An investigation of the Mechanisms Behind the Pharmaceutical Removal in Ekeby Wetland WWTP

Abstract: Pharmaceutical residues are being released into the aquatic environment through domestic wastewater effluents all around the world. Ekeby wetland located in Eskilstuna has been shown to degrade pharmaceutical residues in wastewater but the mechanism of how and where in the wetland these substances are removed were not known. The aim of this Master’s thesis was to study the mechanism behind the pharmaceutical removal in Ekeby wetland. The presence of 22 selected pharmaceuticals were examined in water-, sediment- and plant samples collected from the wetland. Additionally, the concentration of nutrients’, pH and temperature of the water were examined. With this data, the correlations between the concentration of pharmaceuticals in the water and the concentration of selected nutrients could be determined. Nine out of 22 substances were detected in the sediment samples and 10 out of 22 was detected in the plant sample. The five pharmaceutical substances that required additional removal were citalopram, diclofenac, erythromycin, oxazepam and sertraline. Citalopram, diclofenac and sertraline were found in the sediment and plant samples. A significant negative correlation was found between the concentration of pharmaceuticals in water samples and total suspended solids (TSS) indicating that an increase of TSS, decreases the pharmaceutical concentration in the water. The main mechanism behind the pharmaceutical removal in Ekeby wetland was determined to be by sedimentation and plant uptake, mainly by Phragmites australis. The wetland system could also remove metoprolol, propranolol, tramadol, trimethoprim, naproxen, venlafaxine and carbamazepine. Hence, to increase the pharmaceutical removal in the wetland it’s recommended to increase the amount of plants, mainly P. australis. Thus, wetland systems could be of great advantage in the development of sustainable wastewater management.