Abstract Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment are of great concern due to their potential risk to human health. The effluents from wastewater treatment plants and livestock production are major sources of ARB and ARGs. Chlorination, UV irradiation, and ozone disinfection cannot remove ARGs completely. In this study, the potential of electrochemical oxidation and electro-Fenton processes as alternative treatment technologies for inactivation of ARB and ARGs in both intracellular and extracellular forms was evaluated. Results showed that the electrochemical oxidation process was effective for the inactivation of selected ARB but not for the removal of intracellular ARGs or extracellular ARGs. The electro-Fenton process was more effective for the removal of both intracellular and extracellular ARGs. The removal efficiency after 120 min of electro-Fenton treatment under 21.42 mA/cm2 was 3.8 logs for intracellular tetA, 4.1 logs for intracellular ampC, 5.2 logs for extracellular tetA, and 4.8 logs for extracellular ampC, respectively in the presence of 1.0 mmol/L Fe2+. It is suggested that electrochemical oxidation is an effective disinfection method for ARB and the electro-Fenton process is a promising technology for the removal of both intracellular and extracellular ARGs in wastewater.

中文翻译：

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电化学氧化/电芬顿过程灭活抗生素耐药细菌和抗生素耐药基因

摘要环境中的抗生素抗性细菌（ARB）和抗生素抗性基因（ARG）因其对人类健康的潜在风险而受到高度关注。废水处理厂和畜牧业生产的废水是ARB和ARG的主要来源。氯化、紫外线照射和臭氧消毒不能完全去除ARG。在这项研究中，评估了电化学氧化和电芬顿过程作为细胞内和细胞外形式的 ARB 和 ARG 失活替代处理技术的潜力。结果表明，电化学氧化过程可有效灭活选定的 ARB，但不能有效去除细胞内 ARG 或细胞外 ARG。电芬顿过程对于去除细胞内和细胞外 ARG 更有效。在 1.0 mmol/cm2 浓度下，电芬顿处理 120 分钟后，细胞内 tetA 的去除效率为 3.8 log，细胞内 ampC 的去除效率为 4.1 log，细胞外 tetA 的去除效率为 5.2 log，细胞外 ampC 的去除效率为 4.8 log。 L Fe2+。电化学氧化是一种有效的 ARB 消毒方法，电 Fenton 工艺是去除废水中细胞内和细胞外 ARGs 的一种有前景的技术。