A comprehensive evaluation of methods for the removal of pharmaceutical contaminants in wastewater: A systematic review of the literature

Resumen

The growing concern about the presence of pharmaceutical contaminants in wastewater worldwide is of vital importance, the reason is that not having a correct disposal of these wastes can have negative impacts on human health and also on aquatic ecosystems, this supported by studies that show these adverse effects. This review aims to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of methods for removing pharmaceutical contaminants in wastewater. Despite previous research, the lack of consensus on the effectiveness of these techniques persists, generating the need to address this problem with updated information. The methodology includes an exhaustive search of scientific articles, using the PICO-PRISMA method to focus the research. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 50 studies were selected for analysis, and the information was organized in a structured matrix. The results reveal a continuous presence of pharmaceutical residues in wastewater, highlighting the significant release of antibiotics and analgesics. Among the methods evaluated for the elimination of pharmaceutical contaminants in wastewater, reverse osmosis and nanofiltration stand out as the most effective techniques for the elimination of these compounds. The urgency of addressing this emerging problem, highlighting the variability in the efficiency of the methods, depending on the type of drug present. In the conclusion, the importance of demonstrating the significant presence of drugs in high concentrations such as naproxen, paracetamol and ibuprofen in municipal wastewater is highlighted, as well as the significant presence of antibiotics such as norfloxacin and ofloxacin in hospital wastewater. It was also found that the integration or combination of methods is ideal to have a more efficient elimination of these wastes.