The influence of external resistance on the performance of microbial fuel cell and the removal of sulfamethoxazole wastewater

[Display omitted] •Appropriate external resistance (Rext) is vital for performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs).•Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) is degraded more efficiently at 1000 Ω Rext.•Both Rext and SMX affect the relative abundance of anode microbial community.•Fewer antibiotic resistance genes are produced in removing SMX at 1000 Ω Rext. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are promising equipment for simultaneous treatment of sewage and power generation. External resistance (Rext) plays a crucial impact in the performance of MFCs in antibiotic wastewater treatment and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) reduction. In this study, Rext and whether to add 20 mg/L sulfamethoxazole (SMX) as variables, it was observed that the performance of several chemical properties of MFCs was optimal when Rext was 1000 Ω. The power density before and after addition of SMX was 1220.5 ± 24.5 mW/m2 and 1186.2 ± 9.2 mW/m2, respectively; Furthermore, the degradation rate of SMX was as high as 87.52 ± 1.97% within 48 h. High-throughput sequencing results showed that both Rext and SMX affected the microbial community and relative abundance of the phylum and genera. Meanwhile, the MFCs with 1000 Ω Rext generated less the targeted ARGs. Experimental results showed that 1000 Ω was the most suitable Rext for MFCs in the treatment of antibiotic wastewater.