Treatment of Tetracycline Antibiotics in Water Using the UV-H₂O₂ Process

Abstract

Tetracycline antibiotics are some of the most common antibiotics in use today for the treatment of bacterial infections in people. Tetracyclines are also widely utilized for treatment of pets and farm animals. According to the Food and Drug Administration, over 5.6 million kilograms of tetracycline antibiotics were consumed in livestock operations in 2010 (Food and Drug Administration, 2011). These antibiotics are not completely metabolized and have been detected in human urine (Kunin et al., 1956). Unsurprisingly, these pharmaceuticals have also been detected in water supplies around the world (Chang, 2008). From a macroscopic vantage, one source of this contamination is effluent from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), which contains low concentrations of tetracycline antibiotics as well as other pharmaceuticals (Kolpin, 2002). Ultimately, discharge from WWTPs becomes a drinking water supply for downstream locations. The presence of tetracycline pollutants in our water is a public health issue. One concern corresponds to the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria (Kummerer, 2004). Tetracycline resistance genes have been discovered in various species of bacteria (Li et al., 1995). The tetracycline resistance genes have been discovered in various compartments of WWTPs, including the influent, activated sludge, and effluent streams (Auerbach et al., 2007). Microorganisms from groundwater near swine farms have demonstrated tetracycline resistance (Chee-Sanford et al.,2001). For these reasons, and to preemptively secure the public health concerns resulting from antibiotics in water, research into removal of tetracycline antibiotics from water and wastewater is merited.