Enhanced removal of β-lactam antibiotics from synthetic wastewater via bioaugmentation of MBBR by MBL-positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The presence of antibiotic residues in the environment raises concerns about toxicity to aquatic organisms and the emergence and development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This experimental study investigated the removal efficiency of the antibiotics cephalexin and ceftriaxone from synthetic wast...

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Main Authors: Mohammad Javad Shokoohizadeh, Seyyed Alireza Mousavi, Samira Khamutian, Ali Almasi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Desalination and Water Treatment
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1944398625003935
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author Mohammad Javad Shokoohizadeh
Seyyed Alireza Mousavi
Samira Khamutian
Ali Almasi
author_facet Mohammad Javad Shokoohizadeh
Seyyed Alireza Mousavi
Samira Khamutian
Ali Almasi
author_sort Mohammad Javad Shokoohizadeh
collection DOAJ
description The presence of antibiotic residues in the environment raises concerns about toxicity to aquatic organisms and the emergence and development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This experimental study investigated the removal efficiency of the antibiotics cephalexin and ceftriaxone from synthetic wastewater using bioaugmentation in a laboratory-scale moving bed biofilm reactor. The bioaugmentation was performed with metallo- β-lactamase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa to enhance antibiotic degradation. The study examined the effects of two key factors: initial antibiotic concentrations (15, 30, and 45 mg/L) and hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 4, 8, and 12 h (hr). Results showed that bioaugmentation significantly improved the removal efficiency of both antibiotics. The highest removal rates were achieved at an HRT of 12 hr and an antibiotic concentration of 30 mg/L, with 90 % removal for cephalexin and 73 % for ceftriaxone. These findings suggest that bioaugmentation of MBBR with metallo-β-lactamase-producing P. aeruginosa is an effective and economical method for eliminating β-lactam antibiotics from contaminated wastewaters, such as those from pharmaceutical and hospital sources. This approach offers a promising solution to reduce antibiotic residues in the environment, thereby mitigating antibiotic potency in aquatic environments and the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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publishDate 2025-07-01
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spelling doaj-art-ffab73e7fb3447a493974635c3f9e92a2025-08-22T04:56:02ZengElsevierDesalination and Water Treatment1944-39862025-07-0132310137710.1016/j.dwt.2025.101377Enhanced removal of β-lactam antibiotics from synthetic wastewater via bioaugmentation of MBBR by MBL-positive Pseudomonas aeruginosaMohammad Javad Shokoohizadeh0Seyyed Alireza Mousavi1Samira Khamutian2Ali Almasi3Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran; Social Development and Health Promotion Research Center, Health Policy and Promotion Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, IranHealth, Safety and Environment Technologies Research Core, Health Technology Institute, Kermanshah, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Kermanshah, IranSocial Development and Health Promotion Research Center, Health Policy and Promotion Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, IranSocial Development and Health Promotion Research Center, Health Policy and Promotion Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran; Corresponding author.The presence of antibiotic residues in the environment raises concerns about toxicity to aquatic organisms and the emergence and development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This experimental study investigated the removal efficiency of the antibiotics cephalexin and ceftriaxone from synthetic wastewater using bioaugmentation in a laboratory-scale moving bed biofilm reactor. The bioaugmentation was performed with metallo- β-lactamase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa to enhance antibiotic degradation. The study examined the effects of two key factors: initial antibiotic concentrations (15, 30, and 45 mg/L) and hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 4, 8, and 12 h (hr). Results showed that bioaugmentation significantly improved the removal efficiency of both antibiotics. The highest removal rates were achieved at an HRT of 12 hr and an antibiotic concentration of 30 mg/L, with 90 % removal for cephalexin and 73 % for ceftriaxone. These findings suggest that bioaugmentation of MBBR with metallo-β-lactamase-producing P. aeruginosa is an effective and economical method for eliminating β-lactam antibiotics from contaminated wastewaters, such as those from pharmaceutical and hospital sources. This approach offers a promising solution to reduce antibiotic residues in the environment, thereby mitigating antibiotic potency in aquatic environments and the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1944398625003935BioaugmentationWastewaterβ-lactam antibioticsMetallo β-lactamasePseudomonas aeruginosa
spellingShingle Mohammad Javad Shokoohizadeh
Seyyed Alireza Mousavi
Samira Khamutian
Ali Almasi
Enhanced removal of β-lactam antibiotics from synthetic wastewater via bioaugmentation of MBBR by MBL-positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Desalination and Water Treatment
Bioaugmentation
Wastewater
β-lactam antibiotics
Metallo β-lactamase
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
title Enhanced removal of β-lactam antibiotics from synthetic wastewater via bioaugmentation of MBBR by MBL-positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa
title_full Enhanced removal of β-lactam antibiotics from synthetic wastewater via bioaugmentation of MBBR by MBL-positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa
title_fullStr Enhanced removal of β-lactam antibiotics from synthetic wastewater via bioaugmentation of MBBR by MBL-positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa
title_full_unstemmed Enhanced removal of β-lactam antibiotics from synthetic wastewater via bioaugmentation of MBBR by MBL-positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa
title_short Enhanced removal of β-lactam antibiotics from synthetic wastewater via bioaugmentation of MBBR by MBL-positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa
title_sort enhanced removal of β lactam antibiotics from synthetic wastewater via bioaugmentation of mbbr by mbl positive pseudomonas aeruginosa
topic Bioaugmentation
Wastewater
β-lactam antibiotics
Metallo β-lactamase
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1944398625003935
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