Technologies for the Removal of Antibiotics in the Environment: a Review

Abstract

In recent years, China has consumed between 150,000 and 200,000 tons of antibiotics per year, accounting for half of global consumption. However, the effective utilization rate is relatively low. Most of them remain in the environment and potential health threats. Therefore, how to effectively remove the residual antibiotics in the environment has become a hot issue in recent years. In this paper, the common techniques for removing antibiotics from the environment, such as adsorption, chemical and physical methods, were reviewed, and the removal mechanism was discussed in detail. The effectiveness, advantages and disadvantages of different electrochemical oxidation methods and different membrane materials for the removal of antibiotics were reviewed in depth. Recently, the representative membrane biological method has been highlighted for its excellent potential. Finally, the remaining obstacles and prospects are discussed in order to develop techniques for removing antibiotics from the environment efficiently