Feasibility of ULtrafiLtration membranes for REMOVAL of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes from secondary effluents from wastewater treatment plants

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) guarantee that contaminated water is released back to the environment in safe conditions.

However, due to the rise in antibiotic consumption all over the world, they have become hotspots for the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs).

Antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens is responsible for the death of thousands of people every year and thus, a high-priority issue for the WHO and the EU.

The use of ultrafiltration membranes as physical post-treatment is considered a promising solution for the effective removal of ARB and eARGs from WWTP effluents. However, this alternative has been studied to a limited extent and many questions remain to be tackled.

FULLREMOVAL is a training-through-research project aimed at filling these knowledge gaps by investigating: a) the abundance of ARB and eARGs in a local WWTP together with the capacity of eARGs to transform non-resistant bacteria (specific objective-SO1), b) the efficiency of ultrafiltration membranes to remove ARB and eARGs from secondary effluents (SO2) and c) the role of biofouling layer formation for the spread of ARB and eARGs (SO3).

The interdisciplinary approach of the hereby presented project combines advanced water technology with innovative microbiological analyses and will help to find mitigation strategies for one of the major global health threats of this century.

FULLREMOVAL’s achievements will be beneficial for sanitary services all over Europe as well as adjacent sectors such as the pharmaceutical industry and water resource management.

Above all, the whole society will benefit from shedding light on this important public health issue.The experience and prestige of the UFZ in conducting environmental research in all of its facets combined with the scientific expertise of the fellow in membrane technology will make the perfect tandem for the successful development of FULLREMOVAL.