Distribution and fate of antibiotics and their main metabolites in sludge stabilization technologies

Sewage sludge tends to accumulate emerging contaminants during wastewater treatment, with many pollutants persisting even after undergoing sludge stabilization treatments, posing potential environmental risks. Antibiotic contamination is of particular concern due to their high persistence and abilit...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Mejías Padilla, Carmen, Santos Morcillo, Juan Luis, Martín Bueno, Julia, Aparicio Gómez, Irene, Alonso Álvarez, Esteban
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/179776
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/179776
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144573
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Antibiotics
Metabolites
Sludge stabilization technologies
Occurrence
Distribution
Environmental risk
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spelling Distribution and fate of antibiotics and their main metabolites in sludge stabilization technologiesMejías Padilla, CarmenSantos Morcillo, Juan LuisMartín Bueno, JuliaAparicio Gómez, IreneAlonso Álvarez, EstebanAntibioticsMetabolitesSludge stabilization technologiesOccurrenceDistributionEnvironmental riskSewage sludge tends to accumulate emerging contaminants during wastewater treatment, with many pollutants persisting even after undergoing sludge stabilization treatments, posing potential environmental risks. Antibiotic contamination is of particular concern due to their high persistence and ability to promote the development of resistance genes. However, limited information is available regarding the behavior of antibiotic metabolites. In this study, seventeen antibiotics and metabolites of five therapeutic groups of critically and highly important antibiotics were monitored in wastewater and sludges from fifteen wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with five different sludge stabilization treatments: anaerobic digestion, aerobic digestion, dehydration, composting, and lagooning. Results demonstrated that the distribution ratio of metabolites and parent compounds in influent wastewater was correlated with their excretion rates, reflecting pharmaceutical consumption as their primary source to WWTPs. Fluoroquinolone and sulfonamide antibiotics were predominant in influent wastewater, while macrolide antibiotics were more prevalent in primary sludge, likely due to their higher hydrophobicity, which results in greater retention in sludge. Parent compounds dominated over metabolites in sewage sludge, with composting plants showing the highest removal efficiency and highest metabolization among all sludge stabilization technologies studied. Tetracyclines were not detected in any of the sludge samples analyzed and macrolides resulted in the most persistent antibiotics in treated sludges. Results showed low environmental risks associated with the reuse of treated sludge as an organic amendment in agriculture.ElsevierQuímica AnalíticaMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MICIU). España2025info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/11441/179776https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144573reponame:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevillainstname:Universidad de Sevilla (US)InglésChemosphere, 385, 144573.PID2020-117641RB-I00https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144573info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:idus.us.es:11441/1797762026-06-17T12:51:07Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Distribution and fate of antibiotics and their main metabolites in sludge stabilization technologies
title Distribution and fate of antibiotics and their main metabolites in sludge stabilization technologies
spellingShingle Distribution and fate of antibiotics and their main metabolites in sludge stabilization technologies
Mejías Padilla, Carmen
Antibiotics
Metabolites
Sludge stabilization technologies
Occurrence
Distribution
Environmental risk
title_short Distribution and fate of antibiotics and their main metabolites in sludge stabilization technologies
title_full Distribution and fate of antibiotics and their main metabolites in sludge stabilization technologies
title_fullStr Distribution and fate of antibiotics and their main metabolites in sludge stabilization technologies
title_full_unstemmed Distribution and fate of antibiotics and their main metabolites in sludge stabilization technologies
title_sort Distribution and fate of antibiotics and their main metabolites in sludge stabilization technologies
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Mejías Padilla, Carmen
Santos Morcillo, Juan Luis
Martín Bueno, Julia
Aparicio Gómez, Irene
Alonso Álvarez, Esteban
author Mejías Padilla, Carmen
author_facet Mejías Padilla, Carmen
Santos Morcillo, Juan Luis
Martín Bueno, Julia
Aparicio Gómez, Irene
Alonso Álvarez, Esteban
author_role author
author2 Santos Morcillo, Juan Luis
Martín Bueno, Julia
Aparicio Gómez, Irene
Alonso Álvarez, Esteban
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Química Analítica
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MICIU). España
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Antibiotics
Metabolites
Sludge stabilization technologies
Occurrence
Distribution
Environmental risk
topic Antibiotics
Metabolites
Sludge stabilization technologies
Occurrence
Distribution
Environmental risk
description Sewage sludge tends to accumulate emerging contaminants during wastewater treatment, with many pollutants persisting even after undergoing sludge stabilization treatments, posing potential environmental risks. Antibiotic contamination is of particular concern due to their high persistence and ability to promote the development of resistance genes. However, limited information is available regarding the behavior of antibiotic metabolites. In this study, seventeen antibiotics and metabolites of five therapeutic groups of critically and highly important antibiotics were monitored in wastewater and sludges from fifteen wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with five different sludge stabilization treatments: anaerobic digestion, aerobic digestion, dehydration, composting, and lagooning. Results demonstrated that the distribution ratio of metabolites and parent compounds in influent wastewater was correlated with their excretion rates, reflecting pharmaceutical consumption as their primary source to WWTPs. Fluoroquinolone and sulfonamide antibiotics were predominant in influent wastewater, while macrolide antibiotics were more prevalent in primary sludge, likely due to their higher hydrophobicity, which results in greater retention in sludge. Parent compounds dominated over metabolites in sewage sludge, with composting plants showing the highest removal efficiency and highest metabolization among all sludge stabilization technologies studied. Tetracyclines were not detected in any of the sludge samples analyzed and macrolides resulted in the most persistent antibiotics in treated sludges. Results showed low environmental risks associated with the reuse of treated sludge as an organic amendment in agriculture.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/11441/179776
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144573
url https://hdl.handle.net/11441/179776
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144573
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Chemosphere, 385, 144573.
PID2020-117641RB-I00
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144573
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
instname:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
instname_str Universidad de Sevilla (US)
reponame_str idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
collection idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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