Big data analytics of antibiotic toxicity and inhibition in anammox systems: A review

Anaerobic ammonia oxidation (Anammox) is facing challenges from the widespread antibiotics. This review provides state-of-the-art information on anammox-antibiotics research field by illustrating the temporal evolution of over 1000 datasets from the past decades. The impact of three typical types of antibiotics (fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, tetracyclines) on anammox systems was assessed using big data analysis. The order of the inhibitory effects on the anammox system was demonstrated as tetracyclines, sulfonamides, and fluoroquinolones. Four distinct inhibition levels of no-, mild-, moderate- and severe inhibition were categorized, and their specific concentration ranges were further quantified with big data analysis. The inhibitory mechanism of antibiotics on anammox systems diverges depending on the type of antibiotic. Moving forward, research needs for pretreatment in the context of antibiotic inhibition and future research directions were discussed. Consequently, this review is expected to offer comprehensive insights into the quantified impact of antibiotics on anammox technology.