13 Reigning Technologies and Their Challenges for Antibiotics …
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reducing the levels of nitrogen, phosphorous, pharmaceuticals (Antibiotics), and the
biological oxygen demand (BOD) in treated water (Berglund et al. 2014). The ecological wastewater treatment (i.e., constructed wetlands) processes usually have a
high surface to equivalent-inhabitant ratio, relatively low cost, simple operation, and
maintenance. Sometimes they are planned and constructed to use as the secondary
or tertiary treatment processes for wastewater are in rural areas of China (Dong
et al. 2016). In several studies, researches reported that CWs are very effective in the
reduction of antibiotics and ARGs by the optimized CWs could be achieved at relatively similar or higher rates than conventional WWTPs (Chen et al. 2016a, b, c). The
finding has demonstrated that the concentration levels of most detected antibiotics
in the rural domestic sewage could be efficiently reduced up to 78–100% through
the wetland treatment systems (Chen et al. 2014). In CW, removal of target contaminants in treatment processes of horizontal subsurface flow can be possible by both
mechanisms, i.e., sorption and biodegradation could contribute to the elimination
(Chen et al. 2014) and finding the percentage contribution of both the mechanism is
an open question for the researcher.
13.4.2.2 Integrated Constructed Wetlands
Integrated constructed wetlands (Conventional WWTPs with CW) have been scientifically tested and constructed for onsite treatment in a rural area for small towns and
villages due to their low investment and operation costs (Shao et al. 2013). Integrated
CWs consist of floating macrophytes, emerging microphytes, and stabilization pond
(Chen et al. 2014). The antibiotics removal efficiency of CW is varied from 10.3%
(Sulfadiazine, Chen et al. 2014) to 100% (Ciprofloxacin, Berglund et al. 2014). CWs
could be a promising technology for rural wastewater in case of antibiotics contaminants (Chen et al. 2014). CWs treatment techniques for antibiotics contaminants are
the complement to conventional methods of treatment but it is useful for the small
locality or town (Shao et al. 2013).
13.5 Challenges
The challenges facing while monitoring the antibiotics contaminants are as follows:
• There is no standard regarding permissible limits of antibiotics concentration in
the various compartment of the environment.
• There is a lack of understanding about the effects of antibiotics contaminants on
the natural habitat.
• Antibiotics contaminants are not commonly monitored in the environments.
• Common peoples are not aware of the effects of antibiotics contaminant.
• Antibiotics present in very small quantity (ppt) in various aqueous matrices, hence
it is very difficult to detect.
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reducing the levels of nitrogen, phosphorous, pharmaceuticals (Antibiotics), and the
biological oxygen demand (BOD) in treated water (Berglund et al. 2014). The ecological wastewater treatment (i.e., constructed wetlands) processes usually have a
high surface to equivalent-inhabitant ratio, relatively low cost, simple operation, and
maintenance. Sometimes they are planned and constructed to use as the secondary
or tertiary treatment processes for wastewater are in rural areas of China (Dong
et al. 2016). In several studies, researches reported that CWs are very effective in the
reduction of antibiotics and ARGs by the optimized CWs could be achieved at relatively similar or higher rates than conventional WWTPs (Chen et al. 2016a, b, c). The
finding has demonstrated that the concentration levels of most detected antibiotics
in the rural domestic sewage could be efficiently reduced up to 78–100% through
the wetland treatment systems (Chen et al. 2014). In CW, removal of target contaminants in treatment processes of horizontal subsurface flow can be possible by both
mechanisms, i.e., sorption and biodegradation could contribute to the elimination
(Chen et al. 2014) and finding the percentage contribution of both the mechanism is
an open question for the researcher.
13.4.2.2 Integrated Constructed Wetlands
Integrated constructed wetlands (Conventional WWTPs with CW) have been scientifically tested and constructed for onsite treatment in a rural area for small towns and
villages due to their low investment and operation costs (Shao et al. 2013). Integrated
CWs consist of floating macrophytes, emerging microphytes, and stabilization pond
(Chen et al. 2014). The antibiotics removal efficiency of CW is varied from 10.3%
(Sulfadiazine, Chen et al. 2014) to 100% (Ciprofloxacin, Berglund et al. 2014). CWs
could be a promising technology for rural wastewater in case of antibiotics contaminants (Chen et al. 2014). CWs treatment techniques for antibiotics contaminants are
the complement to conventional methods of treatment but it is useful for the small
locality or town (Shao et al. 2013).
13.5 Challenges
The challenges facing while monitoring the antibiotics contaminants are as follows:
• There is no standard regarding permissible limits of antibiotics concentration in
the various compartment of the environment.
• There is a lack of understanding about the effects of antibiotics contaminants on
the natural habitat.
• Antibiotics contaminants are not commonly monitored in the environments.
• Common peoples are not aware of the effects of antibiotics contaminant.
• Antibiotics present in very small quantity (ppt) in various aqueous matrices, hence
it is very difficult to detect.