International Journal of Chemical and Biochemical Sciences (ISSN 2226-9614)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

VOLUME 29(23) (2026)

Recent Advances in the Process of Removal of Emerging Pollutants from Wastewater: A Review

Eesha Noor

Department of Chemistry, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan.

Abstract

                Both natural and artificial materials that have recently been discovered to be present in wastewater and adversely affect aquatic life and human health are referred to as emerging contaminants. Pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, hormones, artificial colors, flame retardants, and other emerging contaminants are released into the environment either directly or indirectly from hospitals, farms, factories, and other sources. Techniques have been created to help polluted water treatment technicians get over their obstacles. Physical, chemical, and biological advanced treatment technologies have been researched for the removal of emerging contaminants and for lowering the levels of effluents in water that is discharged. Numerous methods have been studied, including membrane filtration, adsorption, coagulation-flocculation, solvent extraction, ion exchange, photodegradation, catalytic oxidation, electrochemical oxidation, ozonation, and precipitation. According to earlier studies, these methods effectively eliminate one or more pollutants from wastewater, but they fall short in effectively eliminating the majority of harmful chemicals. Technologies that utilize nanomaterials could be an effective way to remove various toxins from wastewater. Due to their high energy consumption while treating wastewater for large-scale reuse, these systems are expensive. Therefore, in order to achieve full and improved emerging contaminants removal by wastewater treatment plants, further study is needed to improve wastewater treatment processes.

Keywords: wastewater treatment, membrane filtration, effluents, emerging contaminants, nanotechnology, adsorption, pharmaceuticals, aquatic environment

Full length article    *Corresponding Author, e-mail: eeshanoor23.en@gmail.com, Doi # https://doi.org/10.62877/9-IJCBS-26-29-23-9

Submitted: 29-01-2026; Accepted: 29-03-2026; Published: 11-04-2026