This paper aims at presenting the possibilities of applying gas chromatography for the determination of pharmaceutical residues in different matrices. Section one of the study underscores the environmental advantages of employing GC for such analyses. Section two presents the innovative methods for determining pharmaceuticals in the environment. The last section discusses the results of the analysis of the GC and GC-MS market in Poland.

According to the literature data, the described methods were applied for the analysis of real samples: wastewaters, surface waters, soil samples. The samples were collected from the Pomerania region and the Gulf of Gdańsk. The pharmaceuticals were determined in various environmental samples. The highest concentrations were found in raw wastewater, medium – in a treated wastewater, and the lowest – in surface water. The most frequently detected pharmaceuticals were: ibuprofen, paracetamol, diclofenac and naproxen, all belonging to NSAIDs.

Furthermore, the results of the study of the Polish GC market indicate that a very limited number of entities are currently using chromatographic techniques, and pharmaceutical residues tests are exceptions, mainly due to the lack of the legal requirements in this field and the lack of own laboratories.

The aim of the study was to assess the possibility of using natural carbonaceous materials such aspeat, lignite, and hard coal as low-cost sorbents for the removal of Direct Orange 26 azo dye from an aqueous solution. The adsorption kinetics and the influence of experimental conditions were investigated. The following materials were used in the research: azo dye Direct Orange 26, Spill-Sorb “Fison” peat (Alberta, Canada), lignite (Bełchatów, Poland), and hard coal (“Zofiówka” mine, Poland). The morphology and porous structure of the absorbents were tested. Dye sorption was carried out under static conditions, with different doses of sorbents, pH of the solution, and ionic strength. It was observed that the adsorption of Direct Orange 26 dye on all three adsorbents was strongly dependent on the pH of the solution, while the ionic strength of the solution did not affect the adsorption efficiency. The adsorption kinetics were consistent with the pseudo-second-order reaction model. The stage which determines the rate of adsorption is the diffusion of the dye in the near-surface layer. The process of equilibrium adsorption of Direct Orange 26 dye on all tested adsorbents is best described by the Langmuir isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacity for peat, brown coal and hard coal was 17.7, 15.1 and 13.8 mg/g, respectively. The results indicate that peat, lignite, and hard coal can be considered as alternative adsorbents for removing azo dyes from aqueous solutions.