Qi Zhenguo, Huang Xin, Wang Min, Lv Chunfeng, Shi Baoyou
Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
J Hazard Mater. 2025 Aug 15;494:138498. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138498. Epub 2025 May 4.
Activated carbon (AC) filtration is an effective technique to remove emerging contaminants in drinking water treatment plants. Adsorption onto AC and biodegradation by biofilm are two main mechanisms for the removal of emerging contaminants such as antibiotics. However, the effects of highly bioaccumulative and toxic poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on antibiotic removal by AC filtration have not been well-understood. In this work, two AC columns were built and operated for 434 days to study the effects of ng-level PFAS on the removal of sulfamethoxazole (SMX). The results showed that 100 ng/L PFAS significantly decreased the removal rate of 1 μg/L SMX from 78.8 % to 71.7 %. Trace PFAS decreased the abundances of ammonia monooxygenase and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, thus repressing nitrification co-metabolism process. Meanwhile, trace PFAS inhibited tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle by preventing pyruvate from generating acetyl-CoA, reducing energy supply for co-metabolism process. On the other hand, inhibiting TCA cycle led to a redirection of carbon from growth into polysaccharide intercellular adhesin biosynthesis. Trace PFAS also increased glutamate synthase and glutamine synthetase abundances, which promoted biofilm formation and then hindered SMX adsorption by AC. This study provides new insights into the adverse role of PFAS in antibiotic removal by AC filtration.
活性炭（AC）过滤是一种去除饮用水处理厂中新兴污染物的有效技术。吸附到活性炭上以及生物膜的生物降解是去除抗生素等新兴污染物的两种主要机制。然而，高生物累积性和毒性的多氟和全氟烷基物质（PFAS）对通过AC过滤去除抗生素的影响尚未得到充分理解。在这项工作中，搭建了两个AC柱并运行434天，以研究纳克级PFAS对磺胺甲恶唑（SMX）去除的影响。结果表明，100 ng/L的PFAS显著降低了1 μg/L SMX的去除率，从78.8%降至71.7%。痕量PFAS降低了氨单加氧酶和亚硝酸盐氧化细菌的丰度，从而抑制了硝化共代谢过程。同时，痕量PFAS通过阻止丙酮酸生成乙酰辅酶A抑制三羧酸（TCA）循环，减少了共代谢过程的能量供应。另一方面，抑制TCA循环导致碳从生长转向胞外多糖间黏附素生物合成。痕量PFAS还增加了谷氨酸合酶和谷氨酰胺合成酶的丰度，促进了生物膜形成，进而阻碍了AC对SMX 的吸附。本研究为PFAS在AC过滤去除抗生素中的不利作用提供了新的见解。
