Sorption and biodegradation parameters of selected pharmaceuticals in laboratory column experiments

Pharmaceutically active compounds have increasingly been detected in groundwater worldwide. Despite constituting a risk for human health and ecosystems, their fate the environment has still not exhaustively investigated. This study characterizes transport behavior of five selected pharmaceutically (antipyrine, atenolol, caffeine, carbamazepine sulfamethoxazole) two sediments (coarse quartz sand sandy loam) using column experiments with long-term injection spiked groundwater. Transport parameters were estimated an analytical reactive model. When injected simultaneously, antipyrine, antibiotic sulfamethoxazole similar to conservative tracer both under varying redox conditions. Atenolol caffeine retarded significantly stronger loam sediment than coarse sand. Biodegradation was observed after adaption period depended on dissolved oxygen. The identification biodegradation processes supported by monitoring intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATPitc) as measure microbial activity. ATPitc present concentrations all highest when pharmaceuticals, especially observed. only degraded while degradation reduced. latter seemed be influenced low oxygen rather presence sulfamethoxazole. Results these emphasize impact pharmaceutical sorption (bio)degradation type conditions, well available time combination pharmaceuticals that are released together into