Sources of Antibiotic Contamination in Wastewater and Approaches to Their Removal—An Overview

Antony V. Samrot (), Samraj Wilson, Ram Singh Sanjay Preeth, Pandurangan Prakash, Mahendran Sathiyasree, Subramanian Saigeetha, Nagarajan Shobana, Senthilkumar Pachiyappan and Vinod Vincent Rajesh
Additional contact information
Antony V. Samrot: School of Bioscience, Faculty of Medicine, Bioscience and Nursing, MAHSA University, Jenjarom 42610, Selangor, Malaysia
Samraj Wilson: Department of Botany, St. John’s College, Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli 627002, Tamil Nadu, India
Ram Singh Sanjay Preeth: Department of Biotechnology, School of Bio and Chemical Engineering, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai 600119, Tamil Nadu, India
Pandurangan Prakash: Department of Biotechnology, School of Bio and Chemical Engineering, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai 600119, Tamil Nadu, India
Mahendran Sathiyasree: Department of Biotechnology, School of Bio and Chemical Engineering, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai 600119, Tamil Nadu, India
Subramanian Saigeetha: Department of Biotechnology, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore 632014, Tamil Nadu, India
Nagarajan Shobana: Department of Biotechnology, School of Bio and Chemical Engineering, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai 600119, Tamil Nadu, India
Senthilkumar Pachiyappan: Department of Chemical Engineering, Saveetha Engineering College, Thandalam, Chennai 602105, Tamil Nadu, India
Vinod Vincent Rajesh: MSU College, Naduvakurichi, Sankarankovil Taluk, Tenkasi District, Tirunelveli 627756, Tamil Nadu, India

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 16, 1-25

Abstract: In the practice of medicine, antibiotics are extremely important and are employed in the treatment of infections. A lot of antibiotics are consumed by humans and excreted via urine and feces into sewage systems and treatment plants. These are considered to be non-biodegradable, and over the years they accumulate in the aquatic environment. The presence of antibiotics in water resources causes the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, posing a serious threat to the health of human beings. Water bodies must be adequately treated before being discharged to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance. In the present article, the sources of antibiotics and strategies used for their effective removal, such as ultrafiltration, microfiltration, nanofiltration, membranous biological reactor treatment, Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP), Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Nano sorbents, are discussed. Conventional wastewater treatment plants are not able to eliminate antibiotics deposition/resistance genes effectively and efficiently. In this regard, the adsorption method is the most effective way of removing antibiotics from wastewater from various sources.

Keywords: antibiotics; recycling strategies; municipality; hospital; wastewater (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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