2024-09-04 09:45:54
A new study reveals that some nature-based solutions may be far more effective than conventional technologies in removing antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance genes from wastewater.
Antibiotic contamination in urban and industrial wastewater is a growing problem, especially in southern Europe, where the high consumption of these drugs and water scarcity exacerbate the situation. In this context, a study carried out by the Institute for Environmental Diagnosis and Water Studies (IDAEA) of the High Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in Spain, and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany, shows that some solutions are based on nature). , like constructed wetlands, are very effective in improving water quality and reducing emerging pollutants.
In this study, the effectiveness of using constructed wetlands as tertiary wastewater treatment technologies to eliminate antimicrobial genes and antibiotics was assessed at a real scale in the Besós River and Can Cabanyes, in the province of Barcelona.
The study showed that the surface flow of constructed wetlands removes on average 88% of the antibiotics present, and the removal of horizontal surface flow wetlands 69%, which significantly exceeds traditional technologies that combine filtration with sand, disinfection by ultraviolet (UV) light and chlorination, which is eliminated. between 36% and 39%. Regarding antibiotic resistance genes, traditional purification systems already offered a 99% reduction, however, wetlands showed the ability to eliminate up to 99.9% in the two seasonal cycles evaluated (summer and winter).
“Constructed wetlands are purification systems that degrade materials found in wastewater through physical, chemical and biological processes that occur in nature. Therefore, wetland plants release oxygen and other chemical substances through the roots, generating a rhizosphere that favors the presence of specific microorganisms that accelerate the biodegradation of pollutants,” says the research team. Likewise, the study has shown that these natural solutions also reduce the risk of a toxicological impact on ecosystems by up to 70% on average, compared to the 6% only achieved by conventional technologies.
Can Cabanyes wetland, in Granollers, in the province of Barcelona. (Photo: IDAEA / CSIC)
“These results show potential progress in environmental protection and public health,” says Víctor Matamoros, IDAEA researcher and lead author of the study. “The results highlight the importance of implementing more sustainable treatment technologies in the wastewater sector, as they contribute to minimizing the release of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes into surface waters, protecting aquatic ecosystems and the growing threat of combating resistance to antimicrobial drugs, that is. linked to rising global mortality rates.”
“Of the 22 antibiotics analyzed, 13 were detected in all water samples, with concentrations between 2 and 1,200 ng/L. Azithromycin, used to treat infections of the upper respiratory tract or reproductive organs, and sulfamethoxazole, used in combination with trimethoprim, to treat urinary tract infections, were the most abundant. These data coincide with the extensive use of these antibiotics and their low elimination in wastewater treatment plants,” says Edward Jair Pastor, researcher in training at IDAEA.
The study also shows that the use of these wetlands positively changes the profile of the water, increasing its quality, since it generates a microbiota that is more aligned with natural ecosystems and, accordingly, reduces the impact on rivers and currents. However, conventional technologies do not show significant differences in the composition of microbiological communities affected by wastewater.
Wetlands are therefore not only effective, but essential for future wastewater management strategies. This study, framed within the European Nature project, coordinated by the IDAEA, paves the way to promote the use of nature-based solutions as a bridge between existing wastewater treatment plants and the receiving environment, good chemical and ecological status of surface water for advanced masses.
“Wetlands are presented as a viable alternative for widespread implementation and aligned with the global objectives of water quality and natural resource conservation,” concludes Matamoros.
The study is titled “Nature-based solutions for antibiotic removal and antimicrobial resistance in tertiary wastewater treatment: Microbiological composition and risk assessment.” And it has been published in the academic journal Water Research. (Source: Iria Sambruno / IDAEA / CSIC)
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