Treatment of drug residues (emerging contaminants) in hospital effluent by the combination of biological and physiochemical treatment process: a review

Nadeem Ahmad,Sergij Vambol,Viola Vambol,Sirajuddin Ahmed

doi:10.1108/febe-02-2021-0002

Abstract

Treatment of drug residues (emerging contaminants) in hospital effluent by the combination of biological and physiochemical treatment process: a review

Highlights

Fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, pathogens, etc. as well as copper (Cu) and cyanide, nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), phenols, detergents and other toxic elements are founded in current hospital wastewater (HWW) (Cosgrove et al, 2018; Kalhor et al, 2019; Panwar and Ahmed, 2018; Tomenko et al, 2007)
Social implications – This review has aimed to identify the emerging contaminants, including pharmaceutical residues, highly consumed chemicals that are present in the hospital effluent, along with their physicochemical and biological characteristics
More than 14,000 μg/l of pharmaceutical residues fell into water bodies from sewage treatment plants (STPs) and other polluted surface waters (Chen et al, 2014; Kulkarni et al, 2015; Shahul Hameed et al, 2015)

Summary

Introduction

Escherichia coli, pathogens, etc. as well as copper (Cu) and cyanide, nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), phenols, detergents and other toxic elements are founded in current hospital wastewater (HWW) (Cosgrove et al, 2018; Kalhor et al, 2019; Panwar and Ahmed, 2018; Tomenko et al, 2007). It is in developing countries that there is the highest degree of environmental risk associated with the release of HWW into the environment This is due to the fact that uncontrolled discharges of such wastewater occur in practice, which contributes to the penetration of hazardous pollutants into ground and underground aquifers. Several different pharmaceutical residues derived from various activities like production facilities, domestic use and hospitals have been reported earlier to be present in groundwater, effluents and rivers; they include antibiotics, psychoactives, analgesics, illicit drugs, antihistamine, etc. Seven multidisciplinary hospitals, which use the different pretreatment, were selected in accordance with three aspects, namely, conventional wastewater characteristics, microbiological testing and high priority pharmaceuticals. These three aspects are important in order to have a Wastewater Discharge Permit (STP). The primary direction of the study was to analyze the factors influencing the emergence and distribution of medicines and antibiotics present in the wastewater of medical institutions

Future scope of research

Conclusion and recommendations