Pharmaceutical removal by the activated carbon process

Abstract

The adsorption of some major pharmaceutical products (sulfamethoxazole, caffeine, iopromide and carbamazepine) in water was evaluated using four types of activated carbon, three powdered activated carbon (PAC) and one fluidized, coagulated and flocculated activated carbon (FAC) extracted from a Carboplus®P pilot. These substances were the most frequently quantified (in 50% of samples at least) in surface waters of the Vilaine's basin (Brittany, France) during three sampling campaigns. Jar test experiments were carried out in order to assess the removal efficiency of the four activated carbons. Carbamazepine and caffeine were well removed with PAC with a maximum removal rate of 80% whereas it was more difficult for sulfamethoxazole and iopromide with a maximum of 39%. For each molecule, removal rates are clearly dependent on PAC nature. The overall results with FAC are clearly distinguishable from PAC tests with gains of performance on all target molecules (from 80 to >95%). © IWA Publishing 2013.