Antibiotics Oxytetracycline Research Articles

Facile synthesis of Br-doped g-C3N4 nanosheets via one-step exfoliation using ammonium bromide for photodegradation of oxytetracycline antibiotics

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was suggested since it enables the oxidation process under visible light irradiation. To enhance the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4 (BCN) it is essential to exfoliate bulk g-C3N4 to the nanosheets form via a one-step exfoliation method, which was used to prepare g-C3N4 nanosheets with Br (CNN-Br) or Cl (CNN-Cl) doping by using melamine and ammonium salts. The final production yield reached 52% and the specific volume of CNN-Br was eight times compared to BCN. The Cl and Br doping of g-C3N4 was changed to increase the light absorbance in the visible-light region and to slightly decrease the bandgap energy of the samples. Additionally, the photocurrent densities of the CNN samples were enhanced compared with that of BCN. We evaluated the photocatalytic performance of the resultant nanosheets for the photodegradation of oxytetracycline under visible-light irradiation. The results showed that the Br or Cl doping of g-C3N4 and the nanosheet structure had synergetic effects, namely enhancing the absorbance in the visible-light region, the efficiency of photoinduced charge carriers, and the charge-separation capability. These improvements are useful for the photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics.

Visible-light-driven elimination of oxytetracycline and Escherichia coli using magnetic La-doped TiO2/copper ferrite/diatomite composite.

The development of powdery photocatalyst has long been studied, yet the low recovery in water is still its bottleneck. In this work, magnetic recyclable lanthanum-doped TiO2/copper ferrite/diatomite (La-TCD) ternary composite was synthesized via sol-gel method. The physicochemical properties of various hybrid catalysts were characterized and studied, and their photocatalytic properties were evaluated via the decomposition of antibiotic oxytetracycline and disinfection of bacteria Escherichia coli under visible light. The formation of heterojunction between La-doped TiO2 and copper ferrite hindered the recombination of photo-induced charge carriers and improved the photocatalytic activity. The photodecomposition rate of OTC was accelerated by the high adsorption ability of diatomite, due to the adsorption and decomposition synergistic effect between catalysts and substrate diatomite. The optimal La dopant amount as well as optimal catalyst dosage was determined. The composite could simply be recovered from waterbody via an external magnet, and the repetition tests indicated no obvious decrease of photoactivity. This nanocomposite presented good potential to be applied in environmental remediation process, due to its high photocatalytic efficiency under visible light, as well as its good reusability and stability.

Photobioreactors based on microalgae-bacteria and purple phototrophic bacteria consortia: A promising technology to reduce the load of veterinary drugs from piggery wastewater

Traditional swine manure treatments are not fully effective in the removal of veterinary drugs. Moreover, they are costly and entail a significant carbon footprint in many cases. Innovative biological approaches based on phototrophic microorganisms have recently emerged as promising alternatives to overcome those limitations. This work evaluated the removal of 19 veterinary drugs (i.e., 16 antibiotics, 1 analgesic, 1 anti-parasitic and 1 hormone) from piggery wastewater (PWW) in two open photobioreactors (PBR) operated with a consortium of microalgae-bacteria (AB-PBR) and purple photosynthetic bacteria (PPB-PBR). Multiple hydraulic retention times (HRT), in particular 11, 8 and 4 days, were tested during stage I, II and III, respectively. Ten out of 19 target compounds were detected with inlet drug concentrations ranging from 'non-detected' (n.d.) to almost 23,000 ng L-1 for the antibiotic oxytetracycline. Moreover, three of the antibiotics (i.e., enrofloxacin, sulfadiazine and oxytetracycline) were found at concentrations above the analytical linearity range in some or all of the samples under study. AB-PBR supported higher removal efficiencies (REs) than PPB-PBR, except for danofloxacin. Overall, REs progressively decreased when decreasing the HRT. The highest REs (>90%) were observed for doxycycline (95 ± 3%) and oxytetracycline (93 ± 3%) in AB-PBR during stage I. The other drugs, except sulfadimidine that was the most recalcitrant, showed REs above 70% during stage I in the same photobioreactor. In contrast, no removal was observed for danofloxacin in AB-PBR during stage III, sulfadimidine in PPB-PBR during stage III or marbofloxacin in PPB-PBR during the entire experiment.

