title: Treating wastewater from a pharmaceutical formulation facility by biological process and ozone.
abstract: Wastewater from a pharmaceutical formulation facility (TevaKS, Israel) was treated with a biological activated-sludge system followed by ozonation. The goal was to reduce the concentrations of the drugs carbamazepine (CBZ) and venlafaxine (VLX) before discharging the wastewater to the municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Both drugs were detected at extremely high concentrations in TevaKS raw wastewater ([VLX]=11.72 ± 2.2mg/L, [CBZ]=0.84 ± 0.19 mg/L), and resisted the biological treatment. Ozone efficiently degraded CBZ: at an O3 dose-to-dissolved organic carbon ratio of 0.55 (O3/DOC), the concentration of CBZ was reduced by >99%. A lower removal rate was observed for VLX, which was decreased by ≈ 98% at the higher O3/DOC ratio of 0.87. Decreasing the pH of the biologically treated effluent from 7 to 5 significantly increased the ozone degradation rate of CBZ, while decreasing the degradation rate of VLX. Ozone treatment did not alter the concentration of the effluent's DOC and filtered chemical oxygen demand (CODf). However, a significant increase was recorded (following ozonation) in the effluent's biological oxygen demand (BOD5) and the BOD5/CODf ratio. This implies an increase in the effluent's biodegradability, which is highly desirable if ozonation is followed by a domestic biological treatment. Different organic byproducts were formed following ozone reaction with the target pharmaceuticals and with the effluent organic matter; however, these byproducts are expected to be removed during biological treatment in the municipal WWTP.
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Yaal
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lester
authors.forename: Hadas
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mamane
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zucker
authors.forename: Dror
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Avisar
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D057919:Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000302:isolation & purification; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003511:Cyclohexanols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D017665:Hydroxyl Radical / Q000737:chemistry; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D010126:Ozone / Q000737:chemistry*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D000069470:Venlafaxine Hydrochloride; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D062065:Wastewater / Q000032:analysis*; D018508:Water Purification
chemical_list: D002220:Carbamazepine; D003511:Cyclohexanols; D017665:Hydroxyl Radical; D007220:Industrial Waste; D010126:Ozone; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D000069470:Venlafaxine Hydrochloride; D062065:Wastewater
keywords: Carbamazepine; Formulation facility; Ozone; Pharmaceutical; Venlafaxine