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Digestate from Agricultural Biogas Plants as a Reservoir of Antimicrobials and Antibiotic Resistance Genes—Implications for the Environment

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  • Izabela Wolak

    (Department of Water Protection Engineering and Environmental Microbiology, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Prawocheńskiego 1, 10-720 Olsztyn, Poland)

  • Sylwia Bajkacz

    (Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka 2, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland)

  • Monika Harnisz

    (Department of Water Protection Engineering and Environmental Microbiology, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Prawocheńskiego 1, 10-720 Olsztyn, Poland)

  • Klaudia Stando

    (Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka 2, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland)

  • Magdalena Męcik

    (Department of Water Protection Engineering and Environmental Microbiology, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Prawocheńskiego 1, 10-720 Olsztyn, Poland)

  • Ewa Korzeniewska

    (Department of Water Protection Engineering and Environmental Microbiology, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Prawocheńskiego 1, 10-720 Olsztyn, Poland)

Abstract

Antimicrobials and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in substrates processed during anaerobic digestion in agricultural biogas plants (BPs) can reach the digestate ( D ), which is used as fertilizer. Antimicrobials and ARGs can be transferred to agricultural land, which increases their concentrations in the environment. The concentrations of 13 antibiotics in digestate samples from biogas plants (BPs) were investigated in this study. The abundance of ARGs encoding resistance to beta-lactams, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones, macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin antibiotics, and the integrase genes were determined in the analyzed samples. The presence of cadmium, lead, nickel, chromium, zinc, and mercury was also examined. Antimicrobials were not eliminated during anaerobic digestion. Their concentrations differed in digestates obtained from different substrates and in liquid and solid fractions (ranging from 62.8 ng/g clarithromycin in the solid fraction of sewage sludge digestate to 1555.9 ng/L doxycycline in the liquid fraction of cattle manure digestate). Digestates obtained from plant-based substrates were characterized by high concentrations of ARGs (ranging from 5.73 × 10 2 copies/g D cfx A to 2.98 × 10 9 copies/g D sul 1). The samples also contained mercury (0.5 mg/kg dry mass (dm)) and zinc (830 mg/kg dm). The results confirmed that digestate is a reservoir of ARGs (5.73 × 10 2 to 8.89 × 10 10 copies/g D ) and heavy metals (HMs). In addition, high concentrations of integrase genes (10 5 to 10 7 copies/g D ) in the samples indicate that mobile genetic elements may be involved in the spread of antibiotic resistance. The study suggested that the risk of soil contamination with antibiotics, HMs, and ARGs is high in farms where digestate is used as fertilizer.

Suggested Citation

  • Izabela Wolak & Sylwia Bajkacz & Monika Harnisz & Klaudia Stando & Magdalena Męcik & Ewa Korzeniewska, 2023. "Digestate from Agricultural Biogas Plants as a Reservoir of Antimicrobials and Antibiotic Resistance Genes—Implications for the Environment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-19, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:3:p:2672-:d:1055111
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ramm, Patrice & Terboven, Christiane & Neitmann, Elisabeth & Sohling, Ulrich & Mumme, Jan & Herrmann, Christiane, 2019. "Optimized production of biomethane as an energy vector from low-solids biomass using novel magnetic biofilm carriers," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 251(C), pages 1-1.
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