Biochar and Plant Filtration of Ketamine
Start Date
August 2025
End Date
August 2025
Location
ALT 303
Abstract
Ketamine usage, both clinically and recreationally, has been increasing all over the world, leading to more pharmaceutical waste products. More than 90% of a ketamine dose is lost through renal excretion when administered intravenously, releasing unmetabolized ketamine into the environment where both ketamine and its metabolites can bioaccumulate and result in toxicity and death to microcrustaceans and protozoa. However, psychoactive drugs like ketamine are not commonly tested for or removed in wastewater treatment. There is therefore a need for simple and cost-effective strategies for capturing and removing ketamine from the environment. This study evaluated the use of biochar, a material made by burning organic waste products under low oxygen conditions, as a method for ketamine remediation. I evaluated and calibrated methods for measuring ketamine with and without biochar using HPLC-UV, and am developing a batch study to determine the capacity and effectiveness of biochars made from hardwood and softwood materials. These studies will improve our understanding of the effectiveness of different biochars for binding ketamine and inform future experiments where we will combine biochar with lettuce and other plants to optimize ketamine removal.
Biochar and Plant Filtration of Ketamine
ALT 303
Ketamine usage, both clinically and recreationally, has been increasing all over the world, leading to more pharmaceutical waste products. More than 90% of a ketamine dose is lost through renal excretion when administered intravenously, releasing unmetabolized ketamine into the environment where both ketamine and its metabolites can bioaccumulate and result in toxicity and death to microcrustaceans and protozoa. However, psychoactive drugs like ketamine are not commonly tested for or removed in wastewater treatment. There is therefore a need for simple and cost-effective strategies for capturing and removing ketamine from the environment. This study evaluated the use of biochar, a material made by burning organic waste products under low oxygen conditions, as a method for ketamine remediation. I evaluated and calibrated methods for measuring ketamine with and without biochar using HPLC-UV, and am developing a batch study to determine the capacity and effectiveness of biochars made from hardwood and softwood materials. These studies will improve our understanding of the effectiveness of different biochars for binding ketamine and inform future experiments where we will combine biochar with lettuce and other plants to optimize ketamine removal.
