Removal of antibiotics from animal waste by chemical oxidation processes

Abstract

Concern about antibiotic contamination in the environment is growing worldwide because it promotes development of antibiotic resistance in bacterial communities. The study mainly focused on the complete elimination of antibiotics in animal wastes within short time periods to protect their spread on agricultural fields through fertilization. Ozone, Fenton’s reagent, and persulfate oxidants were applied to cow manure contaminated with oxytetracycline and sulfamethazine directly or after the pretreatment with magnesium salt which was applied to desorp oxytetracycline from the manure prior to oxidation. Almost the complete removal of antibacterials in manure was attained by all oxidation processes with the preceding magnesium salt pretreatment. Among the investigated oxidation processes, heat activated persulfate oxidation was the only process which was able to remove antibiotics completely from the manure under the applied experimental conditions. Pretreatment with magnesium salt was not essential for the efficient removal of oxytetracycline by subsequent Fenton and persulfate oxidation processes as it was for ozonation process. The use of bedding materials did not significantly affect the efficiencies of magnesium salt desorption and oxidation processes. Ozone and persulfate oxidation were effective in the removal of antibiotics from animal feeding wastewater with the production of almost non-toxic and biodegradable by-products.|Keywords: Advanced oxidation, antibiotics, animal waste, manure.