Fate and behaviour of drugs in the environment

Sewage treatment works (STWs) are routes through which treated wastewater effluents often containing myriads of chemicals are passed into receiving waters due to incomplete removal processes as have been identified in several studies. The current work aimed to determine the levels of these chemicals in the effluents from Stoke Bardolph STW, Nottingham and to determine the fate and behaviour of compounds by conducting degradation batch studies under different treatment conditions. The selection of representative illicit compounds; cocaine and its metabolite benzoylecgonine, heroin and its metabolites 6-monoacetylmorphine and morphine and a pharmaceutical (diazepam) was based on their presence in the STW effluent. The results obtained using solid phase extraction gas-chromatography technique (SPE-GCMS) showed thirteen compounds detected at concentrations between 1.9 and 3147 ng L-1 in effluents from Stoke Bardolph STW. Procaine, bromacil, codeine, lidocaine, ibruprofen, caffeine, nicotine and diazepam were the most abundant compounds in the final effluent with concentrations of 99.2, 1806.8, 33.5, 71.8, 3147, 213.4, 252.5 and 105.2 ng L-1, respectively. The percentage recoveries ranged from 74.5 – 109.6%, with the instrumental limits of detection (LODs) ranges of 0.2 – 12.7 ng L-1, and relative standard deviation (RSD) values of 0.6 – 4.7% were achieved for all the compounds.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

phd

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Nottingham Trent University

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Mustapha, AO

Language dc:language

en