Continuous flow electrosorption-microbial fuel cell system for efficient removal of oxytetracycline without external electrical supply

The removal of antibiotics from wastewater has attracted much attention. In this research, an intimately coupled autarkical electrosorption (ES)-microbial fuel cell (MFC) system was developed for real-time removal of the antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) from wastewater. The removal efficiency was founded to be up to 98.8% at an OTC concentration of 2 mg/L with 3 g/L sodium acetate (NaAC) as co-substrate and 3 MFCs as power supply. The removal efficiencies increased in the ES unit and decreased in the MFC unit with increasing treating time. The adsorption of OTC on activated carbon fibers (ACFs) in the ES unit proceeds via chemical adsorption resulting from electrostatic attraction and cation exchange. The OTC degradation pathways in the MFC unit were proposed by identifying the intermediates with HPLC-MS/MS. The ACFs in the ES unit were proven to be recyclable and the coupled ES-MFC system is applicable for the removal of antibiotics from wastewater.

Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Soil Contaminated with the Veterinary Antibiotics Oxytetracycline and Sulfamethazine.

Veterinary and growth-promoting antibiotics are widely used in animal husbandry and accumulate in manure-fertilized soils. However, the impact of these antibiotics on symbiotic nitrogen fixation is poorly understood. We investigated the effect of the veterinary antibiotics oxytetracycline and sulfamethazine, and a combination of both, on nitrogen fixation in alfalfa ( L.) inoculated with . In a pot experiment, was grown in soils fertilized with fresh manure that contained environmentally relevant antibiotic concentrations (0.2, 2, and 200 mg kg). Nodulation, nitrogen fixation, and nutrient concentrations were determined in the alfalfa plants and soils after 12 wk. Compared with the antibiotic-free control, symbiotic nitrogen fixation increased significantly in soils mixed with manure containing 2 and 200 mg kg oxytetracycline (20.1 and 20.8% increase, respectively) and a mixture of 200 mg kg oxytetracycline and sulfamethazine (12.4% increase). The measured plant- and soil-related parameters failed to explain the observed increase in nitrogen fixation. However, using concentration levels that accurately reflect common agricultural practices, we obtained results that directly contradict other experiments conducted under unrealistically high antibiotic concentrations.

Development and Validation of a CE Method for the Determination of Tetracyclines with Capacitively Coupled Contactless Conductivity Detection

In this study, a simple and robust capillary electrophoresis method with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C4D) is developed for the determination of the tetracycline antibiotics (1) tetracycline, (2) chlortetracycline and (3) oxytetracycline. An uncoated, fused silica capillary (60.2 cm long, 75 µm i.d.) and a solution of 50 mM tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane, 50 mM l-histidine and 5 mM methyl-β-cyclodextrin, without pH adjustment (pH 8.76), was used as background electrolyte. Electrophoresis at + 25 kV showed a rapid analysis with sufficient resolution among the three antibiotics in the order of tetracycline, chlortetracycline and oxytetracycline. Successive inter-injection rinsing (20 psi) of the capillary ensured intra- and inter-day repeatability (0.9–2.2% RSD and 2.0–4.5% RSD, respectively, for relative peak areas). The method showed satisfactory performance in terms of selectivity, accuracy (99.3–101.4%) and linearity (R2 = 0.999). Finally, the method was applied to commercial samples of tetracycline, oxytetracycline and chlortetracycline. This method can be applied for rapid quality control in developing countries in particular, and across the globe in general.

Exposure to antibiotics affects saponin immersion induced immune stimulation and shift in microbial composition in zebrafish larvae

