SYNERGISTIC REMOVAL OF PHARMACEUTICALS BY POLYMERIC MEMBRANES

SYNERGISTIC REMOVAL OF PHARMACEUTICALS BY POLYMERIC MEMBRANES
Arailym Kamal, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan / Damira Nygmetova,
Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan / Bek Yergeldinov, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan / Aliya Satayeva, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan / Jong Kim,
Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan / Stavros Poulopoulos, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan / Elizabeth Arkhangelsky, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan

(Presented at the International Conference on Research in Education and Science (ICRES) which took place on April 27-30, 2024, in Antalya, TURKEY (https://www.2024.icres.net/) and at the International Conference on Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology (ICEMST) (https://www.2024.icemst.com/) organized by the International Society for Technology, Education and Science (ISTES) http://www.istes.org).

In recent decades, contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) have attracted significant attention worldwide. The CECs include fertilizers, medical substances, personal care products, and others that negatively affect living organisms. Our recent research revealed that pharmaceuticals cannot be fully removed by municipal wastewater treatment plants. This leads to the release of the pharmaceuticals into the environment and its contamination. Since water shortage is a current global issue, finding efficient technologies for water reclamation is of high importance. Hence, membrane separation processes are known as the most efficient treatment methods, this work was dedicated to investigation of Aspirin (ASP), Carbamazepine (CBZ), Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) removal by polymeric membranes. Individual and complex (two and three- component) feed solutions were filtered through porous material, and removal capabilities were studied. The initial concentration of contaminants used in this study was equal to 3 mg/L, and HPLC was utilized to determine the concentration of the pharmaceuticals before and after filtration. The data obtained showed that interactions between the pharmaceuticals, i.e. synergistic effect, influence their retention by the membranes, and the efficiency of the treatment may reach 100%.