Anaerobic Digestion in the Presence of Antimicrobials—Characteristics of Its Parameters and the Structure of Methanogens

Antibiotics are widely used in human and veterinary medicine, they accumulated various types of waste, including sewage sludge (SS) cattle slurry (CS), processed by anaerobic digestion (AD). Anaerobic treatment is a method enabling the stabilization these substrates before transferring to environment. The presence contaminants, such as antimicrobials, organic AD not regulated law. accumulation antimicrobials SS CS crucial issue because it may reduce effectiveness their stabilization. This study aimed evaluate long-term impact growing concentrations mixture antibiotics on CS. Methane (CH4) yield, which main indicator efficiency AD, was determined. Antibiotic exposure significantly decreased CH4 production only (by 5–8% relative control; p < 0.05). copy numbers mcrA gene, functional marker methanogenesis, were reliable indicators yields either substrate. During average gene determined at 108 1 g digestate from 109 samples. At end methanogens belonging family Methanosarcinaceae more prevalent than Methanosaetaceae both samples (107 108–109 copies digestate, respectively).