At Life PharmaDetox, we have recently completed a series of experiments designed to evaluate the effectiveness of our prototype system in detoxifying Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs). These experiments aim to demonstrate the toxicological impact of treated samples on both the environment and microorganisms. We are excited to share the preliminary results and insights occurred during this phase.

Our experiments followed standard methods, including ISO 6341:2012, Water Quality — Determination of the Inhibition of Mobility in Daphnia magna Straus (Cladocera, Crustacea) — Acute Toxicity Test, and the PHYTOTOXKIT Liquid Samples method. We tested Daphnia magna, a zooplanktonic organism widespread in lakes and streams and an important part of the aquatic food chain. In addition, three plant species—Sorghum saccharatum, Lepidium sativum, and Sinapis alba—were used to assess phytotoxicity.

Initial toxicity results for heterotrophic bacteria Daphnia magna showed that treated wastewater had lower Toxicity Units (TU) compared to untreated samples, indicating a reduced harmful impact on aquatic organisms after treatment. Furthermore, preliminary phytotoxicity results revealed that root and shoot growth inhibition was significantly higher in untreated wastewater than in treated samples.

These findings present an optimistic outlook, suggesting that our treatment system could effectively reduce the environmental toxicity of pharmaceutical wastewater. Moving forward, we plan to conduct further studies to quantify these results and explore the full potential of the treatment for reducing long-term environmental impacts.

Dicotyledon mustard (Sinapis alba) seeds were incubated at 25°C (+/- 1°C) for three days. At the end of the exposure period, a photo of the test plates was taken. Following this, we analyzed and measured the germinated seeds. First, we counted the number of germinated seeds, and then measured the root and shoot lengths of the germinated seeds using an image analysis program. Finally, we calculated the percentage effect of the spiked chemical on seed germination, as well as on root and shoot growth.

We are excited about what these results mean for minimizing the environmental impact of pharmaceutical industry wastewater disposal. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue pushing the boundaries of the detoxification of APIs in wastewater.