Degradation of Bacterial Antibiotic Resistance Genes during Exposure to Non‐Thermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma

Abstract

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become a major public health problem in recent years. The occurrence of antibiotics in the environment, especially in wastewater treatment plants, has contributed to the development of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria (ARB) and the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Despite the potential of some conventional processes used in wastewater treatment plants, the removal of ARB and ARGs remains a challenge that requires further research and development of new technologies to avoid the release of emerging contaminants into aquatic environments. Non‐thermal atmospheric pressure plasmas (NTAPPs) have gained a significant amount of interest for wastewater treatment due to their oxidizing potential. They have shown their effectiveness in the inactivation of a wide range of bacteria in several fields. In this review, we discuss the application of NTAPPs for the degradation of antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater treatment.