Removal of antimicrobials using advanced wastewater treatment

► Removal of antimicrobials from highly contaminated wastewater, applying a combination of membrane bioreactors (MBRs), nanofiltration, reverse osmosis and ozonation, was studied. ► Microbial transformation represented the main removal mechanism in MBR treatment, however the removal of macrolides, fluoroquinolones and trimethoprim was incomplete. ► High removal rates were achieved by filtration techniques but the problem associated with highly contaminated concentrate remains a major problem. ► Ozonation represents an efficient complementary technique but a more detailed characterization of the formed ozonation products is needed.