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eISSN: 2083-5906
ISSN: 1230-1485
ISSN: 1230-1485
REVIEW PAPER
A Critical Review of Advanced Removal and Degradation of Antibiotics from Pharmaceutical Wastewater
1
School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China
2
Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Xiamen 361021, China
3
College of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, P.O. Box 3286, Kigali, Rwanda
4
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Submission date: 2025-09-26
Final revision date: 2025-12-09
Acceptance date: 2026-01-28
Online publication date: 2026-05-09
KEYWORDS
pharmaceutical wastewaterantimicrobial resistanceadvanced oxidation processeshybrid treatment systemswater purificationenvironmental remediation
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The discharge of antibiotic residues into aquatic environments promotes antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Conventional wastewater treatment is ineffective at removing these persistent micropollutants, necessitating the use of advanced strategies. This review critically assesses the efficacy of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), adsorption, membrane separation, and advanced biological treatments for antibiotic removal from pharmaceutical wastewater. While techniques like photocatalysis and ozonation achieve high degradation rates (>90%) in controlled settings, significant challenges, including energy consumption, catalyst management, toxic byproduct formation, and economic feasibility, hinder their scalability. Findings indicate that successful demonstrations remain confined mainly to synthetic wastewater in laboratory studies. This review identifies a gap between lab research and real-world use. We conclude that overcoming this barrier requires a dedicated focus on developing hybrid treatment systems. This review therefore recommends prioritizing the development of scalable, cost-effective solutions validated with complex, real-world wastewater to mitigate the environmental and public health risks posed by antibiotic pollution.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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