Main description:

This volume addresses hospital effluents in terms of their composition and the management and treatment strategies currently (being) adopted around the globe. In this context, one major focus is on pharmaceutical compounds: their observed concentration range, ecotoxicological effects, and the removal efficiency achieved by the different technologies. Another focus is on management strategies (dedicated hospital wastewater treatment, or a combined approach also involving urban wastewater) and currently adopted treatments to reduce the released pollutant load. Innovative and promising technologies under investigation at the lab and pilot scale are presented. A discussion of remaining knowledge gaps and future research requirements rounds out the coverage.

The respective chapters, written by experts in the different fields, provide useful information for a broad audience: scientists involved in the management and treatment of hospital effluents and wastewater containing micropollutants, administrators and decision-makers, legislators involved in the authorization and management of healthcare structure effluents, and environmental engineers involved in the design of wastewater treatment plants, as well as newcomers and students interested in these issues.

Contents:

Hospital Wastewater: existing regulations and current trends In management.- Occurrence of common pollutants and pharmaceuticals in hospital effluents.- Ecotoxicity of hospital effluents.-Prioritization of active pharmaceutical ingredients in hospital wastewater.- Occurrence and risks of contrast agents, cytostatics and antibiotics in hospital effluents.- Pharmaceutical concentrations and loads in hospital effluents - Is a Predictive Model or Direct Measurement the most accurate approach?- Contribution of hospital effluents to the load of micropollutants in WWTP influents.- Lessons learned from European experiences and presentation of case studies.- Hospital wastewater treatments adopted in Asia, Africa and Australia.- Full scale plants for dedicated treatment of hospital effluents.- Overview on pilot-scale treatments and new and innovative technologies for hospital effluent.- Final remarks and perspectives in management and treatment of hospital effluent.