Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are received much attention due to potential adverse environmental & health impacts.The removal efficiencies of eight typical pharmaceuticals were studied in the pilot-scale granular activated carbon (GAC) process.The results showed that GAC removed Antipyrine
Disopramide
Sulpiride
Sulfamethoxazole
Tiamulin and Trimethoprim by approximately 50%—90%
and Indomethacin and Lincomycin by less than 35%.Typical pharmaceuticals removals were affected by filtration velocity
organic matters and pH.The removals of Indomethacin
Lincomycin and Tiamulin were affected mainly by filtration velocity while that of Sulfamethoxazole much by pH.Typical pharmaceuticals removals could be promoted or inhibited by organic matters.The physicochemical properties of typical pharmaceuticals had important influence on their removal efficiency by GAC
which is helpful to understand the removal mechanism of the pharmaceuticals by GAC at the molecular level.