Browsing by Author "Y. Shiv Shankar"

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An overview of human health risk from opium alkaloids and related pharmaceutical products pollution in aquatic ecosystems
(Elsevier, 2022) Sonam; Markandeya; Y. Shiv Shankar; Prashant Bhushan; Deepak Gautam; Pankaj Kumar; S.P. Shukla; Devendra Mohan
Fresh water is a valuable resource, but the increase in pollution of aquatic ecosystem is a matter of concern. Industries are rapidly budding in India, which discharge their effluents into the water bodies either directly or after treating partially. Pharmaceutical compounds are very important, but at the same time, release toxic contaminants in the environment. Pharmaceutical products impose huge effects on aquatic environment, resulting in acute and chronic damages, reproductive damage, behavioral changes, and inhibition of cell proliferation. The effluents produced from alkaloid processing industries is highly polluted having low pH, high COD, BOD5, sulfate, and TKN values, and a characteristic dark brown color. A number of physical as well as biological processes occurring in aquatic ecological unit may cause reduction of trace concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds. Treatment of wastewater generated from alkaloid processing is a challenging task because of the complex mixture of contaminants. Several methods for the treatment of these wastes, such as anaerobic and aerobic biological treatment, anaerobic treatment with membrane treatment, and aerobic treatment with catalytic wet air oxidation have been reported. Studies have also been conducted on physicochemical treatment in combination with activated sludge process. Membrane processes and Fenton oxidation have also been investigated as a post-treatment method. Membrane technologies are desirable for industrial wastewater treatment as no external addition of chemicals is required. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.