Date of Graduation

Spring 5-23-2026

Document Access

Project/Capstone - Global access

Degree Name

Master of Science in Environmental Management (MSEM)

College/School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

Environmental Management

First Advisor

Simon Scarpetta

Abstract

Pharmaceutical compounds are increasingly detected in urban water systems worldwide, posing significant ecological and public health risks in cities where wastewater treatment infrastructure is insufficient to remove them. This study evaluates the presence of pharmaceutical compounds in Bogotá's wastewater systems, the effectiveness of current treatment technologies for their removal, and the regulatory and monitoring gaps that hinder their management as emerging contaminants of concern. A systematic literature review was conducted to assess the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in municipal and hospital wastewater, as well as in effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and receiving surface waters in Colombia, with particular focus on Bogotá. Conventional activated sludge processes effectively remove highly biodegradable pharmaceuticals but perform poorly for persistent compounds such as carbamazepine, diclofenac, and ciprofloxacin. Advanced treatment technologies, including ozonation, UV/H₂O₂, and electrochemical AOPs, consistently achieve removal efficiencies above 85–95% under real wastewater conditions. Nature-based solutions such as constructed wetlands also present a viable complementary option given Bogotá's climatic and ecological context. Risk assessment findings indicate that several compounds detected in the Bogotá River exceed ecological risk thresholds, posing measurable threats to native aquatic species and downstream communities. This study concludes that the construction of the Canoas WWTP represents a critical opportunity to integrate advanced pharmaceutical removal into Bogotá's infrastructure, and that coordinated action across monitoring, regulation, and treatment technology is urgently needed.

Keywords: pharmaceutical compounds, wastewater treatment, emerging contaminants, Bogotá River, advanced oxidation processes, gap analysis, Colombia, environmental risk assessment

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