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Sorption properties and behaviour at laboratory scale of selected pharmaceuticals using batch experiments
Aleksandra Kiecak1, Lara Sassine2, Mercè Boy-Roura3
1Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Institute for Groundwater Ecology, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, Neuherberg 85764, Germany.
Journal of Contaminant Hydrology
|May 19, 2019
Summary
Pharmaceuticals in groundwater are a concern. Batch experiments show that compound properties, not sediment type, primarily control pharmaceutical sorption in aquifers, though field data show some differences.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Hydrogeology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Pharmaceuticals are increasingly detected in water bodies, raising public concern.
- Their transport and fate in groundwater remain poorly understood.
- Previous studies have investigated some pharmaceutical sorption, but data for many are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the sorption behavior of selected pharmaceuticals in groundwater.
- To understand the influence of compound-specific properties and aquifer material characteristics on sorption.
- To complement existing field investigations with laboratory-scale data.
Main Methods:
- Batch experiments were conducted using artificial (quartz sand) and actual aquifer materials (Vistrenque and Baix Fluvià Aquifers).
- Nine pharmaceuticals with varying chemical properties were tested: antipyrine, atenolol, caffeine, carbamazepine, ciprofloxacin, diclofenac, ketoprofen, ofloxacin, and sulfamethoxazole.
- Sorption isotherms were determined at five concentration steps.
Main Results:
- Correlation analysis revealed dependencies between sorption coefficients (K) and sediment properties for individual compounds.
- No universal patterns were observed across all tested pharmaceuticals and sediment types.
- Batch experiments indicated that compound-specific properties were the dominant factor governing sorption behavior.
Conclusions:
- Sorption of pharmaceuticals in heterogeneous sediments is primarily dictated by the chemical characteristics of the compounds themselves.
- Sediment properties play a secondary role in the sorption process.
- Discrepancies between laboratory findings and field observations warrant further investigation into pharmaceutical fate in groundwater.
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