Removal of Pharmaceutical Contaminants from Wastewater Using Novel Ceramic Nanomembrane Filters

Abstract

The inability of the existing conventional wastewater treatment plants to completely eliminate pharmaceutical contaminants from the wastewater is a global environmental issue. The current study is based on the investigation of the laboratory scale ceramic membrane filters (CMFs) made of two Ghanaian clay materials and cassava starch for their performance in improving the pharmaceutical quality of wastewater at different operating parameters. Additionally, the impact of clogging on the developed CMF experiment was considered in this study. The ceramic filters were produced by the paste casting method at varying ratios of soil, starch and grog, mixed with distilled water. The pharmaceutical detection was carried out with a Kromasil C8 column (150 mm × 4.60 mm, 5 µm). The results of the present study showed that the pharmaceutical removal depends on the flow rate, the pH of the feed solution, and the sludge retention age. Codeine, Morphine, paracetamol and tramadol were removed from 76 to 100% at all operating parameter, while ibuprofen and diclofenac were poorly removed at all pH conditions. Their effective removal was achieved at day 21 and 28. Clogging affects the filter performance with no significant change in the flux efficiency. However, cleaning was found to be effective in maintaining filter performance. Considering the results of this study, the CMF can be considered as an efficient and economical treatment method and could be applied in several related industries.