Modelling the fate of micropollutants in integrated urban wastewater systems: Extending the applicability to pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) are a category of micropollutants frequently detected across integrated urban wastewater systems. Existing modelling tools supporting the evaluation of micropollutant fate in such complex systems, such as the IUWS_MP model library (which acronym IUWS stands for Integrated Urban Wastewater System), do not consider fate processes and fractions that are typical for PhACs.

This limitation was overcome by extending the existing IUWS_MP model library with new fractions (conjugated metabolites, sequestrated fraction) and processes (consumption-excretion, deconjugation). The performance of the extended library was evaluated for five PhACs (carbamazepine, ibuprofen, diclofenac, paracetamol, furosemide) in two different integrated urban wastewater systems where measurements were available.

Despite data uncertainty and the simplicity of the modelling approach, chosen to minimize data requirements, model prediction uncertainty overlapped with the measurements ranges across both systems, stressing the robustness of the proposed modelling approach. Possible applications of the extended IUWS_MP model library are presented, illustrating how this tool can support urban water managers in reducing environmental impacts from PhACs discharges.