Daniel Elliott Ph.D., BCEEM, and George Hollerbach, PE, CSP, BCEE, will present “Pharmaceuticals in the Environment: A Brief History, Causes, and Potential Remedies” at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Seminar at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) on February 6, 2023.

Dan is a Senior Consultant based in New Jersey with more than 25 years of experience managing environmental due diligence assessments, characterizing and quantifying environmental liabilities, managing remediation portfolios, conducting permitting and regulatory negotiations, and leading compliance audits. His expertise includes process wastewater treatment, hazardous waste management, multimedia permitting, environmental compliance and auditing, and remediation project management.

George is a Senior Principal Engineer based in New Jersey with more than 35 years of experience focused on water and wastewater, remediation, construction management, environmental health and safety, and pharmaceutical projects. His specialties include industrial wastewater treatment and process emission control in the pharmaceutical, chemical, oil and gas, food, and pulp and paper industries.

The graduate programs of NJIT’s John A. Reif, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering helps students develop the skills to build new cities, repair infrastructure, and develop sustainable solutions to environmental problems. Graduates work with regional, national, and global communities to support civil infrastructure, protect the environment, and improve water quality. In addition, they plan, design, and construct water and wastewater treatment plants, solid waste disposal systems, site remediation approaches, and emission control measures.

Abstract

Over the past thirty years, the issue of pharmaceuticals in the environment (PiE) has received significant and growing attention from environmental regulators, water and wastewater treatment authorities, nongovernmental organizations, and the pharmaceutical industry. This global issue results from the presence of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) in process wastewaters, surface waters, and groundwater due to losses from pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, commercial animal farming, our own metabolic processes, and other sources. In this presentation, we will explore a brief history of the PiE issue and focus on the environmental impacts of antibiotics and hormones, the two broad API classes of most significance. We will discuss the major sources of API to the environment and provide context on the concentrations and classes of these pharmaceutical actives encountered in process wastewater, at publicly owned treatment works (POTW), and in receiving waters. We will focus on the ability of POTWs to remove API and the types of technologies that have been proven to be effective. Lastly, we will evaluate potential strategies to minimize the losses of API to environmental media.

More Information

About NJIT: https://civil.njit.edu/https://civil.njit.edu/
For consultation regarding pharmaceuticals in the environment, contact Dan at DElliott@Geosyntec.com or George at GHollerbach@Geosyntec.com
Learn more about Dan: https://www.geosyntec.com/people/daniel-elliott
Learn more about George: https://www.geosyntec.com/people/george-hollerbach