Adsorption of Toxic Tetracycline, Thiamphenicol and Sulfamethoxazole by a Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) under Different Conditions

Abstract

Activated carbon can be applied to the treatment of wastewater loading with different types of pollutants. In this paper, a kind of activated carbon in granular form (GAC) was utilized to eliminate antibiotics from an aqueous solution, in which Tetracycline (TC), Thiamphenicol (THI), and Sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) were selected as the testing pollutants. The specific surface area, total pore volume, and micropore volume of GAC were 1059.011 m2/g, 0.625 cm3/g, and 0.488 cm3/g, respectively. The sorption capacity of GAC towards TC, THI, and SMZ was evaluated based on the adsorption kinetics and isotherm. It was found that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model described the sorption of TC, THI, and SMZ on GAC better than the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. According to the Langmuir isotherm model, the maximum adsorption capacity of GAC towards TC, THI, and SMZ was calculated to be 17.02, 30.40, and 26.77 mg/g, respectively. Thermodynamic parameters of ΔG°, ΔS°, and ΔH° were obtained, indicating that all the sorptions were spontaneous and exothermic in nature. These results provided a knowledge base on using activated carbon to remove TC, THI, and SMZ from water.

Optimization of Binary Adsorption of Metronidazole and Sulfamethoxazole in Aqueous Solution Supported with DFT Calculations

“…Among the most common drugs are antibiotics, which are a great environmental concern because most of these have low biodegradability in aerobic conditions [2]. Antibiotics are used in humans and animals, but the organisms cannot fully absorb them, and they are released into the environment in an active form [3]. Then, antibiotics can create an adverse effect on aquatic fauna through bioaccumulation, and consequently, enter the food chain and the human body again [3].…”

“…Antibiotics are used in humans and animals, but the organisms cannot fully absorb them, and they are released into the environment in an active form [3]. Then, antibiotics can create an adverse effect on aquatic fauna through bioaccumulation, and consequently, enter the food chain and the human body again [3]. Thus, the ingestion of antibiotic residues can alter the human microbiome and promote emergence and selection for bacteria resistance in the body [4].…”

“…Adsorption processes, considered a conventional technology, have been widely studied for the removal of pharmaceutical compounds due to their easy application, low cost, high efficiency, large-scale application, and above all, because they do not involve the generation of toxic by-products or intermediates [16,17]. This technology has been applied successfully to 30 different antibiotic compound elimination [3]. Several adsorbents have been used for the adsorption of SMX and MNZ, such as clays, metal-organic frameworks, and activated carbon materials (AC).…”

“…In this sense, Ariyanto et al [19] studied the effect of pore structure and surface oxidation of a nanoporous carbon on the adsorption performance of MNZ, finding that the oxidized carbon material favored MNZ adsorption. In the case of SMX, Li et al [3] have evaluated the adsorption of SMX on AC, finding a maximum adsorption capacity of 26.77 mg g −1 . In our research group, the single adsorption of MNZ and SMX on AC has been carried out, finding that the adsorption process is dominated by π-π dispersive interactions [2,20].…”

Metal Nanoparticles and Nano-Filters for the Disposal of Hospital Waste: A Review

“…These methods create a fresh solid residue (membrane), similar to adsorption, where the pollutant is focused. These methods have mainly been combined with other approaches up until now [106][107][108]. NF is a temperature-sensitive process that depends on organic substances naturally present in the water matrix, the concentration of dissolved salts, and feed pump pressure (this parameter also has a significant impact on the hydraulic flux balance between steps and the solubility of the dissolved salts in the effluent).…”