Treatment of antibiotic fermentation effluents using charcoal adsorption

Activated carbon (AC) is widely used as an adsorbent in multiple sectors, including the pharmaceutical, chemical, beverage, and food industries. This study investigates the removal of organic materials from antibiotic fermentation effluents using powdered AC at various temperatures. Pristinamycin was synthesized by cultivating Streptomyces pristinaespiralis with date syrup as a glucose substitute. The fermentation effluent was treated with activated charcoal to reduce biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Optimal removal was achieved with 30 mg/L of activated charcoal at 25°C. Under these conditions, COD decreased by approximately 52%, and 5-day BOD decreased by approximately 9.1% compared to the untreated effluent. Increasing the AC dose enhanced the efficiency of COD removal. Based on these findings, AC adsorption of antibiotic pristinamycin from wastewater appears to be a viable treatment option.