Combined application of membrane ultrafiltration, adsorption, and ultrasound irradiation for the removal of pharmaceutical compounds from real wastewater

The presence of emerging contaminants (ECs) in water resources has raised a great concern in the last decades due to their persistence in the environment and their chronic toxicological and endocrine disrupting effects on terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Thus, advanced treatment methods are necessary for the removal of these contaminants before wastewater reuse or disposal into aquatic ecosystem. In the present study, the hybrid process USAMe®, which combines ultrasound irradiation (US), adsorption (A) and membrane filtration (Me), was investigated for the removal of ECs from real wastewater. Three pharmaceutical compounds - diclofenac (DCF), carbamazepine (CBZ), and amoxicillin (AMX), were chosen for this study to represent highly consumed and frequently detected pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment. All three pharmaceuticals were spiked into real wastewater at two concentrations of 10 ppm and 100 ppb. Membrane ultrafiltration and its combination with US (USMe) or adsorption (AMe) were also studied as control tests. The results obtained showed improved pharmaceutical removals in the membrane ultrafiltration process whenever an auxiliary treatment was employed. The degree of pharmaceutical removal was achieved in the order: Me<USMe<AMe<USAMe®. The USAMe® process applied to real wastewater successfully removed the target ECs, displaying its potential as an advanced method for wastewater treatment.