Seasonality in negative removal of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products at the Himalayan Foothills Wastewater Treatment Plants
Recent Publication
A recent study from India has shown that wastewater treatment plants in the foothills of the Himalayas are not only inefficient at removing pharmaceutical residues (PPCPs), but in some cases even have higher concentrations in the effluent - a phenomenon known as ‘negative removal’. Common active ingredients such as caffeine, diclofenac and ciprofloxacin were particularly affected, with levels fluctuating greatly depending on the season. The highest levels were measured in spring and during the monsoon. Different cleaning technologies achieved very different results - the most effective was the so-called AFMO technology. Dr Mats Leifels from the Division of Water Quality and Health played a key role in this work.
Silori, R., Mahapatra, D. M., Tauseef, S. M., Biswas, P., Vellanki, B. P., Goswami, R., Leifels, M., Mora, A., Mahlknecht, J., & Kumar, M. (Accepted/In press). Seasonality in negative removal of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products at the Himalayan Foothills Wastewater Treatment Plants. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.116803
Dr. Mats Leifels
Scientific Staff (PostDoc)
Department of Water Quality and Health