Removal of Pharmaceuticals from High-Strength Wastewater by Adsorption on Commercial Granular Activated Carbon: Study of the Operating Conditions

Abstract

The increased need for pharmaceuticals and personal care products has resulted in a rise in the volume of wastewater produced by drug manufacturing facilities. The manufacturing methods employed in producing pharmaceuticals result in the generation of significant amounts of heavily contaminated wastewater. These pollutants, if released into nature, can pose significant risks to both the environment and human health [1]. Sulfa drugs, aniline-derived compounds and solvents are among the organic matters that are used or generated during drug synthesis and are subsequently introduced into the wastewater pipeline during the vessel wash and system shutdown operation [2,3].