Abstract

Active pharmaceutical ingredients are known contaminants of surface and ground water. In some cases these are persistent organic chemicals which are only partially eliminated during conventional wastewater treatment. They have been detected in the effluent of various European wastewater treatment plants. However, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that discharges from pharmaceutical plants themselves can contribute to the levels of pharmaceuticals in the environment. This project is based on both the detection and removal of pharmaceuticals from industrial sources. A SPE-LC-MS/MS method for the detection of famotidine, tamsulosin hydrochloride and solifenacin succinate in wastewater at a pharmaceutical production facility was developed and validated. The results of a six month sampling programme showed substantial concentrations of the analytes in both influent and effluent. Famotidine was detected at an average concentration of 1.6 mg/L and 2.6mg/L, tamsulosin hydrochloride at 5 μg/L and 4 μg/L and solifenacin succinate at 39 μg/L and 28 μg/L in influent and effluent respectively. Photo-Fenton’s oxidation conditions were optimised for the removal of each of the three APIs from aqueous solutions. Intermediates and final products of the degradation have been identified via LC-MS.