Removal of Pharmaceutical Waste Materials from Wastewater using Treated and Untreated Eggshells as Biosorbent

Abstract

Pharmaceutical technology and industries are evolving and improving. However, the pharmaceutical wastewater that results from those industries has a complex composition, including high organic matter content, high salt content, microbial toxicity, and difficulty in biodegrading. Studies have shown that traces of dissolved organic matter and suspended solids remain even after secondary treatment. Additionally, the impact of pharmaceutical wastewater on environmental pollution is dramatically growing, resulting in the disposal of hazardous waste, an increase in microbial resistance, and adverse effects on marine life. Hence, this paper aims to investigate a method for the treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater effluent using a waste-to-treat-waste method. In the proposed methodology, eggshells are utilized as biosorbents for the removal of ciprofloxacin antibiotic, as a model of pharmaceutical wastewater. The preliminary results revealed a high potential for effective removal of this pharmaceutical from the aqueous solution using untreated eggshells. This study will consider factors affecting adsorption to further optimize experimental conditions and, thus, towards the maximum removal efficiency. It will also consider enhancing eggshell adsorption capability by its physical and chemical treatments.