Impregnation of activated carbon with ionic liquids for simultaneous removal of micropollutants and antibiotic-resistant bacteria from wastewater

IF 6.9 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Emerging Contaminants Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2025-12-17 DOI:10.1016/j.emcon.2025.100615

Lucie Řepecká , Jan Bednárek , Tereza Stachurová , Anna Gavlová , Kateřina Smutná , Jana Vaštyl , Marek Šváb , Martina Vráblová

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Abstract

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), often resulting from the misuse of antibiotics, have emerged as significant environmental pollutants. Their presence in wastewater poses challenges for conventional treatment methods, which fail to eliminate ARGs completely. This study investigates the use of ionic liquids (ILs) impregnated onto granular activated carbon (GAC) to enhance the removal of ARGs. Two ILs, TEDA ((N,N,N-triethyl-1-dodecylammonium bis(trifluoromethyl-sulfonyl)imide) and TEGO Dispers 662 C (commercial IL; an imidazolium-based surfactant), were used for impregnation and tested against bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Aeromonas sp., as well as bacteria present in real water samples from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and greywater. The IL-impregnated GAC demonstrated strong antimicrobial activity, particularly against ARG strains A3 and A4, with >99 % bacterial elimination. Notably, the adsorption capacity of GAC for most pharmaceuticals was not significantly reduced by impregnation with TEDA. Analytical and ecotoxicological tests (using Vibrio fischeri, Sinapis alba, and Eisenia andrei) confirmed that the ILs remained strongly bound to the GAC surface, reducing their environmental risk. The findings highlight the potential of IL-impregnated activated carbon as a selective antimicrobial agent for wastewater treatment, especially in addressing the spread of antibiotic resistance genes.

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离子液体浸渍活性炭同时去除废水中的微污染物和耐药细菌

抗生素耐药基因（ARGs）已成为重要的环境污染物，通常是由于滥用抗生素造成的。它们在废水中的存在给传统的处理方法带来了挑战，这些方法不能完全消除ARGs。本研究研究了离子液体（ILs）浸渍在颗粒活性炭（GAC）上，以提高对ARGs的去除效果。两种IL， TEDA (（N，N，N-三乙基-1-十二烷基铵二（三氟甲基磺酰基）亚胺）和TEGO Dispers 662 C（商业IL；一种咪唑基表面活性剂），用于浸渍并测试对枯草芽孢杆菌和气单胞菌的抑制作用，以及来自污水处理厂（WWTP）和灰水中的实际水样中的细菌。il浸渍的GAC表现出较强的抗菌活性，特别是对ARG菌株A3和A4，细菌去除率达99%。值得注意的是，经TEDA浸渍后，GAC对大多数药物的吸附量没有明显降低。分析和生态毒理学测试（使用费氏弧菌、白弧菌和艾森尼亚弧菌）证实，ILs仍然与GAC表面紧密结合，降低了它们的环境风险。这些发现突出了il浸渍活性炭作为废水处理的选择性抗菌剂的潜力，特别是在解决抗生素抗性基因的传播方面。

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来源期刊

Emerging Contaminants Medicine-Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

CiteScore

10.00

自引率

6.70%

发文量

审稿时长

44 days

期刊介绍： Emerging Contaminants is an outlet for world-leading research addressing problems associated with environmental contamination caused by emerging contaminants and their solutions. Emerging contaminants are defined as chemicals that are not currently (or have been only recently) regulated and about which there exist concerns regarding their impact on human or ecological health. Examples of emerging contaminants include disinfection by-products, pharmaceutical and personal care products, persistent organic chemicals, and mercury etc. as well as their degradation products. We encourage papers addressing science that facilitates greater understanding of the nature, extent, and impacts of the presence of emerging contaminants in the environment; technology that exploits original principles to reduce and control their environmental presence; as well as the development, implementation and efficacy of national and international policies to protect human health and the environment from emerging contaminants.