Treatment of amoxicillin-containing wastewater by Trichoderma strains selected from activated sludge

This study screened a Trichoderma strain (Trichoderma pubescens DAOM 166162) from activated sludge to solve the limi-tation of traditional biological processes in the treatment of amoxicillin (AMO) containing wastewater. The mechanism of the removal of AMO wastewater by T. pubescens DAOM 166162 (TPC) was studied. AMO resulted in a higher protein per-centage in the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secreted by TPC, which facilitated the removal of AMO from the wastewater. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and excitation-emission matrix were used to characterize EPS pro-duced by metabolizing different carbon sources. It was found that the hydroxyl group was the primary functional group in EPS. The life activity of TPC was the cause of the pH rise. The main pathway of degradation of AMO by TPC was the hydroxyl group uncoupling the lactam ring and the hydrolysis of AMO in an alkaline environment. The removal efficiency of AMO in wastewater by TPC was >98 % (24 h), of which the biodegradation efficiency was 70.01 +/- 1.48 %, and the biosorption efficiency was 28.44 +/- 2.97 %. In general, TPC is an effective strain for treating wastewater contain-ing AMO. This research provides a new idea for AMO wastewater treatment.

Automated summary

This study investigated the potential of a Trichoderma strain (Trichoderma pubescens DAOM 166162) isolated from activated sludge for the treatment of amoxicillin (AMO) containing wastewater. The study revealed that the strain's removal of AMO was facilitated by the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) with a higher protein percentage. The primary degradation pathway of AMO by the strain was the hydroxyl group uncoupling the lactam ring and subsequent hydrolysis in an alkaline environment.