<p> In a significant breakthrough, a team of researchers from National Institute of Technology, Rourkela in the northern district Sundargarh of Odisha has developed a process to remove pharmaceutical pollutants from wastewater.</p><p>The two-stage process combines adsorption and biodegradation to tackle a wide range of pharmaceutical compounds, including antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSIDs), and synthetic dyes.</p><p>The research was led by Prof Angana Sarkar, Associate Professor, Department of Biotechnology & Medical Engineering, NIT Rourkela. </p><p>The study was published in the prestigious Journal of Water Process Engineering . </p>.India must aim for 600 GW of clean energy by 2030: CEEW.<p>The paper has been co-authored by Prof Sarkar, along with her research team comprising Research graduates Dr Kasturi Poddar and Dr Debapriya Sarkar, and Research scholar Pritam Bajirao Patil.</p><p>“Our innovative integrated system efficiently removed various pharmaceutical pollutants, including antibiotics, NSIDs and dyes. The process is completely safe using biologically derived methods with no toxic intermediates. The process protects biodegrading bacteria, minimises toxic byproducts, and enhances the eco-friendly management of pharmaceutical contaminants,” said Prof Sarkar. </p><p>The treatment costs about Rs. 2.6 per litre and it can be further reduced by process optimisation and integrating this system as a tertiary step in existing treatments.</p><p>This project was funded by the Science and Engineering Research Board (Under IMPRINT-2: Impacting Research Innovation and Technology, Government of India Scheme) and research work was conducted in collaboration with Cadila Pharmaceutical Ltd, Ahmedabad, India.</p><p>Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) have become contaminants of emerging concern due to their bioaccumulation and biomagnification through the food chain, posing significant risks to humans and aquatic organisms even at trace concentrations. These endocrine-disrupting chemicals interfere with hormonal systems, causing acute health issues.</p><p>These pollutants enter water systems through domestic sewage, hospital waste, pharmaceutical industries, and livestock farming. For instance, a study found that the Musi River, Telangana contained over 5 milligram per liter (mg/L) of ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic, due to the nearby drug manufacturing industry. Adverse effects have been observed in lower trophic levels, such as fish, mussels, and birds, with incidents like fish mortality and declining eagle and vulture populations in the Indian subcontinent. Additionally, these pollutants pose serious health risks to humans, including kidney and liver damage, hypertension, and developmental issues. Antibiotics in wastewater are particularly concerning, as a large amount is excreted unchanged, contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Conventional wastewater treatment methods struggle to remove these contaminants, allowing them to persist in rivers, lakes, and groundwater.</p><p>To address these challenges, the NIT Rourkela research team developed an integrated treatment process that effectively removes pharmaceutical pollutants through a two-stage approach. In the first stage, the antibiotics are captured using biochar adsorbents derived from roasted coco peat and rice straw. This step significantly reduces antibiotic contamination before the biological treatment phase. The second stage employs a specialized bacterial group, including Klebsiella and Pseudomonas strains, to break down residual pharmaceutical compounds such as diclofenac, paracetamol, and synthetic dyes.</p>
<p> In a significant breakthrough, a team of researchers from National Institute of Technology, Rourkela in the northern district Sundargarh of Odisha has developed a process to remove pharmaceutical pollutants from wastewater.</p><p>The two-stage process combines adsorption and biodegradation to tackle a wide range of pharmaceutical compounds, including antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSIDs), and synthetic dyes.</p><p>The research was led by Prof Angana Sarkar, Associate Professor, Department of Biotechnology & Medical Engineering, NIT Rourkela. </p><p>The study was published in the prestigious Journal of Water Process Engineering . </p>.India must aim for 600 GW of clean energy by 2030: CEEW.<p>The paper has been co-authored by Prof Sarkar, along with her research team comprising Research graduates Dr Kasturi Poddar and Dr Debapriya Sarkar, and Research scholar Pritam Bajirao Patil.</p><p>“Our innovative integrated system efficiently removed various pharmaceutical pollutants, including antibiotics, NSIDs and dyes. The process is completely safe using biologically derived methods with no toxic intermediates. The process protects biodegrading bacteria, minimises toxic byproducts, and enhances the eco-friendly management of pharmaceutical contaminants,” said Prof Sarkar. </p><p>The treatment costs about Rs. 2.6 per litre and it can be further reduced by process optimisation and integrating this system as a tertiary step in existing treatments.</p><p>This project was funded by the Science and Engineering Research Board (Under IMPRINT-2: Impacting Research Innovation and Technology, Government of India Scheme) and research work was conducted in collaboration with Cadila Pharmaceutical Ltd, Ahmedabad, India.</p><p>Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) have become contaminants of emerging concern due to their bioaccumulation and biomagnification through the food chain, posing significant risks to humans and aquatic organisms even at trace concentrations. These endocrine-disrupting chemicals interfere with hormonal systems, causing acute health issues.</p><p>These pollutants enter water systems through domestic sewage, hospital waste, pharmaceutical industries, and livestock farming. For instance, a study found that the Musi River, Telangana contained over 5 milligram per liter (mg/L) of ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic, due to the nearby drug manufacturing industry. Adverse effects have been observed in lower trophic levels, such as fish, mussels, and birds, with incidents like fish mortality and declining eagle and vulture populations in the Indian subcontinent. Additionally, these pollutants pose serious health risks to humans, including kidney and liver damage, hypertension, and developmental issues. Antibiotics in wastewater are particularly concerning, as a large amount is excreted unchanged, contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Conventional wastewater treatment methods struggle to remove these contaminants, allowing them to persist in rivers, lakes, and groundwater.</p><p>To address these challenges, the NIT Rourkela research team developed an integrated treatment process that effectively removes pharmaceutical pollutants through a two-stage approach. In the first stage, the antibiotics are captured using biochar adsorbents derived from roasted coco peat and rice straw. This step significantly reduces antibiotic contamination before the biological treatment phase. The second stage employs a specialized bacterial group, including Klebsiella and Pseudomonas strains, to break down residual pharmaceutical compounds such as diclofenac, paracetamol, and synthetic dyes.</p>