In the last few decades, pharmaceuticals, credited with saving millions of lives, have emerged as a new class of environmental contaminant. These compounds can have both chronic and acute harmful effects on natural flora and fauna. The presence of pharmaceutical contaminants in ground waters, surface waters (lakes, rivers, and streams), sea water, wastewater treatment plants (influents and effluents), soils, and sludges has been well doccumented. A range of methods including oxidation, photolysis, UV-degradation, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, and adsorption has been used for their remediation from aqueous systems. Many methods have been commercially limited by toxic sludge generation, incomplete removal, high capital and operating costs, and the need for skilled operating and maintenance personnel. Adsorption technologies are a low-cost alternative, easily used in developing countries where there is a dearth of advanced technologies, skilled personnel, and available capital, and adsorption appears to be the most broadly feasible pharmaceutical removal method. Adsorption remediation methods are easily integrated with wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Herein, we have reviewed the literature (1990-2018) illustrating the rising environmental pharmaceutical contamination concerns as well as remediation efforts emphasizing adsorption.

Pharmaceuticals of Emerging Concern in Aquatic Systems: Chemistry, Occurrence, Effects, and Removal Methods.

Water is essential in all aspects of life, being the defining characteristic of our planet and even our body. Regrettably, water pollution is increasingly becoming a challenge due to novel anthropogenic pollutants. Of particular concern are emerging organic contaminants (EOCs), the term used not only to cover newly developed compounds but also compounds newly discovered as contaminants in the environment. Aside from anthropogenic contamination, higher temperature and more extreme and less predictable weather conditions are projected to affect water availability and distribution. Therefore, wastewater treatment has to become a valuable water resource and its reuse is an important issue that must be carried out efficiently. Among the novel technologies considered in water remediation processes, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are regarded as promising materials for the elimination of EOCs since they present many properties that commend them in water treatment: large surface area, easy functionalizable cavities, some are stable in water, and synthesized at large scale, etc. This review highlights the advances in the use of MOFs in the elimination (adsorption and/or degradation) of EOCs from water, classifying them by the nature of the contaminant.

Metal-Organic Frameworks for the Removal of Emerging Organic Contaminants in Water.

The material basis of a sustainable society will depend on chemical products and processes that are designed following principles that make them conducive to life. Important inherent properties of molecules need to be considered from the earliest stage-the design stage-to address whether compounds and processes are depleting versus renewable, toxic versus benign, and persistent versus readily degradable. Products, feedstocks, and manufacturing processes will need to integrate the principles of green chemistry and green engineering under an expanded definition of performance that includes sustainability considerations. This transformation will require the best of the traditions of science and innovation coupled with new emerging systems thinking and systems design that begins at the molecular level and results in a positive impact on the global scale.

Designing for a green chemistry future.

Recent advances in applications of activated carbon from biowaste for wastewater treatment: a short review.

Having access to clean water is a mandatory requirement for the proper development of living beings So, addressing the removal of contaminants from aquatic systems should be a priority research topic in order to restore ecosystem balance and secure a more sustainable future The fascinating structures and striking physical properties of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have revealed them as excellent platforms for the removal of harmful species from water In this review, we have focused our attention on critically highlighting the latest developments achieved in the adsorptive removal of inorganic – metal cations, inorganic acids, oxyanions/cations, nuclear wastes and other inorganic anions – and organic – pharmaceuticals and personal care products, artificial sweeteners and feed additives, agricultural products, organic dyes and industrial products – contaminants commonly found in wastewater using MOF technologies In particular, we have attempted to give a clear insight into the different synthetic strategies for water remediation, stressing the wide tunability of MOFs For this purpose, we have classified these two kinds of pollutants into different subfamilies, based on their chemical composition or common use Finally, we have proposed some future trends and challenges that need to be addressed for widening the range of applicability of MOFs and making solid headway towards sustainable development

Metal–organic framework technologies for water remediation: towards a sustainable ecosystem

https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/portal/files/41988116/Anekwe_et_al_2017.pdf

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the freshwater aquatic environment

https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/portal/files/93138449/Ebele_et_al_2020.pdf

Occurrence, seasonal variation and human exposure to pharmaceuticals and personal care products in surface water, groundwater and drinking water in Lagos State, Nigeria

https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/portal/files/56684544/Accepted_manuscript.pdf

A single run, rapid polarity switching method for determination of 30 pharmaceuticals and personal care products in waste water using Q-Exactive Orbitrap high resolution accurate mass spectrometry.

Anekwe Jennifer Ebele

Papers

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the freshwater aquatic environment

Occurrence, seasonal variation and human exposure to pharmaceuticals and personal care products in surface water, groundwater and drinking water in Lagos State, Nigeria

A single run, rapid polarity switching method for determination of 30 pharmaceuticals and personal care products in waste water using Q-Exactive Orbitrap high resolution accurate mass spectrometry.