Bioremediation of Pharmaceutical Wastewater

Environmental pollution is one of the major challenges of today's civilization. The increase in world population and urbanization, especially in developing countries, leads to the production of greater amounts of wastewater. Nowadays, industrial wastewater emissions are an increasing problem and may have adverse effects on human health and the environment. Pharmaceutical wastewater can be highly loaded with organic and inorganic substances as well as toxic for the ecosystem. Before the wastewater is discharged into the environment, it must be treated to meet the legal requirements. Biological treatment is widely applied as an effective, economical and environmentally friendly solution. Bioremediation uses microbial metabolism in optimal environmental conditions for the removal of pollutants and can be further enhanced by bioaugmentation.