Degradation of some pharmaceuticals during sewage sludge composting (original) (raw)
The fate of five antibiotics was studied during sewage sludge composting. These pharmaceutic als were fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin C 17 H 18 FN 3 O 3 , norfloxacin C 16 H 18 FN 3 O 3 and ofloxacin C 18 H 20 FN 3 O 4) and sulfonamides (sulfadimethoxine C 12 H 14 N 4 O 4 S and sulfamethoxazole C 10 H 11 N 3 O 3 S). Different composting technologies were applied. The selection of drugs was made considering the extent of consumption, resistance in soil and the results of plant uptake studies. The presence of these substances in sewage sludge and possible accumulation in plants are acknowledged, but little information is available on their degradation. No systematic work concerning biodegradation of pharmaceuticals when using different sewage sludge composting technologies has been published. This study shows that composting remarkably reduces the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals. In most experiments their concentrations decreased by 95% or more during 4 months of composting. The best results were obtained when the sludge was mixed with sawdust. In the case of using straw or peat instead the decomposition rates were lower.
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