Rourkela: In a major breakthrough, researchers at the National Institute of Technology Rourkela (NITR) have found ways to remove pharmaceutical pollutants from wastewater. The path-breaking process has been developed by a team, led by Prof Angana Sarkar, Associate Professor at the department of Biotechnology & Medical Engineering of the top technical institute. The two-stage process combines adsorption and biodegradation to tackle a wide range of pharmaceutical compounds, including antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSIDs), and synthetic dyes. The study was recently published in the prestigious Journal of Water Process Engineering. The paper has been co-authored by Prof Angana Sarkar, along with her research team – Dr Kasturi Poddar, Dr Debapriya Sarkar (research graduate) and Pritam Bajirao Patil (research scholar). Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) have become contaminants of emerging concern due to their bioaccumulation and biomagnifi cation through the food chain, posing significant risks to humans and aquatic organisms even at trace concentrations. These endocrine-disrupting chemicals interfere with hormonal systems, causing acute health issues.
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These pollutants enter water systems through different means. For instance, a study found that the Musi River in Telangana contained over 5 milligram per litre (mg/L) of ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic, due to the nearby drug manufacturing industry. Adverse effects have been observed in lower trophic levels, such as fish, mussels, and birds, with incidents like fish mortality and declining eagle and vulture populations in the Indian subcontinent. Additionally, these pollutants pose serious health risks to humans, including kidney and liver damage, hypertension, and developmental issues. Antibiotics in wastewater are particularly concerning, as a large amount is excreted unchanged, contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. To address these challenges, the NITR research team developed an integrated treatment process that effectively removes pharmaceutical pollutants through a two-stage approach.
In the first stage, the antibiotics are captured using biochar adsorbents derived from roasted coco peat and rice straw. This step significantly reduces antibiotic contamination before the biological treatment phase. The second stage employs a specialised bacterial group, including Klebsiella and Pseudomonas strains, to break down residual pharmaceutical compounds such as diclofenac, paracetamol, and synthetic dyes. When tested on synthetic wastewater containing a mix of NSAIDs, antibiotics, and pharmaceutical dyes, the system demonstrated excellent removal efficiencies. Speaking about the research, Prof Sarkar said, “Our integrated system efficiently removed various pharmaceutical pollutants, including antibiotics, NSIDs and dyes. The process is completely safe with no toxic intermediates and protects biodegrading bacteria, minimises toxic byproducts, and enhances the eco-friendly management of pharmaceutical contaminants. The treatment costs about Rs 2.6 per liter and can be further reduced by process optimisation and integrating this system as a tertiary step in existing treatments.”
