Assessment of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma (CAPP) Treatment for Degradation of Antibiotic Residues in Water

The presence of antibiotic residues in water is linked to the emergence of antibiotic resistance globally and necessitates novel decontamination strategies to minimize antibiotic residue exposure in both the environment and food. A holistic assessment of cold atmospheric pressure plasma technology (CAPP) for & beta;-lactam antibiotic residue removal is described in this study. CAPP operating parameters including plasma jet voltage, gas composition and treatment time were optimized, with highest & beta;-lactam degradation efficiencies obtained for a helium jet operated at 6 kV. Main by-products detected indicate pH-driven peroxidation as a main mechanism of CAPP-induced decomposition of & beta;-lactams. No in vitro hepatocytotoxicity was observed in HepG2 cells following exposure to treated samples, and E. coli exposed to CAPP-degraded & beta;-lactams did not exhibit resistance development. In surface water, over 50% decrease in antibiotic levels was achieved after only 5 min of treatment. However, high dependence of treatment efficiency on residue concentration, pH and presence of polar macromolecules was observed.

Automated summary

This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of cold atmospheric pressure plasma technology (CAPP) for the removal of β-lactam antibiotic residues. Optimized operating parameters were identified, and the highest degradation efficiencies were achieved using a helium jet operated at 6 kV. The main by-products detected indicate that pH-driven peroxidation is the main mechanism of CAPP-induced decomposition of β-lactams. No hepatocytotoxicity was observed in HepG2 cells, and E. coli exposed to CAPP-degraded β-lactams did not develop resistance. Over 50% decrease in antibiotic levels was achieved after only 5 min of treatment in surface water, but treatment efficiency depended on residue concentration, pH, and the presence of polar macromolecules.