Removal of pharmaceutically active compounds from hospital wastewater by ozonation pretreatment

Year 2025, Volume: 8 Issue: 3, 571 - 580, 30.09.2025

Mahammad Mansımlı , Havva Ateş

https://doi.org/10.35208/ert.1511061

Abstract

Hospital wastewater includes many pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs). Since this resulted in both PhACs distribution to the environment and development of antibiotic resistance in microorganisms, on-site treatment of hospital wastewater has gained importance. In this study, the removal of 21 PhACs consisting of 12 parent compounds and 9 main metabolites from hospital wastewater by ozonation was investigated. In this context, commonly used analgesics (Paracetamol, Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, and Naproxen, 4'-Hydroxydiclofenac, 5-Hydroxydiclofenac, 1-Hydroxyibuprofen, 2-Hydroxyibuprofen, Carboxyibuprofen, (S)-O-Desmethyl naproxen) and antibiotics (Ciprofloxacin, Sulfamethoxazole, Trimethoprim, Erythromycin, Metronidazole, Clarithromycin, Azithromycin, Clindamycin, N-Acetyl-Sulfamethoxazole, Sulfamethoxazole-β-D-Glucuronide, Clindamycin sulfoxide) were selected. PhAC analyses were performed by HPLC/MS-MS. The ozonation dose was between 0.05-5.0 mg O3/mg COD.
In real hospital wastewater, many of the selected PhACs were detected and total analgesic and antibiotic were determined as 22.9 and 40.6 µg/L, respectively. The results showed that detected PhACs were completely removed at 1.5 mg O3/mg COD. Sulfamethoxazole was degraded at the lowest dose of ozone (0.05mg O3/mg COD), while Ciprofloxacin and 2-Hydroxy ibuprofen were relatively resistant to non-stoichiometric doses of ozone. The removal efficiencies of Ciprofloxacin and 2-Hydroxy ibuprofen were determined as 77% and 37%, respectively, at 0.5 mg O3/mg COD. Additionally, COD removal was 48% at 1.5 mg O3/mg COD. As a result, pre-oxidation of hospital wastewater can be an effective method for on-site pretreatment of PhACs.

Keywords

Hospital wastewater , ozonation , antibiotics , analgesics

Supporting Institution

Konya Technical University

Project Number

241001022

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