In the last decades, pollution of the environment by large scale use of antibiotics in agriculture and human medicine have led to increased antimicrobial resistance in both the environment and the host animal microbiome. Disturbances in the host microbiome can result in impaired immunity and reduced resilience of aquaculture species. Here, we investigated whether environmentally measured levels of the commonly used antibiotics ciprofloxacin and oxytetracycline influences the host microbiome and susceptibility toward saponin-induced immune stimulation in larval zebrafish. Firstly, neutrophil and macrophage reporter zebrafish larvae were exposed to different concentrations of soy saponin by immersion. A dose-dependent increase in neutrophil presence in the intestinal area was observed together with increased expression of immune genes il1b, tnfa, il22 and mmp9. To investigate the effect of antibiotics, larval zebrafish were immersed in ciprofloxacin or oxytetracycline in the presence or absence of a low dose of saponin. In vivo imaging revealed that antibiotic treatment did not reduce the number of neutrophils that were recruited to the intestinal area upon saponin exposure, although it did tend to lower pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. Microbial sequencing of whole larvae revealed that exposure to a low dose of saponin already shifted the microbial composition. The combination of oxytetracycline and saponin significantly increased α-diversity compared to the controls. In conclusion, the current study provides evidence that the combination of low levels of antibiotics with low levels of anti-nutritional factors (saponin) can induce inflammatory phenotypes and can modify the microbiota, which might lead to altered disease susceptibility.

Performance assessment of the combined treatment for oxytetracycline antibiotics removal by sonocatalysis and degradation using Pseudomonas aeruginosa

A facile method was applied to achieve complete degradation of oxytetracycline to carbon dioxide and water. In most abiotic degradation, it fails to degrade oxytetracycline to non-toxic products and leaves some intermediates. In this study, sonocatalytic degradation was performed to degrade the more toxic oxytetracycline to less toxic intermediates. In addition, the above intermediates was degraded by biological method, by providing these intermediates as carbon source for bacteria. In the sono degradation process, ZnO was used as sonocatalyst material, which was prepared by simple chemical precipitation method. At first 30 min removal of oxytetracycline was achieved by adsorption and following 30 min will be degraded under ultra-sonication. In addition, sodium peroxydisulfate was used to achieve complete degradation of oxytetracycline. For the best degradation, various parameters such as pH, temperature, dosage of ZnO and concentration of peroxydisulfate, were optimized. At a pH 7, temperature of 55 oC, ZnO dosage of 3 g L-1 and peroxydisulfate concentration of 1 g L-1, the removal efficiency is nearly 99% at the end of 60 min for initial oxytetracycline concentration of 2 ppm. After sonocatalytic degradation, the intermediate formed was naphthalene and was confirmed in this study. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was used for biodegradation of intermediates. This strain is best for using various aromatic compounds as carbon source as it can easily break naphthal rings using naphthalene dehydrogenase enzymes. The removal performance of oxytetracycline and intermediates by sono-bio catalytic degradation was also confirmed by analyzing the total organic carbon (TOC) concentration in the test sample.

Effect of oxytetracycline on the community structure of nematodes: results from microcosm experiments

The release of antibiotics to the environment after use by fish farms could have potentially negative effects. Here, we assessed how the antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) affect the meiofaunal communities of Jeju Island in Korea. We assessed how: 1) nematodes responded to 0–2000 ppm OTC over 48 h; 2) Metoncholaimus spp. (the most abundant group) responded to 0–500 ppm OTC over 48 h; and 3) the meiofaunal community responded to 0–200 ppm OTC for 1-month. In experiment 1, all nematodes died at high antibiotic concentrations (1000 ppm, 2000 ppm), but death rates rapidly decreased at 500 ppm (42%) and below (0–9%). In experiment 2, Metoncholaimus spp. death rates were similar to those documented in experiment 1 for OTC concentrations of 500 ppm (45%) and decreased at 125 ppm and 250 ppm (to 30% and below). In experiment 3, long-term exposure to low concentrations (200 ppm or less) of OTC did not have a strong effect on meiofaunal density, with meiofaunal density in the experimental group showing no decline with OTC concentration. However, we confirmed that differences in OTC concentration affects the structure of meiofaunal communities, making it important to regulate their use by fish farms.

Dynamics of oxytetracycline and resistance genes in soil under long-term intensive compost fertilization in Northern China.

In the present study, we explored the dynamics of antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, enrofloxacin, and oxytetracycline), tetracycline resistance genes (TRGs), and bacterial communities over 2013-2015 in soils fertilized conventionally or with two levels (82.5 and 165t/ha) of compost for 12years. In the soil receiving 165t/ha of compost, only oxytetracycline was 46% higher than that in the conventionally fertilized soil. Transient enrichment of both tetM (20% to 9-fold) and tetK (25% to 67-fold) was observed in multiple instances immediately after the application of compost. The majority of genera which positively correlated with tetM or tetK were affiliated to Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes. The structural equation model analysis indicated that fertilization regimes directly affected the bacterial composition and antibiotics and had an indirect effect on the abundance of tetK and tetM via these antibiotics. In summary, this study shed light into the complex interactions between fertilization, antibiotics, and antibiotic resistance pollution in greenhouse soil.

