A Survey on the Adsorption Process for the Removal Pharmaceutical Pollution from Aqueous Solutions and Wastewater

Pharmaceutical pollutants are one of the most important issues concerning human life due to the introduction of these pollutants into the food cycle and resulting in drug resistance which leads to environmental hazards. Thus investigation and pollution control of pharmaceuticals is essential. Aqueous media should be free of such contaminants before entering the environment. Adsorption is an effective and efficient method for removing pharmaceutical pollutants from aqueous solutions which have been given a comprehensive review in this paper, reporting the performance of different adsorbents such as activated carbon, silicagel, clays, zeolits, graphene nanoplates, polymers, clay-polymer nanocomposites and biochars. Removal efficiencies of 70-100% for activated carbon, 87-99% for clay and 98-100% for biochars are reported. Adsorption mechanisms of some antibiotics on various adsorbents are also discussed.