The use of specialized drugs during pandemics results in large increases in concentrations of those pharmaceutical in wastewaters. In light of the highly publicized use of chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and remdesivir during the COVID-19 pandemic it would be expected that numerous regions of the world will see these drugs, and their metabolites, present in wastewaters. Therefore, active removal of these chemicals may become necessary. To accomplish quantitative remediation of these pharmaceutical-contaminated wastewaters, using Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) that utilize the hydroxyl radical, it is essential to have a complete understanding of the radical kinetics and reaction mechanisms occurring. In this study, we have determined absolute second-order rate constants for four compounds; remdesivir and its primary human metabolite GS-441524 as well as chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine that are now expected to be found in wastewaters.

Removal of COVID-pharmaceuticals and metabolites from waters using advanced oxidation processes

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ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.