Pharmaceuticals and their metabolites are detected on an increasing scale in the aquatic environment. The wastewater of pharmaceutical production facilities can also be contaminated with active ingredients. If the drugs produced are rated as ecotoxicologically contaminating, the wastewater should be treated directly at the point of origin, to ensure that only biodegradable substances end up in the environment.

This was the challenge for a pharmaceutical plant, when building a new production facility. During galenic production, approx. 10,000 litres of wastewater are generated daily, which need to be processed.

In the first step, three different methods UV/H2O2 oxidation, ozone oxidation and adsorption on activated carbon were tested on a laboratory scale, and evaluated with regard to ecological and economical aspects.

When comparing the validated procedures, ozonisation in this special case proved to be the most effective method, in order to efficiently destroy the active ingredients in the wastewater safely and completely. Based on these results, EnviroChemie designed a large-scale technical plant in the second step and implemented it.

The system is equipped with software, which enables simple operation of all installed elements and allows visualisation of the complete. Automatic control of the ozone concentration in the wastewater ensures the need-based application of the ozone.

The tests for eliminating the pharmaceuticals on a laboratory scale have shown that a reliable system is available with the patented Envochem technology, which can completely decompose residual drugs in the wastewater.