A vast number of pharmaceuticals have been detected in surface water and drinking water around the world, which indicates their ineffective removal from water and wastewater using conventional treatment technologies. Concerns have been raised over the potential adverse effects of pharmaceuticals on public health and aquatic environment. Among the different treatment options, ozonation and advanced oxidation processes are likely promising for efficient degradation of pharmaceuticals in water and wastewater. Recent progress of advanced oxidation of aqueous pharmaceuticals is reviewed in this paper. The pharmaceuticals and non-therapeutic medical agent of interest include antibiotics, anticonvulsants, antipyretics, beta-blockers, cytostatic drugs, H₂ antagonists, estrogenic hormone and contraceptives, blood lipid regulators, and X-ray contrast media.

A vast number of persistent organic pollutants have been found in wastewater effluent, surface water, and drinking water around the world. This indicates their ineffective removal from water and wastewater using conventional treatment technologies. In addition to classical persistent organics such as organochlorine insecticides, solvents, and polychlorinated biphenyls, a growing number of emerging pollutants of both synthetic and natural origins have been identified as major environmental pollutants in recent years. A variety of advanced and conventional treatment options have been suggested for the removal and/or destruction of these persistent organics in water and wastewater, such as chemical oxidation, activated carbon adsorption, and membrane filtration. Of these options, chemical oxidation using ozone, alone or in combination with additional physical/chemical agents (i.e., advanced oxidation), has been proved a highly effective treatment process for a wide spectrum of emerging aqueous organic pollutants, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, surfactants, microbial toxins, and natural fatty acids. In this paper, we discuss the emerging organic pollutants of concern in the aquatic environment and focus on the issues associated with their removal using ozonation and advanced oxidation processes.