Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 27, 2026

A Novel Bioreactor for High Density Cultivation of Diverse Microbial Communities
Published on: December 25, 2015
Integrative Advanced Oxidation and Biofiltration for Treating Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater
Yaal Lester1, Diana S Aga, Nancy G Love
1Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado, UCB 428, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA.
Abstract:
Advanced oxidation of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in wastewater produces transformation products (TPs) that are often more biodegradable than the parent compounds. Secondary effluent from a wastewater treatment plant was treated using UV-based advanced oxidation (LPUV/H2O2 and MPUV/NO3) followed by biological aerated filtration (BAF), and different APIs and their transformation products were monitored. The advanced oxidation processes degraded the APIs by 55-87% (LPUV/H2O2) and 58-95% (MPUV/NO3), while minor loss of APIs was achieved in the downstream BAF system. Eleven TPs were detected following oxidation of carbamazepine (5) and iopromide (6); three key TPs were biodegraded in the BAF system. The other TPs remained relatively constant in the BAF. The decrease in UV absorbance (UVA254) of the effluent in the BAF system was linearly correlated to the degradation of the APIs (for the MPUV/NO3-BAF), and can be applied to monitor the biotransformation of APIs in biological-based systems.
More Related Videos
05:46Identification of Pharmaceuticals in The Aquatic Environment Using HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS and Elimination of Erythromycin Through Photo-Induced Degradation
Published on: August 1, 2018
09:49Use of a Battery of Chemical and Ecotoxicological Methods for the Assessment of the Efficacy of Wastewater Treatment Processes to Remove Estrogenic Potency
Published on: September 11, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Upstream Processing
Bioreactor Design and Operational System
Environmental Applications of Microorganisms
Drug Biotransformation: Overview
Bioremediation
Bioreactor Controls-II