Pharmaceutically Active Compounds in Wastewater Treatment Plants: Electrochemical Advanced Oxidation as Onsite Treatment

Abstract

Emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) or contaminants of emerging concern can be defined as naturally occurring, manufactured, or manmade chemicals or materials whose associated risks cannot be properly evaluated due to the lack of data about their environmental fate and ecotoxicological or toxicological effects [1, 2]. A contaminant remains “emerging” as long as there is a scarcity of information in the scientific literature about the associated potential risks it could cause [1, 2]. EOCs broadly include “lifestyle compounds,” personal care compounds, pharmaceuticals including hormones, and plasticizers [3]. Pharmaceutical products account for 70% of the approximately 4500 chemical compounds available in the world, and the production of pharmaceutical compounds and other medicines is still increasing [4]. Over the years, population growth and the development of new medicines to prevent or cure diseases with unknown fates and effects on the environment has made these compounds deserve special attention [5]. Over the last few decades, the subject of EOCs has become a worldwide issue of increasing environmental concern, and intensive research has been carried out on a range of different topics such as their occurrence and fate in the environment as well as treatment methods. A total of 117 papers were published in 2013 (Figure 6.1), and the number of studies has continued to increase since then to 330 in 2019 (almost two times more than five years before).