Effects of graphite, graphene, and graphene oxide on the anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge and food waste: Attention to methane production and the fate of antibiotic resistance genes

Abstract

This study explored and compared the influence of graphite, graphene, and graphene oxide (GO) on the performance of anaerobic co-digestion fed with sewage sludge and food waste, the variations of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and the evolution of microbial community. Graphene exhibited the best performance for improving methane production and organic degradation, which increased by 36.09% and 23.07% compared with control group. The experimental results showed that graphene had the greatest influence on the removal efficiency of blaOXA-1, macrolide resistance genes (ermF and ermB), and some tetracycline resistance genes (tetQ and tetX); however, the removal efficiency of sulfonamide resistance genes (sul1 and sul2), intI1, and some tetracycline resistance genes (tetM, tetO, and tetW) were highest when GO was added. Network analysis indicated that the host cells of mefA, ermB, and tetO were different from other ARG host cells; moreover, graphene controlled the horizontal transfer of ARGs between microbial communities.

Keywords: Anaerobic digestion; Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs); Graphene; Graphene oxide; Graphite.