Removal of pharmaceuticals from water using adsorption

Drinking water should be free from any kind of contamination. The source of water can be surface water or groundwater. The conventional water treatment plant takes care of most of the organic contaminants and pathogens. However, analysis of water samples by various researchers showed that the water bodies are contaminated with more complex compounds which are toxic at very low concentrations. Extensive research on these compounds started in mid 1990s with the use of more sophisticated instruments (Santos et al. 2010). These compounds are known as emerging contaminants (ECs) which are widely being studied because of their potential to cause long-term effects to living organisms. Even at very low concentration (μg/L to ng/L), these compounds have very high hazard quotient. Many studies have reported the presence of ECs in surface water and ground water. There is lack of knowledge of their impact in long-term effect on human health, environment and aquatic environments (Deblonde et al. 2011).