Heavy metal-induced co-selection of antibiotic resistance genes in the gut microbiota of collembolans

Heavy metal induced co-selection of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has become an emerging environmental issue. The guts of soil fauna offer a unique habitat in the terrestrial ecosystem and harbor a variety of microorganisms. However, the effects of heavy metals on the gut-associated ARGs of soil fauna are poorly understood. In the present study, collembolans were cultivated with four types of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, and Cr) and one antibiotic (oxytetracycline), to investigate their impact on the gut-associated ARGs. High-throughput quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing were used to examine changes in the gut-associated ARGs and microbial composition caused by the metals and antibiotic. The results showed that heavy metals alone induced co-selection of ARGs in the collembolan gut, but the effects were weaker than selection by oxytetracycline. When Zn or Cu was present together with oxytetracycline, there was a strong synergistic effect between the compounds, which increased the selection of ARGs in the collembolan guts. Furthermore, redundancy analysis revealed that the gut microbiota and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were significantly correlated with the ARG composition. These results extend our understanding on effects of heavy metals on the dispersal of ARGs in the soil food web.

Retracted: Visible‐light‐driven mitigation of antibiotic oxytetracycline and disinfection of Escherichia coli using magnetic recyclable Ag‐modified zinc ferrite/diatomite ternary hybrid material

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe pharmaceutical residues in water are considered globally to be typical hazardous pollutants. Many technologies have been reported to eliminate these residues, such as photocatalysis, which has usually been applied in a suspension system with powdery photocatalyst. The disadvantage of this system, hindering its practical application, is its low recyclability. Ferrite‐based photocatalysts have been synthesized to resolve this problem. In this work, silver (Ag)‐modified zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) nanoparticles were immobilized onto porous mineral diatomite. The physicochemical properties of this composite were studied systematically, and its photocatalytic efficiency was investigated via the degradation of antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) and disinfection of bacteria Escherichia coli under visible light.RESULTSThe degradation rate increased after the catalyst was immobilized onto diatomite, due to the adsorption and degradation synergistic effect. The Ag cluster improved the visible‐light‐driven photoactivity of ZnFe2O4, and its optimal percentage was determined. The best catalyst dosage during the degradation process also was obtained. The optimal catalyst exhibited its removal rate of OTC (10 mg L−1 aqueous solution) as 90.5% in 2.5 h, and disinfection rate of E. coli as 87.2% in 2 h, under visible light irradiation. Moreover, the photocatalysis mechanism was illustrated.CONCLUSIONThis composite could be recovered simply from the water body via an external magnet, and indicated no obvious decrease of photoactivity after being recycled five times for photodegradation or photodisinfection tests. This nanocomposite showed good potential for application in wastewater remediation process, thanks to its high photocatalytic efficiency under visible light, as well as its good reusability and stability. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

Experimental study of degradation and biodegradability of oxytetracycline antibiotic in aqueous solution using Fenton process

Experimental study of degradation and biodegradability of oxytetracycline antibiotic in aqueous solution using Fenton process

Magnetic recyclable lanthanum-nitrogen co-doped titania/strontium ferrite/diatomite heterojunction composite for enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity and recyclability

