New Research Project for the Elimination of Pharmaceutical Residues originating from Hospital Wastewater - the Project PharmaTreat

Hospitals are potential emission sources of pharmaceutical residues. Due to their chemical structure, these substances are hardly biodegradable by sewage works and may thus accumulate in the aquatic environment. It is a matter of fact that an additional treatment of already biologically treated wastewater still containing these extremely diluted substances is very expensive. For this reason, strategies are now being discussed providing for the collection of the contaminants right at the source, i.e. in the hospitals and thus to achieve their elimination from the effluent.

A feasibility study KWB realised in a Berlin hospital, has demonstrated, that it is in fact possible to retain pharmaceutical residues by means of decentralised systems. A recent research project now aims to develop a procedure for the chemical degradation of pharmaceutical residues directly at their point of origin. Preliminary tests have revealed that X-ray contrast media and antibiotics measured in the patients' urine can be transformed through the reaction with zero-valent iron.

As the previous results show, the urine treatment by iron merely requires a pH adjustment and a stirring phase so that the development of a low-cost level procedure should be possible. In the scope of a triennial test program, thementioned effects will be systematically analysed and tested with regard to X-ray contrast media, antibiotics and cytostatic agents.