Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - RECOPHARMA (Removal and Recovery of Pharmaceutical Persistent Pollutants from Wastewater by Selective Reagentless Process)

Teaser

As the world’s population is growing and ageing, the incidence of some diseases has increased considerably and more people can afford medical treatment, as the figures of yearly employed cytostatic drugs (CDs) demonstrate. Hence, the demand for CDs is expected to more than...

Summary

As the world’s population is growing and ageing, the incidence of some diseases has increased considerably and more people can afford medical treatment, as the figures of yearly employed cytostatic drugs (CDs) demonstrate. Hence, the demand for CDs is expected to more than double over next 10 years. Nowadays, European hospitals typically use 50 different active substances to treat oncology patients. The occurrence of different CDs at lower levels varying from ng L−1 to μg L−1 (e.g. up to 146 ng L-1 for Cyclophosphamide and up to 200 ng L-1 for Tamoxifen) has been reported in different hospital effluents and urban WWTP in EU.

Nowadays, the sewage plants do not have the capacity to completely clean water from recalcitrant CDs. Additional steps for cleaning sewage water means more energy, chemicals and higher costs. Such situation, currently, means opt out for the release of sewage directly out into various surface waters like rivers, lakes, streams or open sea without an appropriate treatment that guarantees the absence of CDs. Traditional end-of-pipe solutions dealing with the effluents coming out of these plants have being gradually replaced by an increasingly decentralized approach to treat wastewater streams in the most effective and economically sound way. Moreover, additional goals like reducing overall effluent emissions and water footprint by reusing treated wastewater towards zero-discharge strategies or minimizing waste generation and disposal costs by implementing a modular design approach have been gradually incorporated to a growingly holistic water and wastewater management approach.

Accordingly, detection, monitoring and characterization at global scale of CDs content in drinking and surface water, animals and plants is necessary to understand the magnitude of the problem. In this context, the first step is to recognize CDs as an emerging problem requiring investing the necessary human and financial resources to proper characterize the specific polluted water. This process is the key to decide the related water treatment including either the removal of CDs or the possible recovery that will contribute to both pollution removal and effluent valorization. This late aspect is nowadays a hot goal since reuse of CDs will avoid the difficulties of their destruction and will provide a needed financial support for water treatment process through an efficient and cost-effective processes of treating wastewater.

RECOPHARMA intends to design, develop, validate and demonstrate a novel process by sequential integration of the potentials offered by Molecular Imprinted Polymers (MIPs), Reagentless Thermosorption (RTS), Nanocomposites Functional Materials (NFMs) and Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOP) for an effective treatment aiming the recovery of target recalcitrant CDs and degradation of corresponding transformation products or metabolites, working in a continuous operation mode.

Work performed

WP1. Selection of main CDs, being implemented the corresponding developed methodologies (using state of the art equipment and coupling of analytical technologies) for the determination of CDs (organic and organometallic) and corresponding metabolites in artificial samples by using different analytical techniques. Selection criteria were established for the monitoring, starting analytical work with cytostatic of the platinum group and organic CDs, together with initial analytical validation.

WP2 Designed novel macroporous cryogels and molecularly imprinted nanoparticles for adsorption of Cisplatin, Methotrexate and Doxorubicin. Conceived different types of affinity materials as suitable building blocks: macroporous cryogels and nanoparticles. New MIPs synthetic routes using functionalized radical initiators to replace the conventional combination of initiator and functional monomer, to increase molecular imprinting efficiency. Optimization of synthetic conditions to obtain stable cryogels with desired porous structures and MIPs. Being under development the characterization of produced materials.

WP3 Determination of suitable sorption moieties for target pollutants being the involved staff trained in the procedures for the complete characterization of thermodynamic parameters to improve target CD selective removal using state of the art equipment. Some initial candidates demonstrate suitable performance for the adsorption process. The initial hydrodynamics developments of the RTS process concept have been successfully implemented through laboratory columns.

WP4 Novel pilot plant already designed and one of the reactors manufactured, being initiated the hydraulic tests and interactions with pilot plant hosting partner institution to discuss export requirements.

WP5 Dissemination and Communication Strategy implemented and monitored to exploit the potential of long-lasting cooperation among the involved partners as well as to create new networks to consolidate and widen the existing ones among the academic and industrial communities involved. The strategy includes a developed promotional kit employed by the partners. Initial outputs of the monitoring evaluation with successful results and audience engagement through outreach activities Further information available through D5.1

EXPLOITATION OPTIONS
Synthesis and characterization of MIPS and NMPs as internal/external services for pharma and environmental sector
Speciation quality control as internal/external services and new standards for SMEs requiring quality control
Thermodynamics control as internal/external services for SMEs, improvement adsorption/desorption processes
Integrated pilot plant as a Joint Venture/patent/license for Pharma sector

Final results

\"Novel adsorption NMP-based materials (Nanocomposites Functional Materials [NFMs] and Molecular Imprinted Polymers [MIPs]), reliable, efficient and resilient for pharmaceutical persisten pollutants treatment such as cytostatic drugs
Complete characterisation of intermolecular interactions and thermodynamic parameters related to the cytostatic drugs adsorption/desorption processes
Recovery of cytostatic drugs and associated value (e.g. Pt) through a combination of MIPs produced through novel synthetic routes and a thermodesorption process to implement a reagentless process.
To combine and integrate the adsorption/desorption module with a \"\"clean Fenton process\"\" for advanced oxidation purposes and avoid the generation of residues and amounts of catalysts.
Environmental monitoring and physicochemical characterization of cytostatic drugs and linked metabolites or degradation products in hospitals effluents and water treatment process to understand pollution’s relevance in long term toxicity studies through state-of-the-art analytical equipment
Engineering up-scaling, design & integration of technology through a pilot plant for the demonstration of the developed integrated technology
41 individuals, developing 107 secondments, for a total of 199 p/m during 48 months project duration
Organziation of 5 science cafe to reach out society
Organisation of 3 technical workshops in Pau (FR), Havana (CU) and Barcelona (ES)
4 Training courses to instruct practitioners in the use of the developed equipment and implemented research
10 press releases, 20 radio, TV or YouTube messages or interviews
Innovation support services in terms to access to risk capital within the water treatment sector\"

Website & more info

More info: http://recopharma.eu/en_US/.