Effect of L-arginine and KMnO4 amendment on sulfonamide antibiotics wastewater treatment in an adsorption-biological coupling reactor: Insights from performance and functional genes analysis

Abstract

The overuse of sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs) has placed considerable treatment pressure on wastewater treatment plants. The adsorption-biological coupling reactor we developed have been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of SAs wastewater. However, the effect of filler modification on reactor performance and the degradation mechanisms of SAs remains inadequately understood. Herein, the amendment of filler with L-arginine and KMnO4 were investigated. The overall removal efficiency of COD, TP, NH3-N, sulfadiazine (SD), and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in the reactor with L-arginine-modified coke (A-Coke) as filler were (79.29±15.29)%, (84.81±4.13)%, (92.67±11.25)%, (93.45±4.74)% and (93.60±4.13)%, while in the reactor with KMnO4-modified coke (K-Coke) as filler, the overall removal efficiency of COD, TP, NH3-N, SD and SMX were (90.60±6.68)%, (96.26±2.52)%, (95.14±5.29)%, (92.63±5.78)% and (93.65±6.48)%, respectively. The dominant bacteria in the reactor with A-Coke as filler were Azohydromonas, Propionibacterium, Bdellovibrio, and Sphingomonas, and those in the reactor with K-Coke as filler were Azohydromonas, Lysobacter, Plasticicumulans, and Cupriavidus. The compounds 4-hydroxy-2-aminopyrimidine, 4-hydroxy-2-hydroxy-aminopyrimidine, n-acetamide, 4-benzoquinone, 1,2, 4-trihydroxybenzene, 3-amino-5-methylisoxazole, and TP163 were detected as metabolites of SAs in the reactor filled with A-Coke. In contrast, 4-hydroxy-2-hydroxy-aminopyrimidine, 3-amino-5-methyl isoxazole, and TP163 as metabolites of SAs were detected in the effluent water of the reactor with K-Coke as filler. The results demonstrate that the amendment of L-arginine and KMnO4 could increase the performance of the adsorption-biological coupling reactor, which has potential application prospects in the treatment of SAs wastewater.