Research Article
Identification and Quantification of Emerging Contaminants in Pharmaceuticals Wastewater
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 4, December 2026
Pages:
101-113
Received:
15 August 2026
Accepted:
28 August 2026
Published:
14 October 2026
Abstract: Pharmaceutical wastewater is a major source of emerging contaminants (ECs), which include pharmaceutical residues, personal care products, endocrine-disrupting compounds, and other biologically active substances that are not completely removed by conventional wastewater treatment processes. The continuous discharge of these contaminants into aquatic environments poses significant risks to ecosystems and human health due to their persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and biological activity. This study focused on the identification and quantification of emerging contaminants present in pharmaceutical wastewater collected from a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility. Wastewater samples were collected and subjected to physicochemical characterization prior to contaminant analysis. The identification and quantification of target contaminants were carried out using advanced analytical techniques, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and ICP-OES for Organic and Inorganic emerging contaminants respectively. Common pharmaceutical compounds detected included analgesics, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-malaria drugs and other active pharmaceutical ingredients. The concentrations of these contaminants varied depending on the nature of the manufacturing processes and wastewater characteristics. The physicochemical results revealed a pH of 2.73, turbidity of 11.95 NTU, dissolved oxygen (DO) of 6.80 mg/L, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of 14.24 mg/L, chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 12.41 mg/L, total dissolved solids (TDS) of 1,200 mg/L, chloride (Cl⁻) of 882.28 mg/L, and sulphate (SO42⁻) of 37.14 mg/L. The inorganic contaminants detected include arsenic (As) at 0.011 mg/L, cadmium (Cd) at 0.001 mg/L, mercury (Hg) at 0.007 mg/L, and lead (Pb) at 0.007 mg/L. and organic emerging contaminants are paracetamol (4.390), dichlofenac (6.131), tetracycline (0.698), and ampiclux (0.389). While some contaminants exceeded recommended environmental thresholds, highlighting the inadequacy of conventional treatment systems in completely removing these pollutants. The study provides essential baseline data on the occurrence and levels of emerging contaminants in pharmaceutical wastewater and underscores the need for effective treatment technologies to prevent environmental contamination. The results also support the development of sustainable remediation strategies, including the application of nanoparticle-based adsorption systems for the efficient removal of pharmaceutical pollutants from wastewater.
Abstract: Pharmaceutical wastewater is a major source of emerging contaminants (ECs), which include pharmaceutical residues, personal care products, endocrine-disrupting compounds, and other biologically active substances that are not completely removed by conventional wastewater treatment processes. The continuous discharge of these contaminants into aquati...
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Research Article
Bioelectrochemical and Pharmacological Study of
Co-Coumarin Complex
Rakesh Choure*
,
Neelam Choure,
SK Abdus Samim
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 4, December 2026
Pages:
114-120
Received:
29 September 2026
Accepted:
21 October 2026
Published:
11 November 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.wjac.20261104.12
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Abstract: Polarography is widely used to determine diverse organic and inorganic depolarizers present at micro- to ultra-micro levels. Accordingly, experimental sets were prepared by maintaining the overall concentrations of metal ion and supporting electrolyte (ammonium tartrate) constant at 1.0 mM and 1.0 M, respectively. Coumarin and its complexes showed well-defined cathodic reduction waves at pH 8.2 ± 0.02 in a 0.2 M ammonium tartrate medium. The plots of id vs √hcorr showed a linear relationship and passed through the origin in all cases, indicating that the electrode reduction process was diffusion-controlled. Polarographic measurements showed that increasing the ligand concentration shifted the half-wave potential to more negative values. The plot of change in half wave potential with logarithm of change in ligand concentration yielded a straight line, demonstrating the formation of a single complex species for the Co(II)-coumarin system. A comparison between the infrared spectra of the free drug and its Co(II) complex showed the disappearance of the carbonyl (C=O) band at 1725 cm-1. Additionally, the sharp -OH band observed at 3570 cm-1 in free coumarin shifted to 3600 cm-1 in the Co(II)-coumarin complex. The anticoagulant activity of the normal control and the respective test drug samples was evaluated, and the results are presented in the respective tables. The mean prothrombin times obtained for coumarin and its complexes are illustrated clearly in this research article. Polarography is widely utilized for the determination of diverse organic and inorganic depolarizers present at micro- to ultra-trace levels in analytical samples.
Abstract: Polarography is widely used to determine diverse organic and inorganic depolarizers present at micro- to ultra-micro levels. Accordingly, experimental sets were prepared by maintaining the overall concentrations of metal ion and supporting electrolyte (ammonium tartrate) constant at 1.0 mM and 1.0 M, respectively. Coumarin and its complexes showed ...
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