METHOD FOR ELIMINATING PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS FROM WASTE WATER

摘要

The invention relates to a process for the removal of pharmaceutical products present in wastewater by means of using powdered activated carbon (PAC) in a sequential bioreactor coupled with a chamber with an ultrafiltration membrane. This process comprises a first reaction unit which operates in a sequential manner, where the PAC is directly added. The effluent generated from this first unit passes into a contiguous chamber having an ultrafiltration membrane with a pore size in the range of 0.04-0.4 µm, provided with continuous aeration and where the permeate is generated, which constitutes the final effluentof the process. The PAC is added for the purpose of maximizing the removal of pharmaceutical pollutants, especially those which are more recalcitrant. By means of this process, it is possible to not only reduce the organic matter (>95%) and nutrients (>75%), but to also achieve high efficiency (>90%) in the removal of pharmaceutical products present in trace amounts (<100 µg/L).