## 1 Introduction  
Ground and surface waters are continually contaminated by various types of inorganic and organic pollutants. These include a group of substances labelled as micropollutants, consisting of a growing array of substances, such as endocrine disruptors, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, hormones, industrial chemicals, flame retardants, pesticides, and various other compounds [1]. Most compounds in this group have no guidelines, norms, or rules limiting their discharge into the environment. Numerous investigations have demonstrated the presence of certain groups of micropollutants in the environment. Concerns over this issue are reflected in European legislation (Water Framework Directive, Priority Substances, Watch List, Watch List Candidates). The list of organic micropollutants also includes substances used as pharmaceuticals for human and animal use such as synthetic hormones, personal care products, etc. [2]. Micropollutants are typically found in low concentrations in the range of several nanograms per liter to several micrograms per liter [3]. The presence of microp pollutants in low concentrations and their diverse natures pose significant challenges for detection, analysis, and water treatment processes [4]. The existing technologies and infrastructure for preparing drinking water and treating wastewater have reached their limits in ensuring adequate water quality to meet human and ecological needs. Wastewater treatment is being increasingly developed, in part due to progress in analytical methods but also thanks to new medical findings on the harmfulness of certain substances that circulate through wastewater and end up in sources of drinking water [2; 5]. Although some micropollutants can be removed or degraded by conventional biological wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), a significant number of them are resistant to existing and common processing methods [6]. Among the substances used in human practice to eliminate other microorganisms and organisms potentially harmful to humans and animals, two groups of substances are particularly important: pesticides and pharmaceuticals [7; 8]. This study focuses on the challenges associated with pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceuticals are considered complex compounds due to their diverse physical, chemical, and biological properties, and functionalities. Even though they are present in low concentrations (ng/L to ug/L) in aquatic environments, their continuous release into the environment can lead to harmful effects on non-target organisms [8]. Therefore, it is essential to prevent their release into the environment, particularly from wastewater treatment plants, where conventional treatment technologies are often ineffective at removing these compounds [9]. Alternative strategies for wastewater treatment that can successfully remove pharmaceuticals should be explored and adopted urgently. TMP (2,4-diamino-5(3\({}^{\prime}\)/4\({}^{\prime}\),5\({}^{\prime}\)-trimetoxybenzylpyrimidine) is an antibiotic that is commonly prescribed in both veterinary and human medicine to treat a variety of infections, including those affecting the respiratory, urinary, and gastrointestinal tracts [10]. It is considered to be one of the most frequently used antibiotics. Approximately 20% of TMP is metabolized, mainly in the liver, while the remainder is excreted unchanged in the urine and can potentially reach the environment through incomplete removal in a WWT plant. According to the authors' previous research, TMP exhibits resistance to biodegradation and hydrolysis, but its environmental concentration can be decreased by slow degradation in favorable conditions through solar radiation [10]. TMP has been included in the watchlist by the European Union since 2020 ((EU) 2018/840) to improve knowledge about the occurrence and spread of antimicrobials in the environment. The observation of TMP in elevated concentrations in wastewater has raised concerns related to the possibility of the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria [11; 12].