Kinetic Studies on Penicillin G Removal from Aqueous Environments by Cupric Oxide Nanoparticles

Abstract

Excessive use of antibiotics and their disposal into the environment poses a serious threat to public health (1). Penicillin G (PG) injection is used to treat and prevent a wide range of infections caused by bacteria, and pHheat sensitivity has been reported for this beta-lactam antibiotic (2). It spontaneously dissolves in water, as well as isotonic sodium chloride and dextrose solutions (3, 4). Different methods, including electrolysis (5, 6), adsorption (7, 8), oxidation (9), biodegradation (10), and dissolved air flotation (1, 2), are used to remove PG from contaminated water. The adsorption process has an extensive application in industries for the elimination of organic pollutants (11). Granular activated carbons are widely utilized adsorbing materials; nonetheless, they are hardly regenerated (12). Nanoparticles (NPs) are tiny materials sized within 1-100 nanometers (nm). Today NPs have a widespread application in various