Mitigating Antimicrobial Resistance in Agricultural Wastewater Using Nano-Ozone.

Antibiotics are widely used in animal agriculture to maintain livestock health, but residues of these pharmaceuticals and the genes that make bacteria resistant to them often end up in wastewater from farms. These contaminants can persist in waste and lagoon systems that are used to store and treat manure, and these contaminants can eventually reach the environment. Their spread contributes to antimicrobial resistance, a serious public health challenge that affects communities, food systems, and environmental quality. As antibiotic-resistant bacteria become harder to treat, the economic and health impacts expand beyond farms to hospitals, families, and communities. This project addresses the urgent need for safer and more effective ways to remove antibiotics and resistance genes from agricultural wastewater.To address this challenge, the project will test a new wastewater treatment approach known as ozone nanobubble technology. This method uses extremely small but highly stable bubbles containing ozone, a strong disinfectant, to help break down antibiotics and deactivate resistance-related genes. The research team will generate these nanobubbles, test them in small laboratory systems, and then evaluate the technology in a larger 50- liter setup using real wastewater from swine farms. Throughout the project, the team will measure how quickly the nanobubbles of ozone remove antibiotics and reduce the genetic material linked to antimicrobial resistance. The new technology will be compared to existing methods of ozonation for comparison. The work will also involve hands-on training for students, collaboration across engineering and microbiology teams, and engagement with agricultural producers and Extension specialists who may one day use this technologyIf successful, this project will provide scientific evidence for a new, efficient, and potentially low-cost treatment method that could help farms reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Cleaner wastewater means safer reuse of water on farms, lower risks to rural workers and nearby communities, and reduced environmental contamination. The project also lays the foundation for future large-scale systems that could help protect public health, support sustainable agricultural practices, and strengthen rural economies. By improving how we manage antibiotics in farm wastewater, this project contributes to long-term goals of safer food production, healthier communities, and more environmentally responsible agriculture.