Powdery photocatalyst has long been studied, yet its low reusability in suspension system is the bottleneck which hinders its large-scale application. An alternative method to overcome this drawback is developing magnetic recyclable composite. In this work, we prepared lanthanum-nitrogen co-doped titania/strontium ferrite/diatomite (LN-TSD) ternary composite via sol-gel technology. The as-prepared materials were characterized and analyzed, and the photocatalytic activity was evaluated via the elimination of antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) under visible light illumination. Charge transfer happened at the heterojunction interface between TiO2 and strontium ferrite, and thus improved the photocatalytic efficiency by inhibiting the recombination of charge carriers. The photodegradation rate of OTC was accelerated by the high adsorption ability of substrate diatomite, due to the adsorption and degradation synergistic effect between photocatalytic components and substrate diatomite. The optimal dopant amount and catalyst dosage were determined, and the corresponding LN-TSD sample showed its degradation rate of OTC as 95.5% after 2.5 h. The ternary LN-TSD composite could simply be separated from OTC solution via an external magnet, and the repetition tests indicated that, after 5 turns of repetition, only slightly decrease of degradation rate could be observed (dropped to 94.2%). This composite was promising to be applied in wastewater remediation process, due to its good photocatalytic activity under visible light, as well as its good reusability and stability.

WO3/p-Type-GR Layered Materials for Promoted Photocatalytic Antibiotic Degradation and Device for Mechanism Insight

Graphene enhanced WO3 has recently become a promising material for various applications. The understanding of the transfer of charge carriers during the photocatalytic processes remains unclear because of their complexity. In this study, the characteristics of the deposited WO3/graphene layered materials were investigated by Raman spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy, and SEM. According to the results, p-graphene exhibits and enhances the characteristics of the WO3/graphene film. The photocatalytic activities of WO3/graphene layered materials were assessed by the photocatalytic degradation of oxytetracycline antibiotics as irradiated by UV light. Here, a higher current of cyclic voltammetry and a higher resistance of impedance spectra were obtained with the as-grown WO3/graphene directly synthesized on Cu foils under UV light using an electrochemical method, which was different from traditional WO3 catalysts. Thus, it is urgent to explore the underlying mechanism in depth. In this study, a large layered material WO3/graphene was fabricated on a Si substrate using a modified CVD method, and a WO3/graphene device was developed by depositing a gold electrode material and compared with a WO3 device. Due to photo-induced doping effects, the current-voltage test suggested that the photo-resistance is larger than dark-resistance, and the photo-current is less than the dark current based on WO3/graphene layered materials, which are significantly different from the characteristics of the WO3 layered material. A new pathway was developed here to analyze the transfer properties of carriers in the photocatalytic process.

Visible-light-driven decomposition of antibiotic oxytetracycline and disinfection of Escherichia coli using magnetically recyclable lanthanum-nitrogen co-doped titania/calcium ferrite/diatomite heterojunction material

Powdery photocatalyst has shown great potential in wastewater treatment, yet the low reusability is still its deficiency. In this work, we prepared magnetically recyclable lanthanum-nitrogen co-doped titania/CaFe2O4/diatomite (LN-TCD) ternary material by sol-gel technology. The photocatalytic activity of this material was evaluated via the decomposition of antibiotic oxytetracycline and disinfection of bacteria Escherichia coli under visible light. Charge transfer took place at the interface between titania and CaFe2O4, and improved the photocatalytic activity. The photodecomposition rate was accelerated by the high adsorption ability of substrate diatomite. The optimal preparation and experimental factors were determined, and the decomposition mechanism was proposed.

Histopathological effects in gills and liver of Sparus aurata following acute and chronic exposures to erythromycin and oxytetracycline.

Due to their worldwide use and environmental persistence, antibiotics are frequently detected in various aquatic compartments. Their toxic properties raise environmental concerns to non-target organisms. Histopathology data is frequently applied in ecotoxicology studies to assess the effects of different classes of environmental stressors in fish, including antibiotics. Tissue alterations in gills and liver of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) individuals acutely (96h) and chronically (28days) exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of the antibiotics erythromycin (ERY: 0.0002-200μg/L) and oxytetracycline (OTC: 0.0004-400μg/L), including a control non-exposed group, were evaluated. Several disorders (circulatory, regressive, progressive, and inflammatory) were observed in both organs of all exposed animals. The hereby obtained data showed a higher and significant increase in gill histopathological index of organisms acutely exposed to ERY and of those chronically exposed to OTC. In terms of categorical lesions, only a significant increase of regressive and progressive alterations occurred in gills after chronic exposure to OTC. For the liver, a significant increase in pathological index was also detected, as well as regressive changes, after chronic exposure to OTC. Furthermore, the present study indicates that most of the changes observed in gills and liver were of mild to moderate severity, which might be adaptive or protective, non-specific, and mostly reversible. Despite being observed, irreversible lesions were not significant in any of the fish organs analyzed. Although there were histological changes, gill apparatus was considered still functionally normal, as well as liver tissue, not supporting the occurrence of severe toxicity. In general, the observed histological changes were not stressor-specific, and toxicological mechanistic explanations for the alterations observed in gills and liver are presented. The obtained data showed that histopathological biomarkers can be successfully applied in ecotoxicological studies, evidencing their relevance, responsivity, and complementarity to other biochemical biomarker-based approaches.

