In this study we analyzed and characterized 29 psychoactive remedies, illicit drugs and their metabolites in single stages of wastewater treatment plants in the capital city of Slovakia. Psychoactive compounds were present within all stages, and tramadol was detected at a very high concentration (706 ng/L). Significant decreases of codeine, THC-COOH, cocaine and buprenorphine concentration were observed in the biological stage. Consequently, we were interested in the possibility of alternative tertiary post-treatment of effluent water with the following aquatic plants: Cabomba caroliniana, Limnophila sessiliflora, Egeria najas and Iris pseudacorus. The most effective plant for tertiary cleansing was I. pseudacorus which demonstrated the best pharmaceutical removal capacity. After 48 h codeine and citalopram was removed with 87% efficiency. After 96 h were all analyzed compounds were eliminated with efficiencies above 58%.

Department Nutrition and Food Assessment Institute of Biochemistry Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava Radlinského 9 812 37 Bratislava Slovakia

Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava Radlinského 9 812 37 Bratislava Slovakia

Department of Environmental Engineering Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava Radlinského 9 812 37 Bratislava Slovakia

Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice Zátiší 728 2 389 25 Vodňany Czech Republic

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LC-HRMS method for study of pharmaceutical uptake in plants: effect of pH under aeroponic condition