Enhancing Inactivation of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Removal of Antibiotic Resistance Genes from Surface Water and Secondary Effluent Samples through Electrified membrane-Assisted NaClO system

Abstract

Abstract The dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) through water streams poses significant risks to human health and the environmental ecosystem. In this study, we developed a novel coupled treatment system that integrates NaClO with an electrified membrane to effectively inactivate ARB and remove ARGs from surface water and secondary effluent samples. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the coupled treatment system in inactivating ARB and removing ARGs. By utilizing a CeO2 modified carbon nanotube (CeO2@CNT) electrified membrane as the cathode, H2O2 was generated through the electro-Fenton reaction. And these H2O2 molecules can be reactived to •OH on the catalytic sites of the CeO2@CNT membrane. The combined action of H2O2, •OH, and NaClO resulted in complete inactivation of ARB and high-efficiency removal of ARGs from the surface water and secondary effluent samples. The findings of this study offer an alternative water treatment technology to mitigate the dissemination of ARB and ARGs.