A review of diclofenac occurrences, toxicology, and potential adsorption of clay-based materials with surfactant modifier

Diclofenac (DCF) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that has become a phenomenon and a prominent pollutant in municipal and industrial waste. Human health and the ecosystem can be adversely affected by these drugs. Due of this, DCF was listed in European Union (EU) Watch List under EU Water Framework Directive that was newly established in 2015 by the Commission Implementing Decision. Treatment of DCF residuals can be carried out either by adsorption, membrane filtration, Fenton-oxidation, ozonation, photocatalysis or biological treatment method with different removal efficiencies. In the absence of surveillance, its presence continues to grow. In addition, most wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) do not effectively remove these substances, resulting in toxicity and antibiotic resistance. The maximum concentration of DCF recorded in wastewater in-dustry was 836 mu g/L and it imposed high degree of toxicity to the environment. Therefore, this research provide an overview of DCF in Asia and specific focus in Malaysia that reciprocated to ecology and ecotoxicology. Be-sides, the existing state-of-the-art research on DCF removal that implied modified clay materials for improving the adsorption process also highlighted. Thanks to this new understanding of how the low-cost clay can be improvised for excellent removal of emerging contaminant especially diclofenac.

Automated summary

Diclofenac is a prominent environmental pollutant that has adverse effects on human health and the ecosystem. Research focuses on efficient removal methods for diclofenac.