Sorption of active pharmaceutical ingredients in soil and sediment environments

Sorption processes can affect the fate and mobility of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in terrestrial and benthic environments. Knowledge on the sorption of APIs in soil and sediment environments, as well as the modelling approaches for estimating the sorption of APIs in soil and sediment, are inadequate and need to be further improved in order to better determine the risks of APIs in the environment. Therefore, the research presented in this thesis, investigated the sorption behaviour of a wide range of APIs in soil and sediment systems and developed a series of charge-specific models for estimating API sorption using traditional regression methods and machine learning-based approaches. Overall, the work presented in this thesis is highly invaluable for industry applicants, researchers and risk assessors involved in environmental risk assessment and prioritization efforts for APIs and for regulators to support environmental decision making.