Engineered microbe team clears drug residues from wastewater fast
Xu T, Yun H, Zhao Y, He Y, Chen S
Soil Health
The antibiotic-resistant bacteria showing up in soil and compost often trace back to wastewater and sewage sludge that eventually reaches farms and gardens, so cleaner water upstream means fewer resistance genes moving through the soil food web you depend on.
Researchers picked three microbes, two bacteria and a fungus, that are especially good at breaking down leftover medicine and personal care chemicals in wastewater. When put together as a team, they cleared out most of an antibiotic, an antibacterial soap ingredient, and a pain reliever within just eight hours, and they also reduced the buildup of genes that let bacteria resist antibiotics. It's a promising, low-tech way to make wastewater treatment plants better at protecting waterways and soil from these lingering chemicals.
Key Findings
The three-microbe team removed 97.83% of chloramphenicol, 68.19% of triclocarban, and 85.34% of naproxen within 8 hours under aerobic conditions in simulated wastewater.
All three pollutants saw over 70% removal in real wastewater under aerobic conditions, and over 60% removal under low-oxygen (anoxic) conditions.
The introduced fungus (Apiotrichum sp.) made up 51.06% of the community after treatment, showing strong colonization, while the team also reduced mobile genetic elements and pathogens linked to spreading antibiotic resistance.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists built a custom team of two bacteria and one fungus that, working together, breaks down antibiotic residue, antibacterial soap chemicals, and a common pain reliever from wastewater, removing over 60-97% of these pollutants within hours while also curbing the spread of antibiotic-resistance genes.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
A synthetic microbial community for the enhanced removal of complex emerging pollutants from domestic wastewater.
Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) residues pose ecological and health risks due to their persistence and promotion of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) dissemination. Here, we cons...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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