Seoul National University of Science and Technology researchers discover breakthrough materials for removing pharmaceuticals from wastewater
Researchers study the adsorption characteristics of fluorinated covalent organic polymers against environmentally persistent pharmaceuticals
image:
The abundant fluorine atoms in FCOPs, lead to multiple synergistic interactions, including electrostatic interactions, intermolecular interactions, and hydrophobic interactions, leading to a unique and strong adsorption performance against beta-blockers
view moreCredit: Professor Yuhoon Hwang from Seoul National University of Science and Technology
Beta-blockers are widely prescribed pharmaceuticals used to manage cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension, arrhythmias, and post-heart attack recovery. Among them, atenolol (ATL) and metoprolol (MTL) are particularly common. Their high chemical stability benefits therapeutic efficacy but also means they degrade slowly, persisting in the environment. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are largely ineffective at removing these compounds, allowing them to enter rivers and lakes, where even low concentrations can exert chronic toxic effects on algae, fish, and other aquatic organisms.
To remove such persistent pharmaceuticals, researchers have explored the development of advanced adsorbent materials, such as covalent organic polymers (COPs). These porous materials can be engineered with diverse functional groups, allowing fine tuning of adsorption properties. Recently, COPs incorporating fluorine atoms have gained significant attention for their unusually high adsorption performance and consequently, potential for removing environmental pollutants. Yet, few studies have explored their application in removal of pharmaceuticals.
Filling this gap, a research team led by Professor Yuhoon Hwang from the Department of Environmental Engineering at Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech), investigated FCOPs as adsorbents for beta-blockers. “Our study shows that FCOPs are very promising for removing persistent beta-blockers from water,” says Prof. Hwang. “We also clarified the adsorption mechanisms that explain why FCOPs achieve unusually high adsorption capacities.” The study was made available online on July 28, 2025, and published in Volume 285, Part 3, of the journal Environmental Research in November 15, 2025.
The team prepared a FCOP using a simple, catalyst-free one-pot method and tested their ability to remove ATL and MTL from water. Remarkably, FCOPs demonstrated outstanding adsorption performance, removing 67.3% of MTL and 70.4% within the first minute. Interestingly, when the researchers plotted its adsorption performance against beta-blocker concentration, the curve showed a sigmoidal or S-shaped profile.
At lower concentrations, adsorption increased gradually, consistent with the monolayer adsorption effect, where molecules get adsorbed onto the adsorbent surface in a single layer. However, beyond a concentration of 60 mg/L, the uptake rose sharply for both beta-blockers, indicating a multilayer adsorption effect. In multilayer adsorption, molecules stack in multiple layers, and their interactions can enhance adsorption performance. This adsorption behaviour sets FCOPs apart from traditional adsorbents. Importantly, the FCOP maintained this strong adsorption performance even in real water samples containing multiple ions and organic acids.
The team also identified the key mechanisms driving this unusually high performance. They found that the rich structure of FCOP, consisting of abundant fluorine atoms, leads to multiple synergistic interactions. First, the presence of fluorine leads to strong intermolecular interactions between FCOP and beta-blockers. Second, electrostatic interactions play a key role in adsorption of the positively charged beta-blockers onto the negatively charged FCOP molecules. Finally, the hydrophobic nature of FCOP minimizes contact with the water, promoting the aggregation of adsorbed molecules, facilitating multilayer adsorption.
“These synergistic interactions comprehensively explain the outstanding adsorption capacity of FCOP. Our findings could serve as a valuable foundation for designing next generation adsorbents,” remarks Prof. Hwang. “In future, these fluorine-rich adsorbents will be valuable in reducing pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments, not only protecting aquatic life, but also ensuring safer drinking water.
By integrating FCOPs into advanced treatment systems, water utilities could more effectively mitigate pharmaceutical pollution. This innovation represents a significant step toward sustainable purification strategies that safeguard ecosystems and human health.
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Reference
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.122439
About the institute Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SEOULTECH)
Seoul National University of Science and Technology, commonly known as 'SEOULTECH,' is a national university located in Nowon-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Founded in April 1910, around the time of the establishment of the Republic of Korea, SEOULTECH has grown into a large and comprehensive university with a campus size of 504,922 m2.
It comprises 10 undergraduate schools, 35 departments, 6 graduate schools, and has an enrollment of approximately 14,595 students.
