Nanofiltration of Pharmaceutically Active and Endocrine Disrupting Compounds as a Function of Compound Interactions with Surface Water Components

This paper discusses the removal of trace concentrations of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), and other ?emerging? organic contaminants by nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes. The study investigates the removal by examining interactions with typical components found in surface waters, including natural organic matter (NOM) and colloidal particles. The paper concludes that on-going work to help customize pre-treatment technique(s) is required to benefit from compound interactions with water matrix components, in addition to membrane surface, leading to enhanced removal of PhACs and EDCs from surface waters when using nanofiltration.