A Brief Overview of Antibiotic Contamination Sources in Wastewater and Elimination Approaches

Abstract

Antibiotic contamination of natural resources and the receiving environment is of great concern. This brief discussion consists of the sources regarding antibiotic contamination and the analysis of several viable methods of removing antibiotic substances. The sources include domestic discharges, agricultural runoff, and pharmaceutical manufacturing effluents. Antibiotics are classified as emerging contaminants attributed to their persistence in the environment. Antibiotics and their metabolites enter the environment through human and animal urine and faeces. Persistent pollutants are introduced to aquatic ecosystems as they pass the wastewater treatment process. The overuse of antibiotics has led to the emergence of bacteria and genes resistant to antibiotics in the environment. This study provides a descriptive overview of antibiotic sources in the environment, their harmful effects, analytical techniques for its detection in wastewater, related challenges in monitoring antibiotic contamination in water, and recently used techniques for its removal from wastewater and problems associated with current strategies. The study also underscores the importance of understanding the sources and learning how to successfully apply methods to minimise the effects of antibiotic contamination in wastewater.