Applied Water Science, Volume 2

Remediation Technologies

Mohd Imran Ahamed, Rajender Boddula, Tauseef Ahmad Rangreez, Mohd Imran Ahamed, Rajender Boddula, Tauseef Ahmad Rangreez

• Publisher: Wiley-Scrivener
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781119725244
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Mechanical Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

APPLIED WATER SCIENCE VOLUME 2

The second volume in a new two-volume set on applied water science, this book provides understanding, occurrence, identification, toxic effects and control of water pollutants in an aquatic environment using green chemistry protocols. The high rate of industrialization around the world has led to an increase in the rate of anthropogenic activities which involve the release of different types of contaminants into the aquatic environment. This generates high environmental risks, which could affect health and socio-economic activities if not treated properly. There is no doubt that the rapid progress in improving water quality and management has been motivated by the latest developments in green chemistry. Over the past decade, sources of water pollutants and the conventional methods used for the treatment of industrial wastewater treatment have flourished.

Water quality and its adequate availability have been a matter of concern worldwide particularly in developing countries. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, more than 80% of diseases are due to the consumption of contaminated water. Heavy metals are highly toxic and are a potential threat to water, soil, and air. Their consumption in higher concentrations gives hazardous outcomes. Water quality is usually measured in terms of chemical, physical, biological, and radiological standards. The discharge of effluent by industries contains heavy metals, hazardous chemicals, and a high amount of organic and inorganic impurities that can contaminate the water environment, and hence, human health. Therefore, it is our primary responsibility to maintain the water quality in our respective countries.

This book provides understanding, occurrence, identification, toxic effects and control of water pollutants in an aquatic environment using green chemistry protocols. It focuses on water remediation properties and processes including industry-scale water remediation technologies. This book covers recent literature on remediation technologies in preventing water contamination and its treatment. Chapters in this book discuss remediation of emerging pollutants using nanomaterials, polymers, advanced oxidation processes, membranes, and microalgae bioremediation, etc. It also includes photochemical, electrochemical, piezoacoustic, and ultrasound techniques. It is a unique reference guide for graduate students, faculties, researchers and industrialists working in the area of water science, environmental science, analytical chemistry, and chemical engineering.

This outstanding new volume:

• Provides an in-depth overview of remediation technologies in water science
• Is written by leading experts in the field
• Contains excellent, well-drafted chapters for beginners, graduate students, veteran engineers, and other experts alike
• Discusses current challenges and future perspectives in the field

Audience: This book is an invaluable guide to engineers, students, professors, scientists and R&D industrial specialists working in the fields of environmental science, geoscience, water science, physics and chemistry.

1
Insights of the Removal of Antibiotics From Water and Wastewater: A Review on Physical, Chemical, and Biological Techniques

Ali Khadir^1*, Amin M. Ramezanali², Shabnam Taghipour³ and Khadijeh Jafari⁴

¹Young Researcher and Elite Club, Yadegar-e-Imam Khomeini (RAH) Shahre Rey Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

²School of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Abbaspour, Tehran, Iran

³Department of Civil Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

⁴Environmental Science and Technology Research Center, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

Abstract

Pharmaceuticals, particularly antibiotics, are rightly regarded as one of the major emerging contaminants of the environment and there is increasing concern over their continuous presence in the aqueous solutions. Extensive research has shown that these compounds have been detected in fresh water of many countries. In this chapter, a brief introduction on pharmaceuticals and antibiotic pollution and also different common methods for antibiotic abatement in aqueous solutions has been studied. The performance of technologies such as membrane bioreactors, aerobic granular sludge, activated carbons, magnetic nanoparticles, Fenton processes, Peroxone, photocatalytic degradation, and electrocoagulation has also been discussed. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages in which at present no sole system might be the best one.

Keywords: Pharmaceuticals, antibiotic, treatment, pollution, water, wastewater

1.1 Introduction

Drugs and their related compounds have been initially utilized to treat living creatures and since their discovery they have rescued lives of many people and animals. In fact, living without drugs seems to be impossible, particularly under present situation that humans are dealing with wide range of contaminants during their daily life. However, rapid population growth, continuous agricultural and industrial development, and establishment of countless pharmaceutical companies have made drugs as a hazardous health components for ecosystem [1,2]. Briefly, these compounds are persistent, recalcitrant, and toxic and many organisms are not able to metabolize and adsorb such compounds [1]. Effluent and wastes by pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, municipal wastewaters, and human/animal excretion are of the main pathways of pharmaceutical compounds entrance the environment [3,4]. Approximately 50–80, 80–90, and 15–30% of ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole are excreted through urine and feces, respectively [5,6]. Unfortunately, present wastewater treatment plants could not remove pharmaceutical completely because of the lack of facilities and technologies. It must be considered that wastewater treatment plants act an integral role for pollution release unless they have proper treatment technique [7,8]. Fernández-López et al. [9] investigated the removal of four pharmaceuticals in different five treatment plants (Figure 1.1), and they reported that they have detected the target pollutants in the both influent and effluent of the treatment plants. Carbamazepine and naproxen were the most abundant compounds. Palli et al. [10] also found that pharmaceuticals were detected in the influent of wastewater treatment plants of Tuscany (Italy) in which acetaminophen (3,914 ± 2,620 ng/L), diclofenac (2,065 ± 739 ng/L) and amoxicillin (2,002 ± 2,170 ng/L) were the most concentrated followed by atenolol, ketoprofen, clarithromycin, carbamazepine, doxycycline and 17-β-estradiol. Their finding declared that some components had been removed well, but some of the others have exhibited partly elimination. Bagnis et al. [11] observations showed that wastewater, landfill leachate and agriculture were the sources of the presence of pharmaceuticals in Nairobi river. Considering these results, pharmaceuticals are generally detected in the effluent of conventional wastewater treatment plants, and to prevent the pollution spread, a full recognition of these system along with other advanced ones are vitally important.

Generally, pharmaceuticals are categorized into different classes including analgesics, antibiotics, psychiatric drugs, anti-hypertensives, beta-blockers, hormones, contrast media, anti-diabetics, anti-viral, and anti-cancer drugs. Among antibiotics, antimicrobial drugs leading to bacterial growth inhibition, are important environmental pollutants due to their huge consumption. From 2000 to 2010, global antibiotic consumption promoted by 36%, signifying a forthcoming serious environmental issue [12]. Previous studies have confirmed that approximately 70 antibiotics have been detected in various media such as waters, soil, and sediment [13–16]. According to the available reports, in fresh waters of many countries such as Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique, USA, Brazil, Canada, Latin America, Australia, Iran, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, UK. France, Spain, Germany, Italy, etc. antibiotic compound have been detected, indicating that antibiotic pollution may dominate the entire world, requiring nation and international plans to cease their future consequences [6]. Toxicity, persistence, carcinogenicity, DNA damage and lymphocyte mutagenicity, increasing human allergy, lower biodegradability, spread of antibiotics resistance bacteria and causing undesirable e...