A Review on Conventional and Advanced Water Treatments in Ibuprofen Removal

Abstract

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) represent a group of pharmaceutical compounds that are most frequently detected in the aqueous medium. Development of analytical equipment for the detection of organic compounds at low concentration levels, contributed to the detection of NSAIDs in drinking water as well. It is considered that the presence of this group of pharmaceutical components in drinking water is caused by soil washing and via effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Ibuprofen is one of the most frequently detected pharmaceutical components in influents of WWTPs. Although the concentration levels of various classes of pharmaceutical active components are low, their continuous intake can lead to harmful consequences for aquatic systems. Based on the conducted studies, ibuprofen is currently one of the most commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs worldwide. This paper presents an overview of the detection of ibuprofen in the aquatic media, conventional methods for the treatment of ibuprofen in water, as well as advanced oxidation processes for the treatment of water in order to eliminate ibuprofen.