Understanding the factors affecting adsorption of pharmaceuticals on different adsorbents-A critical literature update

Remediation of emerging pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) as micropollutants in wastewater is of foremost importance as they can cause extremely detrimental effects on life upon bioaccumulation and generation of drug-resistance microorganisms. Presently used physicochemical treatments, such as electrochemical oxidation, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis, are not feasible owing to high operating costs, incomplete removal of contaminants along with toxic by-products formation. Adsorption with the utilization of facile and efficient nanoparticulate adsorbents having distinctive properties of high surface area, excellent adsorption capacity, ability to undergo surface engineering and good regeneration displays great potential in this aspect along with the incorporation of nanotechnology for effective treatment. The application of such nanosorbents provides optimal performance under a wide range of physicochemical conditions, decreased secondary pollution with reduced mechanical stress along with excellent organic compound sequestration capacity, which in turn improves the quality of potable water in a sustainable way compared to current treatments. The present review intends to consolidate the range of factors that affect the process of adsorption of different PhACs on to various nanosorbents and also highlights the adsorption mechanism aiding in the retrieval.

Automated summary

Remediation of emerging pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) as micropollutants in wastewater is crucial for protecting life, and the use of nanoadsorbents can efficiently remove these contaminants, improve drinking water quality, reduce secondary pollution, and have sustainable advantages.