Addressing Global Antibiotic Contamination: Effective Degradation of Ciprofloxacin with Ozone Microbubbles—A Comprehensive Study of Spectroscopic, Kinetic, and Antibacterial Effects

Abstract

The shared goal of one health and global health is to optimize health outcomes for individuals, communities, and ecosystems worldwide through collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches. A critical challenge within this framework is antimicrobial resistance (AMR), where microorganisms adapt to antibiotic exposure, posing significant threats to public health. Of particular concern is the high concentration of antibiotics and their residues found in the hospital wastewater (HWW) due to inadequate treatment technologies [1]. Ciprofloxacin [CIP; C17H18FN3O3 ] (Fig. 1) is one of the most reported antibiotic pollutants in the environment [2,3]. CIP was detected at concentrations of 2,6 mg/L and 28–31 mg/L in the effluent of HWW [4] and pharmaceutical manufacturing unit [5], and reported with values as high as 6.5 mg/L in two Brazilian lakes [6,7], but it is worth noting that this low level micro-pollutant increased the possibility of resistance development in HWW [8,9] ...