Preliminary media screening for application in the removal of clofibric acid, carbamazepine and ibuprofen by SSF-constructed wetlands

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the sorption capacity of light expanded clay aggregates (LECA) to remove mixtures of ibuprofen, carbamazepine and clofibric acid in water and wastewater. High removal efficiencies were attained for carbamazepine and ibuprofen while a less satisfactory performance was observed for clofibric acid. In a mixture of the three compounds in water a slight decrease in the sorbed amounts is observed in comparison with solutions of the single compounds, indicating some competitive sorption. In wastewater, the pharmaceuticals mixture also undergoes a slight reduction in the sorbed amounts of carbamazepine and ibuprofen, probably due to the presence of dissolved organic matter which increases their solubility. These compounds were removed in the following order of efficiencies in all the tested conditions: carbamazepine > ibuprofen > clofibric acid. Two other clay materials – sepiolite and vermiculite – were tested for the removal of the more recalcitrant clofibric acid, and vermiculite exhibited higher removal efficiency than LECA. The sorption is characterized by an initial fast step, with most pharmaceuticals being removed within the first 24 h. The results of this study are a first step in the process of selecting an appropriate material or combination of materials to be used as media in SSF-CWs designed for the removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewaters.