Biochar Removes Pharmaceuticals from Water, Prevents Food Crop Contamination
Penn State University researchers are exploring the efficacy of natural biochar to absorb pharmaceutical contaminants from wastewater to prevent the chemicals’ entry into soil and subsequent uptake by food crops. The research is being funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA’s ARS).
In an interview with ARS, graduate student Carla Ndoun Tangmo explains that approximately 70 percent of the pharmaceuticals taken by humans are excreted and ends up in wastewater. This leads to the transfer of pharmaceuticals into bodies of water and soil, as the technology in place to clean this wastewater is not equipped to remove pharmaceuticals. The substances can then accumulate in the edible parts of plants, leading to concerns over potential toxicity to humans, particularly for food products that are consumed raw.