Antibiotic residue and toxicity assessment of wastewater during the pharmaceutical production processes

JiaJia Xue; Dandan Lei; Xiumei Zhao; Yaru Hu; Shijie Yao; Kuangfei Lin; Zejian Wang; Changzheng Cui

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132837

Antibiotic residue and toxicity assessment of wastewater during the pharmaceutical production processes

Chemosphere. 2022 Mar;291(Pt 2):132837. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132837. Epub 2021 Nov 8.

Authors

JiaJia Xue¹, Dandan Lei², Xiumei Zhao³, Yaru Hu², Shijie Yao², Kuangfei Lin², Zejian Wang⁴, Changzheng Cui⁵

Affiliations

¹ State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China; Shanghai Environmental Protection Key Laboratory on Environmental Standard and Risk Management of Chemical Pollutants, East China University of Science & Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
² State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
³ Environmental Protection Department of North China Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Shijiazhuang, 050015, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
⁵ State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China; Shanghai Environmental Protection Key Laboratory on Environmental Standard and Risk Management of Chemical Pollutants, East China University of Science & Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China. Electronic address: cuichangzheng@ecust.edu.cn.

PMID: 34762889
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132837

Abstract

Various pollutants are released during pharmaceutical production processes, which is of great concern. Most studies have focused on the terminal treatment results of mixed pharmaceutical wastewater, and further research on wastewater from the production processes is required. This study investigated the wastewater quality indicators, residual antibiotics, and biological toxicity of the wastewater during the production process in a large pharmaceutical producing factory in Northern China. The wastewater contained numerous organic pollutants, with the chemical oxygen demand (COD) values ranging from 2.0 × 10³ to 2.6 × 10⁵ mg L^-1 and the total nitrogen (TN) values ranging from 1.3 × 10³ to 2.0 × 10⁴ mg L^-1. High concentrations of cephalexin and cefradine remained in the wastewater of the production workshop, with the highest concentration of cefradine reaching 1328 mg L^-1. The wastewater from the oxidation and solvent recovery workshops was more toxic to Vibrio fischeri and Daphnia magna than that of other workshops. Moreover, the biological acute toxicity of wastewater was significantly correlated with the concentration of COD and TN (p < 0.01). This study provides new insights into the treatment of antibiotic production wastewater, illuminating the incomplete extraction of products and the significant risk posed by pharmaceutical wastewater to the environment.

Keywords: Antibiotic pollution; Antibiotic production wastewater; Biological acute toxicity; Daphnia magna; Vibrio fischeri.

MeSH terms

Aliivibrio fischeri
Animals
Anti-Bacterial Agents / toxicity
Daphnia
Pharmaceutical Preparations*
Waste Disposal, Fluid
Wastewater
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / toxicity

Substances

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Pharmaceutical Preparations
Waste Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical