Use of physical pretreatment and biodegradation for the removal of antidepressants and psychiatrically active substances from wastewater

¹ Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Mining and Geology, VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava (VŠB-TUO), Czech Republic
² T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute, Department of Water and Waste Management, Macharova 5, 702 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic

Abstract

The occurrence of pharmaceutically active compounds in wastewater is very problematic, especially due to the high persistence of some substances in relation to standard treatment technologies. These substances can further contaminate the environment through receiving water or sewage sludge. The occurrence of antidepressants and psychiatrically active substances in wastewater has increased significantly in recent years. This study focuses on the possibility of removing selected antidepressants and psychiatrically active substances from wastewater. Specifically, citalopram, venlafaxine, lamotrigine, carbamazepine and its metabolite carbamazepine 10,11-epoxide using physical-biological methods. Samples were collected from three wastewater treatment plants in the Moravian- Silesian Region. The patented equipment EP2388068 at the T.G. Masaryk water research institute in Ostrava was used for physical pretreatment. The samples were exposed to an electrostatic field and a mixed bacterial culture of the genus Rhodococcus, namely Rhodococcus erythropolis, Rhodococcus rhodochrous and Rhodococcus degradans, was used for subsequent biodegradation. The presence of drugs and their quantity was verified by HPLC/MS/MS analysis.