Treatment of antibiotic mycelial fermentation residue: The critical review

Antibiotic mycelial fermentation residue (AMFR) is a solid waste generated during the fermentation for the production of antibiotic drugs. As a state-specified hazardous waste, it causes huge environmental pollution due to the large yields, high contaminants, and the inevitable residual of antibiotics. The clean treatments of AMFR are facing difficulties. In this paper, the types, characteristics and perniciousness of AMFR are reviewed, and the feasible thermochemical technologies and non-thermochemical technologies are also introduced. Particularly, the thermochemical technologies are systematic summarized, including incineration, hydrothermal treatment and pyrolysis /gasification. The general evaluations, environmental impact, applications and research progress of thermochemical technologies are comparatively analyzed. At the same time, it is hoped to provide some useful information for treating AMFR. For example, torrefaction, as a pretreatment, can eliminate the biological hazards and provide benefits for downstream thermal treatments. With this review, it shed a light on AMDR treatment during production process of antibiotic drugs, and promoted the sustainable and sound development of pharmaceutical industry of our country.