Ultrahigh-surface-area activated carbon aerogels derived from glucose for high-performance organic pollutants adsorption

Herein, carbon aerogels (CA) were prepared by a facile and eco-friendly approach from glucose, an abundant and inexpensive sugar molecule, and further activated by potassium hydroxide. An interconnected coral-like microstructure of carbon was built up in sol–gel process, and activation process resulted in a more efficient development of microporosity and mesoporosity. Thus, activated carbon aerogels (ACA) with specific surface area up to 2413 m2·g−1 were obtained. The unique morphology, ultrahigh specific surface area, and increased functional groups rendered the obtained ACA superior adsorption capacity (194.07–1030.05 mg·g−1) for several kinds of organic pollutants, such as phenols (phenol, p-nitrophenol and resorcinol), antibiotics (tetracycline, oxytetracycline, doxycycline and sulfamethazine), and dyes (methylene blue). Among them, the adsorption of p-nitrophenol onto ACA could reach 613.34 mg·g−1 (293 K) and had a broad pH application range from 2 to 10 with good regeneration ability. The adsorption kinetics studies implied that intraparticle diffusion and pore diffusion were the limiting steps of the adsorption rate. Adsorption isotherms showed that the interaction between p-nitrophenol and ACA surface was monolayer adsorption.

How methane yield, crucial parameters and microbial communities respond to the stimulating effect of antibiotics during high solid anaerobic digestion

To comprehensively understand how antibiotics affect anaerobic digestion, their stimulating effects on methane production cannot be ignored; however, few studies have evaluated these effects. This study investigated the stimulating effects of three typical antibiotics (oxytetracycline, sulfadimethoxine, and norfloxacin) on high solid anaerobic digestion. The results showed that 100 mg/L antibiotics exhibited a strong stimulating effect on CH4 yield; while other external carbon sources had no obvious effects. The stimulating effect was more obvious under low inoculation ratios, which could improve the system processing capacity of feed sludge. Lower lag phases were given by the modified Gompertz model when stimulating effects occurred. The variations of physicochemical parameters and microbial Venn maps both showed that day 5 was a critical point for digestion time. The relative abundance of Methanosarcina was enhanced when the stimulating effect occurred, whereas Methanoculleus decreased. Different microbial characteristics were obtained for different samples from the heat maps.

Alicycliphilus: current knowledge and potential for bioremediation of xenobiotics.

Alicycliphilus is a promising candidate for participating in the development of novel xenobiotics bioremediation processes. Members of the Alicycliphilus genus are environmental bacteria mostly found in polluted sites such as landfills and contaminated watercourses, and in sewage sludges from wastewater treatment plants. They exhibit a versatile metabolism and the ability to use oxygen, nitrate and chlorate as terminal electron acceptors, which allow them to biodegrade xenobiotics under oxic or anoxic conditions. Pure cultures of Alicycliphilus strains are able to biodegrade some pollutants such as industrial solvents (acetone, cyclohexanol and N-methylpyrrolidone), aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene and anthracene), as well as polyurethane varnishes and foams, and they can even transform Cr(VI) to Cr(III). In addition, Alicycliphilus has also been identified in bacterial communities involved in wastewater treatment plants for denitrification, and the degradation of emerging pollutants such as triclosan, nonylphenol, N-heterocyclic aromatic compounds (indole and quinoline), and antibiotics (tetracycline and oxytetracycline). This work summarizes the current knowledge on the Alicycliphilus genus, describing its different metabolic characteristics, focusing on its xenobiotic biodegradation abilities and examining the distinct pathways and molecular bases that sustain them. We also discuss the progress made in genetic manipulation and 'omics' analyses, as well as Alicycliphilus participation in novel bioremediation strategies.