COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: The Biotransformation of Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Pharmaceuticals and Their Metabolites by Nitrifying and Heterotrophic Cultures

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

0504477 Love The prevalence of pharmaceutical chemicals in aquatic environments is increasing, especially as detection techniques improve. It is known that existing wastewater treatment often cannot, and does not remove pharmaceutical chemicals from waste streams. In the proposed project, the PIs will test the degradation of four common pharmaceuticals in bioreactors and relate the degradation to the microorganisms present and the reactor configuration. The PIs hypothesize that ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and heterotrophs work in concert to degrade pharmaceuticals and that bioreactor configuration plays a role in defining the bioavailability of pharmaceuticals and their transformation byproducts.