Pollutant profile complexity governs wastewater removal of recalcitrant pharmaceuticals.
ISME J
; 18(1)2024 Jan 08.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38423526
ABSTRACT
Organic pollutants are an increasing threat for wildlife and humans. Managing their removal is however complicated by the difficulties in predicting degradation rates. In this work, we demonstrate that the complexity of the pollutant profile, the set of co-existing contaminants, is a major driver of biodegradation in wastewater. We built representative assemblages out of one to five common pharmaceuticals (caffeine, atenolol, paracetamol, ibuprofen, and enalapril) selected along a gradient of biodegradability. We followed their individual removal by wastewater microbial communities. The presence of multichemical background pollution was essential for the removal of recalcitrant molecules such as ibuprofen. High-order interactions between multiple pollutants drove removal efficiency. We explain these interactions by shifts in the microbiome, with degradable molecules such as paracetamol enriching species and pathways involved in the removal of several organic pollutants. We conclude that pollutants should be treated as part of a complex system, with emerging pollutants potentially showing cascading effects and offering leverage to promote bioremediation.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Poluentes Químicos da Água
/
Poluentes Ambientais
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
ISME J
Assunto da revista:
MICROBIOLOGIA
/
SAUDE AMBIENTAL
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
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