Study of the green microalga Chlorella sorokiniana for the removal of nutrients and of multiple antibiotics in wastewater treatment.

IF 2.8 4区环境科学与生态学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Pub Date : 2025-09-18 DOI:10.1093/etojnl/vgaf235

Ornrumpha Sethanunt, Thierry Tonon, J Brett Sallach, James P J Chong

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Abstract

Obtaining clean water is a global priority as emphasized by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Pharmaceutical pollutants are becoming more prevalent in aquatic environments, triggering public health concerns, negative environmental impacts, and the development of antibiotic resistance. Microalgae hold great potential for bioremediation of antibiotics, although most of the studies to date supporting these observations rely on conditions where artificial wastewater contained one or a few antibiotics. In the present study, Chlorella sorokiniana was used to assess the removal of a mixture of 10 antibiotics selected and tested considering environmentally relevant antibiotic concentrations based on data from the National Health Service (NHS, United Kingdom). The selected antibiotics had a risk quotient > 1 as calculated by the ratio of predicted environmental concentration (PEC) to predicted no effect concentration (PNEC). The experimental antibiotic concentration tested for each antibiotic corresponded to their PEC values. After 19 days of incubation, the β-lactam class (amoxicillin, penicillin V, cephalexin) showed the highest % of removal (51-85), followed by trimethoprim (24), oxytetracycline (6), metronidazole (6), and sulfamethoxazole (2). Different mechanisms, ie biodegradation, photodegradation, bioadsorption, and bioaccumulation, were involved at variable range. Increase in algal biomass was observed concomitantly to decrease in the concentration of the tested antibiotics, suggesting their use as a carbon source for cellular growth. In addition, levels of dissolved NH4+, NO3-, PO43-, and COD (chemical oxygen demand), decreased by 88, 22, 100, and 10%, respectively. Our study confirmed the ability of C. sorokiniana to biodegrade antibiotics while also effectively reducing key nutrient loadings.

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绿微藻小球藻去除污水处理中营养物及多种抗生素的研究。

正如联合国可持续发展目标6所强调的那样，获得清洁水是一项全球优先事项，该目标旨在确保人人享有水和卫生设施并对其进行可持续管理。药物污染物在水生环境中变得越来越普遍，引发了公共卫生问题、负面环境影响和抗生素耐药性的发展。微藻在抗生素的生物修复方面具有巨大的潜力，尽管迄今为止支持这些观察结果的大多数研究依赖于人工废水中含有一种或几种抗生素的条件。在本研究中，利用小球藻来评估10种抗生素混合物的去除效果，这些抗生素是根据英国国家卫生服务（NHS）的数据选择和测试的，考虑了与环境相关的抗生素浓度。通过预测环境浓度（PEC）与预测无效应浓度（PNEC）之比计算所选抗生素的风险商> 1。每种抗生素的实验抗生素浓度与它们的PEC值相对应。培养19 d后，β-内酰胺类（阿莫西林、青霉素V、头孢氨苄）的去除率最高（51 ~ 85），其次是甲氧苄啶（24）、土霉素(6)、甲硝唑(6)、磺胺甲恶唑(2)。不同的机制，即生物降解，光降解，生物吸附和生物积累，涉及不同的范围。藻类生物量的增加伴随着抗生素浓度的降低，这表明抗生素可以作为细胞生长的碳源。此外，溶解NH4+、NO3-、PO43-和COD（化学需氧量）水平分别下降了88、22、100和10%。我们的研究证实了C. sorokiniana生物降解抗生素的能力，同时也有效地减少了关键的营养负荷。

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来源期刊

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 环境科学-毒理学

CiteScore

7.40

自引率

9.80%

发文量

265

审稿时长

3.4 months

期刊介绍： The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) publishes two journals: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (ET&C) and Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (IEAM). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry is dedicated to furthering scientific knowledge and disseminating information on environmental toxicology and chemistry, including the application of these sciences to risk assessment.[...] Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry is interdisciplinary in scope and integrates the fields of environmental toxicology; environmental, analytical, and molecular chemistry; ecology; physiology; biochemistry; microbiology; genetics; genomics; environmental engineering; chemical, environmental, and biological modeling; epidemiology; and earth sciences. ET&C seeks to publish papers describing original experimental or theoretical work that significantly advances understanding in the area of environmental toxicology, environmental chemistry and hazard/risk assessment. Emphasis is given to papers that enhance capabilities for the prediction, measurement, and assessment of the fate and effects of chemicals in the environment, rather than simply providing additional data. The scientific impact of papers is judged in terms of the breadth and depth of the findings and the expected influence on existing or future scientific practice. Methodological papers must make clear not only how the work differs from existing practice, but the significance of these differences to the field. Site-based research or monitoring must have regional or global implications beyond the particular site, such as evaluating processes, mechanisms, or theory under a natural environmental setting.