Removal characteristics of antibiotics in livestock wastewater by contact treatment with clay minerals

Abstract

 Certain antibiotics administered to livestock are released in their excrement. Therefore, antibiotics may combine with livestock wastewater and enter the surrounding water environment, affecting the aquatic ecosystem. In this study, we investigated antibiotics removal from aqueous solution and swine wastewater via contact with clay minerals (zeolite, illite). Furthermore, the safety of the treated water was investigated by a short-term toxicity test using a green alga R. subcapitata. It was observed that zeolite had a higher antibiotics removal rate than illite. Additionally, it was suggested that the removal of tylosin may involve degradation and adsorption. Furthermore, the experimental results of antibiotic removal from swine wastewater indicated that antibiotics can be efficiently eliminated by incorporating the contact treatment using zeolite, after its treatment in constructed wetlands.