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Overview

The research unit was established in 2020 through a project entitled, ‘The Occurrence and Fate of Pharmaceutical Residues from their Sources to Water Bodies and the Food Chain,’ funded by the US National Academy of Sciences in 2016. The unit laboratory is equipped to prepare, extract and analyse levels of emerging pollutants (i.e. pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)) in liquid samples (water and wastewater), and solid samples, (manures, sludge, soil and plants). All knowledge, experience and skills of PPCPs analysis were gained and transferred from the project partners at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Shannon Bartelt-Hunt & Daniel Snow).

The research team investigates the fate and transport of specific PPCPs from their sources to water and food chain, developing sustainable treatment systems using natural adsorbents to remove PPCPs (i.e. zeolite). In addition, the research team conducts seminars for schools and universities to raise awareness about emerging pollutants to minimize the adverse impacts of these pollutants on the environment.

Research Programmes

Characterization of Emerging Pollutants

There are many types of emerging pollutants such as PPCPs, endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), micro-plastics, plasticisers (e.g.bisphenol A), flame retardants, fuel additives and other industrial organics. This research programme aims to characterize these pollutants in wastewater treatment plants, in different types of water resources (surface water, ground water, drinking water and dam water), industrial wastewater as well as in sludge, manure and vegetables.

Treatment of Emerging Pollutants

The research unit aims to develop sustainable treatment systems using natural adsorbents (i.e. zeolites) to remove emerging pollutants discharged by wastewater treatment using batch and column experiments.

Raising Public Awareness

There are many sources of emerging pollutants such as wastewater treatment plants, disposal of medicines, application of sewage sludge and manure, industrial wastewater and agricultural animal wastes. The research unit aims to increase public awareness about the adverse impacts of these pollutants on the environment.

Analytical Method

Liquid (i.e., water and wastewater) and solid samples (i.e., sludge, manure, plants and soil) are prepared and extracted using Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE) method to detect pharmaceuticals compounds, the extracts are analysed using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/SCIEX Triple Quad 5500). A total of 60 pharmaceutical compounds can be detected.

Publications & Patents

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Treatment of pharmaceutical industry wastewater for water reuse in Jordan using hybrid constructed wetlands. O. Al-Mashaqbeh, L. Alsalhi, L. Salaymeh, G. Dotro, and T. Lyu, Sci. Total Environ., 2024, 939, 173634.

Assessment of novel hybrid treatment wetlands as nature-based solutions for pharmaceutical industry wastewater treatment. O. Al-Mashaqbeh, L. Alsalhi, L. Salaymeh, and T. Lyu, Water Environ J., 2023, 1–9.

Growers’ irrigation practices, knowledge, trust, and attitudes toward wastewater reuse in Lebanon, Jordan, and Tunisia through a food safety lens. D. Faour-Klingbeil, A. O. Taybeh, O. Mahjoub; O. Almashaqbeh, C. Bou-Mitri, J. J. Samaha, L. Dhaouadi, and E. C. D. Todd, Water Pract. Technol., 2023, 18, 2619–2637.

Removal of emerging pollutants from industrial wastewater using nature-based solution. O. A. Al-Mashaqbeh, T. Lyu, L.Z. Alsalhi, G. Dotro, and L.H. Salaymeh, IWA 17th International Conference on Wetland Systems for Water Pollution Control, 2022.

Removal of carbamazepine onto modified zeolitic tuff in different water matrices: batch and continuous flow experiments. O. A. Al-Mashaqbeh, D. Alsafadi, L. Z. Salhi, S. L. Bartelt-Hunt, and D. D. Snow, Water, 2021, 13, 1084.

Assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in runoff from different land use at Amman Zarqa Basin-Jordan. O. Al-Mashaqbeh, A. Jiries, and Z. El Haj Ali, Water Science, 2021, 35, 22–30.  

Optimization of nitrogen source supply for enhanced biosynthesis and quality of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) by extremely halophilic archaeon Haloferax mediterranei. D. Alsafadi, O. Al-Mashaqbeh, A. Mansour, and M. Alsaad, MicrobiologyOpen,  2020, 00, e1055. 

Removal of selected pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater treatment plant in Jordan. O. Almashqbah, D. Alsafadi, S. Dalahmeh, S. Bartelt-Hunt, and D. Snow, Water, 2019, 11, 1–13. 

Analysis of some pharmaceuticals in surface water in Jordan. O. A. Al-Mashaqbeh, A. M. Ghrair, D. Alsafadi, S. S. Dalahmeh, S. L. Bartelt-Hunt, and D. D. Snow, 13th Gulf Water Conference, 2019. 

Removal of selected pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater treatment plant in Jordan. O. Almashqbah, D. Alsafadi, S. Dalahmeh, S. Bartelt-Hunt, and D. Snow, Water, 2019, 11, 1–13.

Modelling of stormwater runoff quantity and quality in Amman-Zarqa Basin using SWMM. O. Al-Mashaqbeh and M. Shorman, EMJE, 2019, 4, 9.

A one-stage cultivation process for the production of poly-3-(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) from olive mill wastewater by Halifax Mediterrane. D. Alsafadi and O. Almashqbah, New Biotechnol., 2016, 43, 47–53.

Zinc sorption onto different particle sizes of compost from aqueous solution. O. Almashaqbeh and R. McLaughlan, Desalin. Water Treat., 2016, 57, 13678–13689.

Zinc sorption by permanganate treated pine chips. R. McLaughlan, G. Hossain, and O. Almashaqbeh, J. Environ. Chem. Eng., 2015, 3, 1539–1545.

Stormwater runoff quality generated from an urban and a rural area in Amman-Zarqa Basin. O. Almashaqbeh, A. Jiries, and Z. El-HajAli, Water Pollution XII, 2014, 412, 379–390.

Effect of compost aging on the zinc adsorption characteristics. O. Almashaqbeh and R. McLaughlan, Environ. Chem. Eng., 2014, 2, 392–397.

Grey water reuse for agricultural purposes in the Jordan Valley. O. Almashaqbeh, A. Ghrair, and S. Megdal, Water, 2012, 4, 580–596.

Non-equilibrium zinc uptake onto compost particles from synthetic stormwater. O. Almashaqbeh and R. McLaughlan, Bioresour. Technol., 2012, 123, 242–248.

Simple models for the release kinetics of dissolved organic carbon from woody filtration media. R. McLaughlan and O. Almashaqbeh, Bioresour. Technol., 2009, 100, 2588–2593.

Effect of media type and particle size on dissolved organic carbon release from woody filtration media. R. McLaughlan and O. Almashaqbeh, Bioresour. Technol., 2008, 100, 1020–1023.