-anti-inflammatories (paracetamol, diclofenac, ibuprofen, salicylic acid), diuretic (furosemide), antibiotics (amoxicillin, ampicillin, clarithromycin, azithromycin), anti-hypertensives (valsartan, irbesartan, telmisartan), psychiatric drugs (carbamazepine, venlafaxine, citalopram), stimulant (caffeine) and beta blockers (atenolol, metoprolol, pindolol) were among the most frequently detected compounds. The removal rates varied between the different therapeutic groups, as well within each therapeutic group, important variations in removal were observed, going from not eliminated to 100%. Mass loading distribution in the different WWTPs was also evaluated. Finally, the risk quotient approach (RQ) for single substances and the cumulative RQ for the classes of the target PPCPs was used in order to identify the potential ecotoxicological risk posed in the tree trophic levels of aquatic organisms.

Anthropogenic contaminants of high concern: Existence in water resources and their adverse effects

Existence of anthropogenic contaminants (ACs) in different environmental matrices is a serious and unresolved concern. For instance, ACs from different sectors, such as industrial, agricultural, and pharmaceutical, are found in water bodies with considerable endocrine disruptors potency and can damage the biotic components of the environment. The continuous ACs exposure can cause cellular toxicity, apoptosis, genotoxicity, and alterations in sex ratios in human beings. Whereas, aquatic organisms show bioaccumulation, trophic chains, and biomagnification of ACs through different entry route. These problems have been found in many countries around the globe, making them a worldwide concern. ACs have been found in different environmental matrices, such as water reservoirs for human consumption, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs), groundwaters, surface waters, rivers, and seas, which demonstrate their free movement within the environment in an uncontrolled manner. This work provides a detailed overview of ACs occurrence in water bodies along with their toxicological effect on living organisms. The literature data reported between 2017 and 2018 is compiled following inclusion-exclusion criteria, and the obtained information was mapped as per type and source of ACs. The most important ACs are pharmaceuticals (diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen, ofloxacin, acetaminophen, progesterone ranitidine, and testosterone), agricultural products or pesticides (atrazine, carbendazim, fipronil), narcotics and illegal drugs (amphetamines, cocaine, and benzoylecgonine), food industry derivatives (bisphenol A, and caffeine), and personal care products (triclosan, and other related surfactants). Considering this threatening issue, robust detection and removal strategies must be considered in the design of WWTPs and DWTPs.

Treatment of Metformin-Containing Wastewater by a Hybrid Vertical Anaerobic Biofilm-Reactor (HyVAB)

Several series of batch and continuous experiments were performed to investigate the removal of metformin and other contaminants from two wastewaters: wastewater I (WWI) containing 4 mg/L metformin and wastewater II (WWII) containing 110 g/L butanol. Biomethane potential (BMP) tests on WWII showed 77% of total chemical oxygen demand (tCOD = 110 g/L) degradability, and no apparent inhibition effects were observed. BMP tests on WWI showed an apparent inhibitory effect reflected in lower biogas production with increasing metformin concentration in the wastewater. Continuous flow hybrid vertical anaerobic biofilm (HyVAB^®) experiments were consistent with the batch test findings. It was necessary to co-digest WWI (metformin) with WWII (easily degradable organics) to achieve complete metformin removal. After a period of adaptation, WWI and WWII co-digestion achieved up to 98% tCOD removal and 100% metformin removal. Most of the contaminants were removed in the anaerobic section of the HyVAB^®, which implies that higher chemical oxygen demand (COD) loads than tested here are possible, given some optimization. The pilot reactor was able to manage organic loads of 11 g COD/d and above 10 mg/L metformin with a removal of 98% and 100% for tCOD and metformin, respectively.

Assessment of 83 pharmaceuticals in WWTP influent and effluent samples by UHPLC-MS/MS: Hourly variation

The removal efficiency of pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is variable and some of these compounds pass these plants almost intact and others presenting a removal efficiency close to 100%. Their incomplete removal results in a continuous discharge of pharmaceuticals into the environment. To assess the profile of contamination of influents and effluents over a day, a set of 83 pharmaceuticals were evaluated hourly in a WWTP in Leiria, Portugal. The composite samples of the influent and effluent were also collected. Concentrations varied from <MDL for ketoprofen, clarithromycin, ofloxacin, and diltiazem to 63.97 μg/L for caffeine in the WWTP influent composite sample and <MDL for clarithromycin, bupropion, and diltiazem to 2.01 μg/L for O-desmethylvenlafaxine for effluent composite sample. Concentrations in the range of μg/L were found for hydroxyibuprofen, salicylic acid, d,l-norephedrine, and caffeine in the WWTP influent, and diclofenac, carbamazepine, O-desmethylvenlafaxine in the WWTP effluents. For the samples collected hourly, thirty-eight and twenty-nine pharmaceuticals were detected in at least one WWTP sample. In the WWTP influent the total concentration of detected pharmaceuticals was higher between 15 and 22 h and lower in the period from 23 to 10 h in the morning. In the WWTP effluent, a slight variation was noticed throughout the sampling hours. Carbamazepine, fluoxetine, sertraline, atorvastatin, caffeine, simvastatin, and trazodone were the pharmaceuticals with risk quotient (RQ) >1 in WWTP influents, and carbamazepine, fluoxetine, sertraline the pharmaceuticals with an RQ > 1 in WWTP effluents.

Sublethal and chronic effects of reclaimed water on aquatic organisms. Looking for relationships between physico-chemical characterisation and toxic effects

The use of reclaimed water for irrigation and aquaculture purposes is generally considered a reliable alternative for sustainable water management in regions with water scarcity. Many organic compounds, generally called compounds of emerging concern (CECs), have been detected in reclaimed water, which implies continuous exposure for aquatic organisms. To date no quality criteria have been proposed for this group of compounds. This work aims to assess the acute, sublethal and chronic effects of reclaimed water using two representative organisms of the aquatic compartment; the green alga Chlorella vulgaris and the microcrustacean Daphnia magna. The study comprises the 72 h-algal growth inhibition test, the D. magna feeding bioassay and the D. magna reproduction test. The results highlighted, for the selected characterised compounds, no differences in the concentrations between the different tertiary WWTP treatments, except for the particular case of carbamazepine. Considering seasonality, no differences were observed between the two different sample collection campaigns. The sublethal and chronic effects observed for these samples could not be explained by the lower concentrations found in the chemical characterisation. However, in the majority of cases, dilution of raw reclaimed water reduced the toxic effects of these samples. Several interactions among compounds can affect the mixture's toxicity. Canonical correlation analyses (CCA) were included to explore the potential relationships between the physico-chemical characterisation of reclaimed water and effects on aquatic organisms. The results corroborated the toxic effect of some pharmaceuticals, in particular beta-blockers and antibiotics, on the growth and yield of green algae, as well as inhibition of daphnia reproduction. Thus the CCA methods could help to elucidate the potential relationships between the physico-chemical characterisation and toxic effects by considering all the potential interactions.