ABSTRACT
The presence of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals in the form of the unmetabolized parent compound, metabolite or other transformed products, and drug manufacturing products in the aquatic surroundings is a growing global concern. These pharmaceutical micropollutants discharged from treated and untreated wastewater treatment plants can be transferred to the sludge to a significant extent. Residues of several pharma-active compounds, such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatory/analgesic/antipyretics, antineoplastics/cancer drugs, neuroactives (antiepileptics, antidepressants, anxiolytics), cardiovascular drugs (β-blocker, antilipidemic), diuretics, hormones, and others are found in aquatic organisms in varying concentrations. As these micropollutants cover a broad range of complex structured compounds, their range of removal through sorption and biotic or abiotic degradation differs depending on the chemical and the environmental matrix along with other factors such as organic matter content and water chemistry. Abiotic degradation occurs through natural and introduced processes, including photolysis, hydrolysis, volatilization, ultrasound processing, membrane filtration, and nanomaterials, while in bioconversion, selected strains of microorganisms (bacterial yeast and fungi) are used to produce metabolites. This chapter presents detailed information on sources and types of the most used pharmaceuticals, factors influencing the biodegradation of pharmaceuticals, and biologic degradation procedures in wastewater treatment plants.
