Treatability study of ibuprofen as a phamaceutical waste in a simulated/synthetic wastewater using DLSU activated sludge

• Main Authors: Francisco, Angelo Jerome, Gotuanco, Jayfeson, Sombilla, Joseph Andrew
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2009
• Subjects: Ibuprofen; Drugs > Environmental aspects; Waste water
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/7430
• Institution: De La Salle University

Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products (PPCP) are a diverse group of water-soluble chemicals which make their way into the aquatic environment after usage, therefore posing possible risks of ill-health effects on humans. Soon, as R.A. 9275 will be fully implemented, domestic wastewater will therefore be strictly monitored, making this study essential in our country. This study determined the presence and reduction of PPCPs, particularly a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs), Ibuprofen, in a wastewater undergoing biological treatment. A treatability study using simulated wastewater was also conducted to determine whether Ibuprofen will be treated by an activated sludge process. Test parameters were limited only to the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), pH, temperature, Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and the concentration of Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen had been investigated in the influent, before and after the aeration tank of Makati South Sewage Treatment Plant. It was present in raw wastewater at 13 ppb while the activated sludge system removed 98% of the Ibuprofen in the wastewater. In the treatability study, results showed that an Ibuprofen concentration of 80 ppm gave the most consistent COD profile compared with the 60 ppm and 100 ppm Ibuprofen concentrations. After 3 hours of aeration, the Ibuprofen was below limit of quantification.