Ciprofloxacin Removal from Aqueous Media Using Floating Treatment Wetlands Supported by Immobilized Bacteria

Abstract

The unwanted occurrence of antibiotics in the environment is an emerging concern of non-target toxicity and antimicrobial resistance. Floating treatment wetland (FTW) is a low-cost and ecofriendly wastewater remediation strategy; however, the effect of immobilized bacteria on its efficacy during the remediation of ciprofloxacin (CIP)-contaminated water has not been documented. In this study, Phragmites australis was planted to develop FTW, and it was augmented with a bacterial consortium (Acinetobacter lwoffii ACRH76, Bacillus pumulis C2A1, and Acinetobacter sp. HN3), with and without immobilization for the remediation of CIP-contaminated (100 mg L−1) water. The augmentation of bacteria (immobilized or in suspension) in the FTWs significantly increased the elimination of CIP from the water. Maximum removal of CIP (97%), COD (92%), BOD (93%), and TOC (90%) from the water was observed in the FTWs having immobilized bacteria. This research revealed that the FTWs have tremendous potential to remove the CIP from the water and its removal efficiency can be enhanced via immobilized bacterial augmentation strategies.

Exploring the Potential of Endophytic Microorganisms and Nanoparticles for Enhanced Water Remediation

“…For example, strains of Acinetobacter lwoffii ACRH76, Bacillus pumulis C2A1, and Acinetobacter sp. HN 3 were immobilized on polystyrene sheets and showed improved CIP remediation compared to when free strains were used [ 68 ]. Furthermore, characterization conducted before and after the synthesis of the nano-biocomposite revealed the effectiveness of alkenes, carbonyl contents, proteins, and notably aromatic compounds associated with the extract of C. sorokiniana [ 43 ].…”

“…The bacteria from the genus Bacillus utilize uptake, transformation, and detoxification methods to decontaminate water from heavy metals. More studies have demonstrated that these methods are effective in removing CIP from pharmaceutical wastewater, offering potential benefits to the medical healthcare industry [ 68 , 123 ]. Biogenic palladium nanoparticles were synthesized through the adsorption and reduction of Pd(II) ions on the surface of wastewater from Escherichia coli .…”

“…The immobilized system provides a surface area for enhanced bacterial growth and multiplication, resulting in biofilm formation. FTW methods have become popular due to their cost-effectiveness in removing contaminants from water [ 68 ]. The potential application of endophytic nanoparticles was further demonstrated when the gold-resident bacterium Delftia acidovorans facilitated the biochemical gold biomineralization process through the production of secondary metabolites.…”

Progressive Biocatalysts for the Treatment of Aqueous Systems Containing Pharmaceutical Pollutants

“…An analysis of recently published studies ( Table 6 ) [ 81 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 ] suggests that the use of consortia of different microorganisms, including microalgae cells, can allow us to resolve the problems of biodegradation of PCPs at a higher level. In particular, the use of natural or artificial cell consortia makes it possible to expand the spectrum of degradable compounds, to carry out effective degradation of PCPs mixtures, to combine the concentration (accumulation) of PCPs and their degradation and to make this degradation thorough.…”

“…One of the ways to retain high concentrations of cells constituting consortia in the media with PCPs is their immobilization on different carriers [ 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 ]. This makes possible the processing of wastewater in periodic and continuous regimes with the extension of the ranges of applied pH values (from 4 to 9) and temperature (from 20 °C to 45 °C) [ 91 ].…”