This review paper considers the removal efficiency of treatment processes for antibiotics in urban wastewaters. The removal efficiency is dependent on antibiotics’ physicochemical properties, and on the treatment process operating conditions.
Urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are among the main sources of antibiotics released into various compartments of the environment worldwide.
The aim of this comprehensive paper – by a pan-European research team – is to critically review the fate and removal of various antibiotics in wastewater treatment.
The review focuses on different processes – i.e. biological, advanced treatment technologies, and disinfection – in view of current concerns related to the induction of toxic effects in aquatic and terrestrial organisms. It also considers the occurrence of antibiotics that may promote the selection of antibiotic-resistant genes and bacteria, as reported in the literature.
Where available, estimations of the removal of antibiotics are provided, along with the main treatment steps. The removal efficiency during wastewater treatment processes varies, and is mainly dependent on a combination of antibiotics’ physicochemical properties and the operating conditions of the treatment systems.
As a result, the application of alternative techniques including membrane processes, activated carbon adsorption, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), and combinations of them, which may lead to higher removals, may be necessary before the final disposal of the effluents or their reuse for irrigation or groundwater recharge.
