Tracer test and behavior of selected pharmaceuticals

Abstract

Study of the behavior and transport of pharmaceuticals in groundwater is significant for understanding the processes of natural attenuation and potential use of filtration through the aquifer to evaluate the most effective way to remove pharmaceuticals that occur under anthropogenic influence. This paper presents the results of a field experiment at the location of the drainage system of Kovin-Dubovac in Serbia, during which a tracer test was conducted and the behavior of selected pharmaceuticals (trimethoprim, carbamazepine, diclofenac and metamizole metabolite N-acetyl-4-aminoantipyrine (4–AAA)) was monitored. The objective of the paper is to show and analyze the results of the tracer test, during which the tracer NaCl was injected, and to correlate the obtained characteristics of the subsurface and the breakthrough curves of the selected pharmaceuticals, so that the effects of sorption can be quantified. During the tracer test, the hydraulic head, flow, electric conductivity and concentrations of the pharmaceuticals were monitored continuously to collect sufficient data. The results show that sorption coefficients can be determined from experimental data and the NaCl breakthrough curve.