Evaluation of a Novel Approach for Reducing Emissions of Pharmaceuticals to the Environment
| Autor: | Jane Thomas-Oates, Bob Eaton, Peter Bartl, Amy Wolff, Ed Bergström, Thomas G. Bean, Alistair B.A. Boxall |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Pyrolysis–gasification
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Incineration 010501 environmental sciences Antimicrobial resistance 01 natural sciences Article Waste Management Air pollutants Tandem Mass Spectrometry Stewardship Effective treatment Take-back strategy Thermal decomposition Pharmaceutical waste 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Air Pollutants Global and Planetary Change Treatment system Ecology Waste management Treatment process Models Theoretical Pollution Europe Pharmaceutical Preparations Nature Conservation Environmental science Cleaner production Chromatography Liquid Environmental Monitoring |
| Zdroj: | Environmental Management |
| ISSN: | 0364-152X |
| Popis: | Increased interest over the levels of pharmaceuticals detected in the environment has led to the need for new approaches to manage their emissions. Inappropriate disposal of unused and waste medicines and release from manufacturing plants are believed to be important pathways for pharmaceuticals entering the environment. In situ treatment technologies, which can be used on-site in pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, and at manufacturing plants, might provide a solution. In this study we explored the use of Pyropure, a microscale combined pyrolysis and gasification in situ treatment system for destroying pharmaceutical wastes. This involved selecting 17 pharmaceuticals, including 14 of the most thermally stable compounds currently in use and three of high environmental concern to determine the technology’s success in waste destruction. Treatment simulation studies were done on three different waste types and liquid, solid, and gaseous emissions from the process were analyzed for parent pharmaceutical and known active transformation products. Gaseous emissions were also analyzed for NOx, particulates, dioxins, furans, and metals. Results suggest that Pyropure is an effective treatment process for pharmaceutical wastes: over 99 % of each study pharmaceutical was destroyed by the system without known active transformation products being formed during the treatment process. Emissions of the other gaseous air pollutants were within acceptable levels. Future uptake of the system, or similar in situ treatment approaches, by clinics, pharmacists, and manufacturers could help to reduce the levels of pharmaceuticals in the environment and reduce the economic and environmental costs of current waste management practices. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00267-016-0728-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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