Removal of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes by self-assembled nanofiltration membranes with tailored selectivity

Development of a graphene based anodic membrane for efficient electrocatalytic oxidation of typical antibiotics from water

Traditional membrane separation processes were ineffective at degrading pollutant molecules, while catalytic reactors often faced inefficiencies due to their inability to simultaneously retain and concentrate reactant molecules. To address these challenges, we synthesized an anodic electrocatalyst (Ti4O7/SnO2-Sb) and combined it with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets to develop a high-performance anodic electrocatalytic membrane (AOM). The AOM's tailored interlayer spacing facilitated simultaneous concentration and electrooxidation of antibiotic pollutants, enabling efficient degradation. At a permeate flux of 7.4 L m-2·h-1, the AOM achieved ∼95 % degradation of chloramphenicol (CAP, 20 mg L-1). The corresponding degradation rate constant (k) of 199.70 min-1 was two orders of magnitude higher than that of a conventional reactor without retention capability (1.06 min-1). Moreover, the AOM exhibited exceptional energy efficiency and long-term stability, highlighting its potential for advanced wastewater treatment. This innovative design, which leveraged pollutant concentration via the size-sieving effects of confined interlayer spaces, marked a significant advancement in high-performance water treatment technologies.

The fate of antibiotics during phosphate recovery processes - A critical review

The principles of circular economy encourage the recovery of phosphorus from nutrient-rich waste streams such as animal manure, domestic wastewater, and urine to supplement existing sources of raw phosphorus. However, these waste streams also contain a wide variety of contaminants of emerging concern including antibiotics, and the recovery of phosphorus from these waste streams results in the co-occurrence of antibiotics with the recovered phosphorus products. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the fate of environmentally relevant antibiotics in three major existing and upcoming phosphorus recovery processes: precipitation-, membrane-, and adsorption-based treatment. In general, the co-occurrence of antibiotics in recovered phosphorus increases with the presence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and cations due to π-π interaction and cationic bridge formation, respectively. Additionally, antibiotics display pH-based speciation resulting in electrostatic interactions with recovered phosphorus at pH > 7.0. Furthermore, this critical review establishes a new metric, the relative antibiotic-to‑phosphorus (RAP), defined as the ratio of the concentration of antibiotics to phosphorus in recovered phosphorus to that of the phosphorus-rich waste. Precipitation-based methods, particularly struvite, demonstrated the lowest RAP, while the RAP in carbon-based adsorbents was 1.8 × 108 times higher than in membrane-based processes. In reviewing literature on the fate of antibiotics in phosphorus recovery processes, several research needs are also highlighted: the fate of non-tetracycline antibiotics, simultaneous investigation of phosphorus and antibiotic fate in membrane- and adsorption-based methods, treatment methods to mitigate the co-occurrence of antibiotics in recovered phosphorus product, and the release of antibiotics from recovered phosphate products.

New directions on membranes for removal and degradation of emerging pollutants in aqueous systems

Emerging pollutants (EPs) refer to a group of non-regulated chemical or biological substances that have been recently introduced or detected in the environment. These pollutants tend to exhibit resistance to conventional treatment methods and can persist in the environment for prolonged periods, posing potential adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. As we enter a new era of managing these pollutants, membrane-based technologies hold significant promise in mitigating impact of EPs on the environment and safeguarding human health due to their high selectivity, efficiency, cost-effectiveness and capability for simultaneous separation and degradation. Moreover, these technologies continue to evolve rapidly with the development of new membrane materials and functionalities, advanced treatment strategies, and analyses for effectively treating EPs of more recent concerns. The objective of this review is to present the latest directions and advancements in membrane-based technologies for addressing EPs. By highlighting the progress in this field, we aim to share valuable perspectives with researchers and contribute to the development of future directions in sustainable treatments for EPs.