Removal of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim from reclaimed water and the biodegradation mechanism

doi:10.1007/s11783-018-1048-5

Front. Environ. Sci. Eng.

2018, Vol. 12

Issue (6) : 6 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-018-1048-5

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Removal of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim from reclaimed water and the biodegradation mechanism

Qinqin Liu^1,², Miao Li¹(

), Xiang Liu¹, Quan Zhang¹, Rui Liu¹, Zhenglu Wang³, Xueting Shi⁴, Jin Quan⁵, Xuhui Shen², Fawang Zhang⁶

¹. School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
². The Institute of Crustal Dynamics, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100085, China
³. The College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
⁴. Appraisal Center for Environment & Engineering Ministry of Environmental Protection, Beijing 100012, China
⁵. State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR), Beijing 100038, China
⁶. Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China

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Abstract

The artificial composite soil treatment system could efficiently remove SMX and TMP by biodegradation mechanism.

Bacillus subtilis from column reactors degraded SMX and TMP efficiently.

Bacillus subtilis biodegrades TMP to NH₄⁺, and then converts NH₄⁺ to NO₃^–.

Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and trimethoprim (TMP) are two critical sulfonamide antibiotics with enhanced persistency that are commonly found in wastewater treatment plants. Recently, more scholars have showed interests in how SMX and TMP antibiotics are biodegraded, which is seldom reported previously. Novel artificial composite soil treatment systems were designed to allow biodegradation to effectively remove adsorbed SMX and TMP from the surface of clay ceramsites. A synergy between sorption and biodegradation improves the removal of SMX and TMP. One highly efficient SMX and TMP degrading bacteria strain, Bacillus subtilis, was isolated from column reactors. In the removal process, this bacteria degrade SMX and TMP to NH₄⁺, and then further convert NH₄⁺ to NO₃^– in a continuous process. Microbial adaptation time was longer for SMX degradation than for TMP, and SMX was also able to be degraded in aerobic conditions. Importantly, the artificial composite soil treatment system is suitable for application in practical engineering.

Keywords Trimethoprim Sulfamethoxazole Biodegradation Aerobic nitrification

Corresponding Author(s): Miao Li

Issue Date: 19 August 2018

Cite this article:

Qinqin Liu,Miao Li,Xiang Liu, et al. Removal of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim from reclaimed water and the biodegradation mechanism[J]. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2018, 12(6): 6.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/10.1007/s11783-018-1048-5
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/EN/Y2018/V12/I6/6

Fig.1 Schematic diagram of the artificial composite soil column. The values are given in millimeter

Tab.1 The experimental scheme of reclaimed water recharge experiment

Fig.2 The variation of SMX and TMP influent and effluent concentrations. Y represents the influent of columns 1, 2 and 3. Columns 1, 2 and 3 represent the effluent of columns 1, 2, and 3, respectively

Fig.3 The variation of NH₄⁺, NO₂⁻ and NO₃⁻ influent and effluent concentrations. Y represents the influent of columns 1, 2 and 3. Columns 1, 2 and 3 represent the effluent of columns 1, 2, and 3, respectively

Tab.2 The high NH₄⁺-N and NO₃⁻-N effluent concentration result

Fig.4 The variation of DO influent and effluent concentrations. Y represents the influent of columns 1 and 2. Columns 1 and 2 represent the effluent of columns 1 and 2, respectively

Fig.5 The variation of SMX influent and effluent concentrations in additional experiment. Y represents the influent of columns 1 and 2. Columns 1 and 2 represent the effluent of columns 1 and 2, respectively

Tab.3 The result of identification for SMX and TMP resistant bacteria in artificial composite soil treatment columns

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