Removal of nine pharmaceutical compounds¿acetaminophen (AAF), antipyrine (ANT), caffeine (CAF), carbamazepine (CRB),
diclofenac (DCF), hydrochlorothiazide (HCT), ketorolac (KET), metoprolol (MET) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX)¿spiked in a
primary sedimentation effluent of a municipal wastewater has been studied with sequential aerobic biological and ozone advanced
oxidation systems. Combinations of ozone, UVA black light and Fe(III) or Fe3O4 constituted the chemical systems. During the
biological treatment (hydraulic residence time, HRT = 24 h), only AAF and CAF were completely eliminated,MET, SMX and HCT
reached partial removal rates and the rest of compounds were completely refractory. With any ozone advanced oxidation process
applied, the remaining pharmaceuticals disappear in less than 10 min. Fe3O4 or Fe(III) photocatalytic ozonation leads to 35%
mineralization compared to 13% reached during ozonation alone after about 30-min reaction. Also, biodegradability of the treated
wastewater increased 50% in the biological process plus another 150% after the ozonation processes. Both untreated and treated
wastewater was non-toxic for Daphnia magna (D. magna) except when Fe(III) was used in photocatalytic ozonation. In this case,
toxicity was likely due to the ferryoxalate formed in the process. Kinetic information on ozone processes reveals that pharmaceuticals
at concentrations they have in urban wastewater are mainly removed through free radical oxidation.The authors thank the Spanish CICYT and Feder funds for the economic support through project CTQ2009/13459/C05/05. Also, Chemical Engineer A. Espejo thanks Gobierno de Extremadura for providing her a FPI grant.Espejo, A.; Aguinaco, A.; Amat Payá, AM.; Beltrán, FJ. (2014). Some ozone advanced oxidation processes to improve the biological removal of selected pharmaceutical contaminants from urban wastewater. Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A-Toxic/Hazardous Substances&Environmental Engineering. 49(4):410-421. https://doi.org/10.1080/10934529.2014.854652S410421494Moldovan, Z. (2006). Occurrences of pharmaceutical and personal care products as micropollutants in rivers from Romania. Chemosphere, 64(11), 1808-1817. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2006.02.003Bartelt-Hunt, S. L., Snow, D. D., Damon, T., Shockley, J., & Hoagland, K. (2009). 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