Removal of psychiatric drugs in water treatment systems

Wastewater treatment plants are not prepared to degrade or remove these new emergent contaminants. As a consequence this is becoming a much relevant environmental problem considering the impact that these pharmaceuticals and their transformation products may have on different organisms and systems. Herein this chapter the conventional methods to tackle this type of contaminants are reviewed in terms of their capabilities and insufficiencies. The flux of wastewater through WWTP is evaluated in terms of pharmaceuticals degradation and the need of a tertiary treatment is widely justified. This section will be focused in different advanced treatments and their efficiency on the removal of psychiatric drugs, centering on adsorption, membrane and advanced oxidation processes.