Characterizing the plant-assisted attenuation of antibiotics in municipal biosolids
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Date
2021-03
Authors
Adesanya, Theresa
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Abstract
Biosolids contain contaminants, including antibiotics, which are ingested by humans and excreted intact or as metabolites. Land application of biosolids could be a pathway for antibiotic release into the environment. The presence of antibiotics in the environment could lead to the promotion of bacterial resistance in microorganisms, with dire consequences for human health due to the severity of antibiotic resistant infections. Phytoremediation may reduce antibiotic concentrations in biosolids and wastewaters prior to land application.
Three main studies were conducted to (i) characterize the dissipation of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in biosolids; (ii) evaluate the extent and kinetics of sulfamethoxazole sorption by cattail and switchgrass roots; and (iii) evaluate the uptake and translocation of ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole by cattail and switchgrass.
Sulfamethoxazole dissipated rapidly under both saturated (99% dissipation) and unsaturated (96% dissipation) conditions, indicating a lower persistence of sulfamethoxazole in biosolids, while trimethoprim was more persistent under unsaturated (25% dissipation) compared to saturated conditions (95% dissipation). Switchgrass roots were more effective than cattail roots in removing sulfamethoxazole from aqueous solutions through sorption. Percentage sulfamethoxazole removal at the three temperatures tested (5, 15, and 25 °C) was 26 – 33% for cattail and 60 – 77% for switchgrass. Phytoextraction of antibiotics was lower for switchgrass (9.8% for both ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole) than for cattail (~34% for ciprofloxacin and ~20% for sulfamethoxazole). Both plant species concentrated antibiotics in the roots, with poor translocation to the aboveground biomass. Harvesting of both aboveground biomass and roots of cattail would be more effective in the phytoextraction of ciprofloxacin compared to switchgrass. Overall, our results indicate that reducing conditions favoured trimethoprim dissipation, which was otherwise persistent under aerobic/unsaturated conditions. Phytoremediation of sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin through phytoextraction and rhizofiltration could attenuate these antibiotics from wastewater and aqueous systems
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Keywords
Antibiotics, sulfamethoxazole, dissipation, biosolids, kinetics, sorption, phytoextraction
Citation
Adesanya, T., F. Zvomuya, T. Sultana, C. Metcalfe, and A. Farenhorst. 2020. Dissipation of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim during temporary storage of biosolids: A microcosm study. Chemosphere: 128729. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128729.
Adesanya, T., F. Zvomuya, and A. Farenhorst. 2020. Sulfamethoxazole sorption by cattail and switchgrass roots. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B 0: 1–11. doi: 10.1080/03601234.2020.1807263
Adesanya, T., F. Zvomuya, and A. Farenhorst. 2020. Sulfamethoxazole sorption by cattail and switchgrass roots. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B 0: 1–11. doi: 10.1080/03601234.2020.1807263