Pharmaceutical and personal care products(PPCPs) can be characterized by being persistent and non-degradable, and their bioaccumulation can be potentially harmful to the ecological environment. Proper and effective control of PPCPs in the sewage has become a major challenge for us. Known as an ecological wastewater treatment technology, constructed wetland is greatly concerned nowadays in the research of PPCPs removal. This paper starts with an overview which compares constructed wetland with its counterparts including wasterwater treatment plant(WWTP) and the advanced treatment (WWTP followed by UV treatment). Then it arrives at the conclusion that most of PPCPs removal efficiencies of the constructed wetland are as good as or even better than those of the conventional wasterwater treatment plants. The factors affecting the removal efficiency are analysed, and it is found that light, plants, matrix and microorganisms all contribute to the removal efficiency of PPCPs in a varying degrees. Finally, promising research directions of constructed wetland for removing PPCPs are predicted.

pharmaceutical and personal care products  /  wasterwater treatment plants  /  constructed wetland