Website: https://en.seoultech.ac.kr/
About Professor Yuhoon Hwang
Dr. Yuhoon Hwang is a Professor of Environmental Engineering at Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SeoulTech), Korea. He earned his Ph.D. at KAIST and completed postdoctoral training at the Technical University of Denmark. Since 2015, he has led research on advanced nanomaterials for water treatment, with a focus on 3D-structured adsorbents and catalysts. His group combines material science with environmental engineering to address water purification and pollution control. He has published over 110 papers, cited more than 3,000 times.
Journal
Environmental Research
Method of Research
Experimental study
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Efficient removal of beta-blockers from water using fluorinated covalent organic polymers: Insights into sigmoidal adsorption behaviour and environmental applications
Study finds nanofiltration membranes most effective in tackling pharmaceutical pollution
University of Sharjah
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Schematic of an asymmetrical ceramic membrane cross-section.
view moreCredit: Cleaner Water (2025). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100100
A comprehensive review of scientific literature has identified nanofiltration (NF) membrane technologies as the most effective method for removing pharmaceutical contaminants from water sources, according to researchers from the University of Sharjah.
“The NF membranes show high efficacy in removing a broad spectrum of pharmaceuticals, particularly high-molecular-weight and charged compounds,” the scientists report in the journal Cleaner Water.
FN membranes are pressure-driven filtration systems widely used in removal technologies to extract pollutants like pharmaceuticals from wastewater and water treatment processes. With a pore size of 1 to 10 nanometers, these membranes allow water and small ions to pass through, effectively blocking various pollutants, including residual and unused pharmaceuticals.
The authors' research involved a systematic search of peer-reviewed journals, government reports, and industry publications. Their target behind the review was to collect as much data as possible to detect the presence of pharmaceuticals in water systems, assess their adverse impact on the environment and human health, and provide a foundation for future risk assessments.
Importantly, the review was not confined to NF membranes. It also evaluated the performance of various membranes in removing pharmaceuticals, including commercial NF membranes, polymeric NF membranes produced through interfacial polymerization and layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly, ceramic NF membranes, and hybrid NF membranes.
“Data on removal efficiencies, fouling tendencies, and operational conditions were extracted from relevant studies to compare the effectiveness of each membrane type,” the researchers explain. They add that the review examined the limitations and challenges associated with each membrane category, including fouling mechanisms, economic feasibility, and scalability for large-scale applications.
“The review also incorporated studies on the socio-economic aspects and future projections for nanofiltration membranes, providing a comprehensive understanding of their feasibility and sustainability for pharmaceutical removal,” the scientists note.
The authors emphasize that, unlike previous reviews in the field, which predominantly focus on adsorption techniques and general membrane technologies for pharmaceutical removal, their study presents an in-depth analysis of the role of FN membranes specifically. The study also highlights a significant surge in relevant publications between 2014 and 2024.
“This emphasis reflects the rapid expansion of NF applications, particularly in the removal of pharmaceuticals,” they maintain, emphasizing that data shows researchers worldwide are engaged in studies on how to remove contaminants like pharmaceuticals in water sources, and increase awareness of their detrimental effects on ecosystems and human health.
The researchers maintain that NF technologies are experiencing exponential growth as part of the global effort to meet demands for sustainable wastewater treatment processes that can sustainably remove pharmaceutical pollutants. They stress that innovations such as organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN), surface charge tuning, and the integration of nanomaterials are paving the way for more efficient and adaptable NF systems, offering promising avenues for the treatment of pharmaceutical-laden wastewater.
Organic Solvent Nanofiltration (OSN), a pressure-driven membrane technology, uses solvent-resistant nanofiltration. The technology is gaining recognition as it is economically viable and has proven to be more environmentally friendly than traditional separation technologies like distillation. “OSN, in particular, has emerged as a viable method for molecular-level purification in solvent-rich environments due to its enhanced solvent stability and selectivity,” the authors stress.
The scientists highlight the significance of academic investigation into NF technologies, particularly in the context of removing pharmaceutical contaminants from wastewater. They underscore that more focused research and intensified efforts are needed and that a higher degree of concentration and considerable effort are required on the part of researchers investigating removal technologies that use various types of membranes.
“For commercial NF membranes, there is a pressing need to assess scalability and performance under real wastewater conditions,” the authors go on. These conditions, they note, often involve “complex mixtures of pharmaceuticals and co-contaminants such as nutrients, organic foulants, heavy metals, PFAS, and microplastics, an area that remains insufficiently explored.”
