The study highlights the growing global challenge of pharmaceutical residues contaminating water resources, driven by increased drug production and use, especially during health crises like COVID-19. These contaminants, originating from hospitals, households, agriculture, and pharmaceutical industries, persist in water due to their chemical stability and the limitations of conventional treatment methods. The article critically examines current biological and nanotechnological water treatment strategies, emphasizing the need for integrated and advanced solutions to effectively remove pharmaceutical residues. Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal of clean water for all will require innovation, regulatory enforcement, and the adoption of these advanced treatment technologies.
Author(s): Sharma, Jyoti; Joshi, Monika; Bhatnagar, Amit; Chaurasia, Akhilesh K.; Nigam, Subhasha
Published: 2022
Language: English
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Additional Information
With the rapid emergence of various metabolic and multiple-drug-resistant infectious diseases, new pharmaceuticals are continuously being introduced in the market. The excess production and use of pharmaceuticals and their untreated/unmetabolized release in the environment cause the contamination of aquatic ecosystem, and thus, compromise the environment and human-health. The present review provides insights into the classification, sources, occurrence, harmful impacts, and existing technologies to curb these problems. A comprehensive detail of various biological and nanotechnological strategies for the removal of pharmaceutical residues from water is critically discussed focusing on their efficiencies, and current limitations to design improved-technologies for their lab-to-field applications. Furthermore, the review highlights and suggests the scope of integrated bionanotechnological methods for enhanced removal of pharmaceutical residues from water to fulfill the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN-SDG) for providing clean potable water for all.