Toxicity multidimensional heterogeneity in antibiotic degradation: development and application of entropy-weighted...

The evaluation of the toxicity evolution of antibiotic wastewater during advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) treatment is crucial for its environmental safety assessment. However, current evaluation methods relying on software simulations, such as ECOSAR and T.E.S.T., exhibit significant toxicity multidimensional heterogeneity (TMH), with considerable discrepancies in the predicted outcomes for different toxicity endpoints, leading to unreliable risk assessments. In this study, we systematically analyze the limitations of existing toxicity evaluation tools and propose a novel entropy-weighted integrated toxicity index (T) to overcome the TMH issue. Using tetracycline as a model antibiotic, our results demonstrate that traditional software fails to effectively capture key risk transitions. In contrast, the entropy-weighted-based method objectively prioritizes toxicity indicators, enabling accurate identification of high-risk intermediates and degradation pathways. Additionally, we reveal the occurrence of a "pseudo-detoxification" phenomenon during degradation and elucidate the selective mechanisms of different advanced oxidation systems in determining degradation pathways. This study provides a reliable framework for optimizing AOPs, ensuring degradation efficiency while minimizing byproduct risks, and offers theoretical support for the development of environmentally sustainable water treatment strategies.