How WWTPs Can Remove Pharmaceuticals

A recent study of seven wastewater treatment plants in the Eastern U.S. reveals a mixed record when it comes to removing medicines such as antibiotics and antidepressants. The research points to two treatment methods — granular activated carbon and ozonation — as being particularly promising. Each technique reduced the concentration of a number of pharmaceuticals — including certain antidepressants and antibiotics — in water by more than 95%, the scientists’ analysis found. Activated sludge serves an important purpose in wastewater treatment, but it was less effective at destroying persistent drugs such as antidepressants and antibiotics. “The take-home message here