Review on the Elimination of Pharmaceutical Substances with AOP and GAC Technologies in Waters

The main objective of this review highlights the presence of pharmaceutical compounds in water and pollution problems that can pose a potential threat to human health and have a negative impact on the environment and aquatic life. Contamination by pharmaceutical products constitutes a toxicity problem. It is necessary to find the best available technologies to eliminate these pharmaceutical substances. All available technologies alone cannot completely eliminate pharmaceutical products from water unless combined with other processes which can give an attractive elimination rate. The different treatment processes for the disposal of pharmaceuticals have also been summarized in this review. Among the treatments studied: conventional treatments, advanced oxidation processes, adsorption processes (such as activated carbons, biochars, nano adsorbents, carbon nanotubes and graphene, clays, zeolites, etc.)