A Review on Electrochemical Degradation and Biopolymer Adsorption Treatments for Toxic Compounds in Pharmaceutical Effluents

Pharmaceutical industries generate very large quantities of toxic organic compounds which include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and/or organic volatile impurities (OVIs). These toxic compounds, amongst which are emerging residual solvents, largely come from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and are being continuously dumped into the environment at an alarming rate. Efficient treatment of pharmaceutical wastewaters (effluents) is currently a major challenge because of not only the enormous quantity to be disposed of but also its complexity, as well as its hazardous nature. Dumping these kinds of polluted wastes into the environment at uncontrolled rates are putting increasing pressure on freshwater ecosystems. This review paper focuses on combined electrochemical degradation and biopolymer adsorption treatment processes and techniques for toxic compounds in pharmaceutical wastewater treatment. These emerging processes such as the combination of electrochemical techniques as a primary treatment method, followed by an adsorption process, is now a topic of intense research as it is proving to very feasible, eco-friendly, and cost-effective in the complete recovery of toxic residual solvents from binary aquatic systems. This paper presents major toxic pollutants in pharmaceutical wastewaters and their fate in the aquatic environment, their sources, and origin in pharmaceutical industries. The evaluation of the traditional methods used for the removal of these emerging organic pollutants from aquatic matrices and pharmaceutical effluents is accomplished. New developments in electrochemical treatments for the remediation of toxic compounds in pharmaceutical wastewaters are also discussed.