title: Investigating the removal of some pharmaceutical compounds in hospital wastewater treatment plants operating in Saudi Arabia.
abstract: The concentrations of 12 pharmaceutical compounds (atenolol, erythromycin, cyclophosphamide, paracetamol, bezafibrate, carbamazepine, ciprofloxacin, caffeine, clarithromycin, lidocaine, sulfamethoxazole and N-acetylsulfamethoxazol (NACS)) were investigated in the influents and effluents of two hospital wastewater treatment plants (HWWTPs) in Saudi Arabia. The majority of the target analytes were detected in the influent samples apart from bezafibrate, cyclophosphamide, and erythromycin. Caffeine and paracetamol were detected in the influent at particularly high concentrations up to 75 and 12 ug/L, respectively. High removal efficiencies of the pharmaceutical compounds were observed in both HWWTPs, with greater than 90 % removal on average. Paracetamol, sulfamethoxazole, NACS, ciprofloxacin, and caffeine were eliminated by between >95 and >99 % on average. Atenolol, carbamazepine, and clarithromycin were eliminated by >86 % on average. Of particular interest were the high removal efficiencies of carbamazepine and antibiotics that were achieved by the HWWTPs; these compounds have been reported to be relatively recalcitrant to biological treatment and are generally only partially removed. Elevated temperatures and high levels of sunlight were considered to be the main factors that enhanced the removal of these compounds.
authors.affiliation: Urban Water Technology Centre, School of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Abertay Dundee, Bell Street, Dundee, DD1 1HG, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Al Qarni
authors.affiliation: Urban Water Technology Centre, School of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Abertay Dundee, Bell Street, Dundee, DD1 1HG, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.affiliation: Urban Water Technology Centre, School of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Abertay Dundee, Bell Street, Dundee, DD1 1HG, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Juliette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Keeffe
authors.affiliation: Urban Water Technology Centre, School of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Abertay Dundee, Bell Street, Dundee, DD1 1HG, Scotland, UK. j.akunna@abertay.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Akunna
mesh_terms: D006761:Hospitals; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000032:analysis*; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Activated sludge; Desert climate; Pharmaceutical compounds; Removal rates; Saudi Arabia; Temperature; Wastewater