Transformation risks of antibiotics in constructed wetlands and safety control strategies

LU Jiaxing; HU Zhen; LIU Huaqing; KONG Qiang; CUI Shixuan; JI Mingde; ZHANG Jian

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202610009

Volume 44 Issue 10

Oct. 2026

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LU Jiaxing, HU Zhen, LIU Huaqing, KONG Qiang, CUI Shixuan, JI Mingde, ZHANG Jian. Transformation risks of antibiotics in constructed wetlands and safety control strategies[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(10): 86-96. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202610009

Citation:

LU Jiaxing, HU Zhen, LIU Huaqing, KONG Qiang, CUI Shixuan, JI Mingde, ZHANG Jian. Transformation risks of antibiotics in constructed wetlands and safety control strategies[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(10): 86-96. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202610009

Citation:

LU Jiaxing, HU Zhen, LIU Huaqing, KONG Qiang, CUI Shixuan, JI Mingde, ZHANG Jian. Transformation risks of antibiotics in constructed wetlands and safety control strategies[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(10): 86-96. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202610009

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Transformation risks of antibiotics in constructed wetlands and safety control strategies

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202610009

1. Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Emerging Contaminants Risk Prevention and Control, College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Ji'nan 250014, China;
2. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China;
3. College of Safety and Environmental Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China;
4. College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Shandong Normal University, Ji'nan 250014, China

Received Date: 2026-08-20
Available Online: 2026-11-10

Abstract

Abstract

Constructed wetlands are an important technological approach for regional reclaimed water recycling and reuse， offering advantages such as low carbon emissions and low economic costs while effectively removing antibiotics. However， the removal of antibiotics in constructed wetlands does not necessarily imply a corresponding reduction in ecological risks， as microbial transformation may generate transformation products with higher toxicity， which may pose secondary environmental risks. To address these concerns， this review systematically summarizes the major removal pathways of antibiotics in constructed wetlands， with particular emphasis on the typical microbial transformation pathways， product formation characteristics， and potential ecological risks of different antibiotic classes. It further analyzes in detail the regulatory effects of design and operational parameters， including dissolved oxygen， hydraulic retention time， temperature， substrate type， and wetland configuration， on antibiotic transformation. In addition， enhanced constructed wetland technologies for achieving the safe transformation of antibiotics are proposed， and future research directions are discussed， including the synergistic control of co-contamination involving antibiotic transformation products， the elucidation of antibiotic resistance selection mechanisms， and the development of comprehensive risk assessment frameworks.
- constructed wetlands,
- antibiotics,
- transformation product,
- transformation pathway,
- safe transformation

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References(66)

References

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