Zeolites and mesoporous silica materials are effective adsorbents that can be useful for the removal of various pharmaceuticals including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics from low-quality water. This paper summarizes the properties and basic characteristics of zeolites and mesoporous silica materials and reviews the recent studies on the efficacy of the adsorption of selected non-steroidal medicinal products and antibiotics by these adsorbents to assess the potential opportunities and challenges of using them in water treatment. It was found that the adsorption capacity of sorbents with high silica content is related to their surface hydrophobicity (hydrophilicity) and structural features, such as micropore volume and pore size, as well as the properties of the studied medicinal products. This review can be of help to scientists to develop an effective strategy for reducing the amount of these two groups of pharmaceuticals in wastewater.

Unresourceful usage of rainwater continues to be a serious problem as this type of natural resource is still treated as wastewater that most often ends up directly in the sewer system. The aim of the article is to present a concept of sustainable rainwater management within a completed housing estate in Cracow (Poland). Sustainable solutions are proposed, such as rain gardens, soakaways, permeable surfaces, and infiltration boxes, limiting the surface runoff, feasible for implementation in an existing development. Their efficacy was shown by estimating the runoff reduction and two financial assessments: (1) the required investment costs converted to costs per 1 m² of residential area and as per 1 household, and (2) the assessment of financial profitability by the rate of return and the payback period, which are the basic tool for making decisions by potential investors: developers and residents. On the cost side, investment costs are included, and on the benefit side, savings resulting from the reduction of national and municipal rainwater fees. The analysis also aims to examine the incentive nature of these fees. National rainwater drainage fees, which have been introduced to encourage rainwater retention, have low non-incentive rates and the potential benefits of reducing them maybe around 1% of investment capital, which gives a payback period of almost 100 years. Higher rates of municipal fees are more motivating for investors; the proposed concept of rainwater management can potentially bring savings of around 9% (rate of return), and investment can be recovered within 12 years.

Pharmaceutical drugs, including antibiotics and hormonal agents, pose a significant threat to environmental and public health due to their persistent presence in aquatic environments. Colistin (KOL), fluoxetine (FLUO), amoxicillin (AMO), and 17-alpha-ethinylestradiol (EST) are pharmaceuticals (PhCs) that frequently exceed regulatory limits in water and wastewater. Current removal methods are mainly ineffective, necessitating the development of more efficient techniques. This study investigates the use of synthetic zeolite (NaP1_FA) and zeolite-carbon composites (NaP1_C), both derived from fly ash (FA), for the removal of KOL, FLUO, AMO, and EST from aquatic environments. Batch adsorption experiments assessed the effects of contact time, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration, and pH on the removal efficiency of the pharmaceuticals. The results demonstrated that NaP1_FA and NaP1_C exhibited high removal efficiencies for all tested pharmaceuticals, achieving over 90% removal within 2 min of contact time. The Behnajady-Modirshahla-Ghanbary (BMG) kinetic model best described the adsorption processes. The most effective sorption was observed with a sorbent dose of 1–2 g L⁻¹. Regarding removal efficiency, the substances ranked in this order: EST was the highest, followed by AMO, KOL, and FLUO. Sorption efficiency was influenced by the initial pH of the solutions, with optimal performance observed at pH 2–2.5 for KOL and FLUO. The zeolite-carbon composite NaP1_C, due to its hydrophobic nature, showed superior sorption efficiency for hydrophobic pharmaceuticals like FLUO and EST. The spectral analysis reveals that the primary mechanism for immobilizing the tested PhCs on zeolite sorbents is mainly due to physical sorption. This study underscores the potential of utilizing inexpensive, fly ash-derived zeolites and zeolite-carbon composites to remove pharmaceuticals from water effectively. These findings contribute to developing advanced materials for decentralized wastewater treatment systems, directly addressing pollution sources in various facilities.

Currently, in the energy sector circulating fluidized bed boilers are popularly used, resulting in the production of large amounts of fly ash. Due to the limited possibilities of utilization, the development of technology for their processing is crucial. One of the most promising and intensively studied ways to exploit fly ash (including those derived from fluidized bed boilers) is their use for the synthesis of zeolite materials. Here, we present the methods of manufacturing zeolite materials from fly ash obtained from hard coal combustion in circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers. The paper details the characteristics of the substrates [fly ash from two different combined heat and power (CHP) plants] and products of synthesis conducted according to two methods—the low-temperature method and the fusion method. Both the substrates and the products of each particular synthesis were subjected to thorough examination in terms of density, morphology, phase composition, specific surface area and the average diameter and volume of pores. Conducting thermal analysis combined with quadruple mass spectrometry enabled the interpretation of the physicochemical process occurring during heating and the determination of the thermal stability of the examined materials. Zeolite X was obtained via low-temperature synthesis of fly ash from the CFB boiler of one of the CHP plants. According to the examination, the presence of Ca in fly ash seriously hinders zeolite synthesis.

Erythromycin (EA) is an antibiotic whose concentration in water and wastewater has been reported to be above the standard levels. Since the methods used so far to remove EA from aquatic environments have not been effective, the development of effective methods for EA removal is necessary. In the present study, fly ash (FA)-based zeolite materials, which have not been investigated as EA sorbents before, were used. The possibilities of managing waste FA and using its transformation products for EA sorption were presented. The efficiency of EA removal from experimental solutions and real wastewater was evaluated. In addition, the sorbents’ mineral composition, chemical composition, and physicochemical properties and the effects of adsorbent mass, contact time, initial EA concentration, and pH on EA removal were analyzed. The EA was removed within the first 2 min of the reaction with an efficiency of 99% from experimental solutions and 94% from real wastewater. The maximum adsorption capacities were 314.7 mg g⁻¹ for the fly ash-based synthetic zeolite (NaP1_FA) and 363.0 mg g⁻¹ for the carbon–zeolite composite (NaP1_C). A fivefold regeneration of the NaP1_FA and NaP1_C showed no significant loss of adsorption efficiency. These findings indicate that zeolitic materials effectively remove EA and can be further investigated for removing other pharmaceuticals from water and wastewater.