The present work reviews results on the degradation of pharmaceutical
compounds in water by non-thermal plasma (NTP). It
includes a short presentation of the sources of pharmaceuticals in
the environment and an overview of the most important classes of
pharmaceuticals detected in water. The main part of the paper is
dedicated to the results obtained on the degradation of various
pharmaceutical compounds by non-thermal plasma in contact with
liquid. The removal rate of the target compounds and the energy
efficiency of the plasma removal process are comparatively discussed.
Information on the mineralization degree (reflected by the
removal of total organic carbon) as well as the biodegradability of
the treated solutions is provided. The reaction products resulting
from the degradation of the investigated compounds are also
addressed and the degradation pathways of the pharmaceuticals
under plasma conditions are discussed.