Modeling the Fate of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Sewage Treatment Plants

Abstract

Chemical fate models can be used to estimate the transformation reactions and the partitioning behavior of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in sewage treatment plants (STPs). Modeling the fate of PPCPs in a STP requires parameters such as rate constants or partition coefficients that are often unique to a specific STP, and that may exhibit significant temporal variability. Chemical fate models provide both a valuable test of our understanding of the fundamental underlying mechanisms regarding the fate of PPCPs in STPs, as well as a means of providing both qualitative and quantitative estimates for PPCP removal. This paper is not intended to provide calibration or validation of these models for a specific system, but rather to review the most common approaches to modeling the chemical fates of PPCPs in STPs (as well as other chemicals and other systems).