Molecular and Genetic Medicine

A Short Review on Presence of Pharmaceuticals in Water Bodies and the Potential of Chitosan and Chitosan Derivatives for Elimination of Pharmaceuticals

Abstract

Parisa Amouzgar and Babak Salamatinia

Pharmaceutical products are being increasingly detected in the environment. However, conventional treatment systems do not provide an adequate treatment for pharmaceutical drug elimination and still there is not a regulated standard for their limitation in water. Adsorption is one of the most effective and practical techniques to remove pollutants from water. Nowadays, considerable focus is on development of natural wastes to be utilized as adsorbent in wastewater treatment plants. Among bio waste materials, chitosan has many applications in various fields based on its chemical and physical properties together with being abundant and cheap. Chitosan has removal capabilities for certain pollutants from water such as dyes, metal ions, phenol and different anions. Moreover it is widely used as carrier for pharmaceutical components in drug delivery. Based on the properties and applications that are already known for chitosan, using it to remove pharmaceuticals could resolve costly and inefficient techniques that are currently employed in wastewater treatments. In this paper the potential of chitosan and its derivatives for removal of pharmaceutical has been discussed.