Bioremediation of Pharmaceutical Wastes

Abstract

The astounding increase in the use of pharmaceuticals in the last decade has raised concerns over their occurrence in the soils and wastewaters posing potential dangers to the general public health and environment. Considering the limitations of chemical remediation measures in treatment of recalcitrant xenobiotics, several bioremediation measures are being currently investigated and proposed for removal of pharmaceutical contaminants from the environment. Several bacterial, fungal and plant species have shown promising bioremediation potential with regard to the removal of pharmaceuticals. Varying configurations of anaerobic and aerobic reactors have been utilized for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment. This chapter is intended to give a compilation and overview of the various types of bioremediation measures currently being employed or investigated to remove the pharmaceutical pollutants.