The authors demonstrate that, unlike other pressure-driven filtration systems, NF membranes can be tailored to effectively treat wastewater contaminated with a wide array of pharmaceutical compounds. However, they say, NF membrane performance is closely tied to several variables, including membrane composition, operational parameters, and the physicochemical properties of the target pollutants.
Of the advanced NF technologies reviewed, the authors apparently advocate for the use of ceramic NF membranes, citing their exceptional thermal and chemical resistance, which makes them particularly suitable for demanding treatment scenarios. However, their adoption is hitherto limited, they add, mainly due to the higher costs involved in their production.
The authors recommend the integration of polymeric NF membranes with enhanced fouling resistance to improve performance. In contrast, they strongly discourage reliance on conventional wastewater treatment methods, such as coagulation, UV disinfection, and basic biological degradation due to their consistently limited removal efficiencies (<70 %) for recalcitrant pharmaceuticals.
NF membranes can be tailored to effectively treat wastewater contaminated with a wide array of pharmaceutical compounds.
Credit
Cleaner Water (2025). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100100
Schematic representation of pressure-driven membrane technologies.
Credit
Cleaner Water (2025). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clwat.2025.100100
Journal
Cleaner Water
Method of Research
Systematic review
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Nanofiltration membranes for efficient removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater: A state-of-the-art review
Article Publication Date
1-Dec-2025
“Cocktails” of common pharmaceuticals in our waterways may promote antibiotic resistance
New research has shown, for the first time, how mixtures of commonly used medications which end up in our waterways and natural environments might increase the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria.
University of Exeter
New research has shown, for the first time, how mixtures of commonly used medications which end up in our waterways and natural environments might increase the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria.
When humans or animals take medications, as much as 90 per cent can pass through the body and into natural environments, via waste water, or run-off from fields, ending up in the ocean.
In the environment, this build-up of antibiotic medicines can accumulate to a strength sufficient to kill the bacteria that live there.This can result in bacteria evolving defenses that help them to survive these concentrations, which can mean they are also resistant to antibiotics used to treat them if they later infect humans. However, less is known about how build-up of other medicines also affects bacteria, and until now, scientists have largely investigated the effect of these medications on triggering this antibiotic resistance one-at-a-time.
Now, new research led by the University of Exeter and published in the journal ISME Communications, has revealed that regular drugs used for pain relief, diabetes medication, and hormone replacement can increase the tendency for bacteria to develop the genes needed to resist antibiotic treatments, when combined with a common antibiotic as happens in the environment.
In laboratory tests, the team exposed a community of wastewater bacteria to mixtures of the commonly-used antibiotic ciprofloxacin and one other non-antibiotic medication at low concentrations that are typical in the environment. They chose ciprofloxacin because it is often found in high concentrations in freshwater sources across the world.
The medications did not increase the ability of a bacteria to survive antibiotic treatments when they were tested on their own. However, when combined with ciprofloxacin, they were more likely to lead to an increase in specific antibiotic resistance genes – compared to when these bacteria were exposed to the antibiotic alone.
Dr April Hayes, postdoctoral research fellow and microbiologist at the University of Exeter, led the research and said:
“We’ve found that the kind of common medications that many people might routinely take can form a pharmaceutical cocktail in the environment and our waterways.that promotes antibiotic resistance. This poses a potential threat to human health, because if we then ingest these bacteria and are infected, we may not be able to easily treat them, as antibiotics are more likely to fail. Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global problem – and these mixtures might form an important contribution to that problem.”
BBSRC Associate Director of Research Strategy and Programmes and Programme Lead for UKRI’s for Tackling Infections theme, Dr Jef Grainger, said:
“UKRI has identified tackling infections as one of its five strategic themes, with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) recognised as a flagship challenge.
“This research deepens our understanding of how resistance develops, not just through antibiotics, but through combinations of drugs commonly found in the environment.
“These findings highlight the urgent need to consider pharmaceutical mixtures in AMR research and policy, helping to shape more effective interventions.”
The research was funded by NERC with research support by AstraZeneca, with equipment support from the Biotechnology and Biological Services Research Council (BBSRC) and Wellcome. The study is titled ‘Common non-antibiotic drugs enhance selection for antimicrobial resistance in mixture with ciprofloxacin ‘ and is published in l ISME Communications.
Journal
ISME Communications
Method of Research
Experimental study
Subject of Research
Cells
Article Title
Common non-antibiotic drugs enhance selection for antimicrobial resistance in mixture with ciprofloxacin
Article Publication Date
13-Oct-2025
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