Page 143 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

124 Life Cycle Assessment of Wastewater Treatment

strong and semi-strong wastes and may contain pharmaceutical items from sources
such as unused medicines, soda pops, and other personal care items. Once disposed
of into landfills, pharmaceutical items may be either used by microorganisms or
incorporated into waste solids; however, the greater part are broken down in land-
fill leachate (Musson and Townsend, 2009). The anaerobic conditions in landfills
and nearby receiving groundwater are likely to reduce the biodegradation of natural
compounds in leachate and groundwater, resulting in the diversity and stability of
pharmaceutical items in groundwater (Erses et al., 2008).

7.4.2 sepTic sysTeMs
Septic systems, or on-site wastewater treatment systems, can likewise be critical
sources of pharmaceutical items entering nearby surface water and groundwater.
Septic systems are a typical way of taking care of wastewater in rural areas, and
the crust underneath them can stretch out tens to hundreds of meters, defiling the
groundwater and the environment. They allow water used locally to be dealt with
and reused to recharge nearby groundwater supplies, thus possibly allowing pharma-
ceuticals inadequately treated in septic frameworks to enter the underground water
body.

7.4.3 veTerinary Drugs
The use of veterinary medications to prevent sickness and increase the profitability
of producing domesticated animals is a developing concern and is possibly a path-
way for natural pollution. For the most part, veterinary anti-microbials cannot be
totally ingested or processed in vivo. Roughly 50%–100% of the anti-infective agents
used are discharged through urine and feces, stored in waste tidal ponds, and after
that discharged into the surrounding biological community, representing a potential
danger to groundwater (Kim et al., 2011). The use of veterinary medication–con-
taminated fertilizer for preparation may likewise result in the contamination of fun-
damental groundwater (Hu et al., 2010).

7.4.4 rivers anD lakes
Sewage beginning with the water treatment plants is the most significant source
of pharmaceuticals in common water bodies, followed by rural release and direct
release. Pharmaceuticals in the stream or lake are adsorbed onto the dirt/residue,
become diluted, and experience organic or potentially photochemical changes.
Categories of pharmaceuticals determined in rivers in India are listed in Table
7.2. The Cooum River, which runs through the metropolitan city of Chennai
(population 8.9 million), was found to be contaminated with triclocarban (6.18
µg/L), ibuprofen (2.32 µg/L), a carboxylic acid metabolite of an antiplatelet
drug (1.37 µg/L), atenolol (3.18 µg/L), and amphetamine (0.984 µg/L) (Subedi
et al., 2015).
Ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, gatifloxacin, sparfloxacin, and cefuroxime were
found in the Yamuna River at 13.8, 1.4, 0.48, 2.1, and 1.7 μg/L, respectively