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The objective of this study is to investigate the performance of BAC in removing pharmaceuticals from water. Four factors that affect the pharmaceuticals removal from water were investigated during the study. They were: compound properties, ozonation pre-treatment, contact time and type of media.The experiments were located in the South Caboolture Water Reclamation Plant, Queensland Australia. A pilot-scale treatment was operated and actual treated water was used for feeding the columns. This pilot plant consisted of one sand filtration column and two BAC columns. The sand filtration and the first BAC column were fed with non-ozonised water, while the second BAC was fed with ozonised water. To evaluate the influence of empty bed contact time (EBCT), various contact times in the range of 30 minutes to 120 minutes were applied. During the experiment, pressure drop was experienced. Consequently, the planned EBCT could not be achieved. The result shows that compound properties significantly contribute to the removal of pharmaceuticals. Since almost all pharmaceuticals were removed below detection limit, the optimum EBCT as well as the significant influence of ozonation pre-treatment could not be well demonstrated. A high EBCT applied in the treatment was suggested to be the reason for this high removal. The result also shows that, in BAC treatment, where both biodegradation and adsorption take place, the removal efficiency was higher than in sand filtration, where only biodegradation takes place. This finding shows that, in 83-minute EBCT or more, BAC was well capable removing various types of pharmaceuticals, even without ozonation pre-treatment. The length of EBCT as well as the application of ozonation pre-treatment, regarding reasonable cost and removal efficiency, should be considered for full-scale treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]