Application of nanocomposite polyelectrolytes for the removal of antibiotics as emerging pollutants in water

In this work, nanocomposite polyelectrolytes (NCPs) based on alkylated chitosan macromonomers, ionic monomers, and 2D nanofillers of montmorillonite clay types were used to eliminate emerging contaminants, such as amoxicillin (AMX), tetracycline (TET), and ciprofloxacin (CIP), in water. For the removal studies, the effects of pH, ionic strength, amount of adsorbent, and kinetic and isothermic processes were studied. Removal percentages of 65.0, 81.4, and 76.7 were obtained at pH 9.0, 11.0, and 11.0 for CIP, TET, and AMX, respectively. It was also demonstrated that as the ionic strength increased, the elimination percentage decreased due to competition between sodium and chloride ions for the active sites on the adsorbent. Higher adsorption was obtained at an adsorbent dose of 0.03 g for CIP, AMX and 0.02 g for TET. The adsorption kinetics showed that both the pseudofirst-order model and pseudo-second-order model described the adsorption process, and the maximum adsorption capacity was at 30 min due to the availability of active sites present in the NCPs. Regarding the maximum retention adhesion capacity, the Langmuir isotherm was described as measuring values of 58.6, 291.7, and 97.6 mg g-1 for CIP, TET, and AMX at 298 K, respectively.

Automated summary

In this study, nanocomposite polyelectrolytes were used to eliminate emerging contaminants in water. The effects of pH, ionic strength, and adsorbent dose on the removal process were investigated. The results showed that the adsorption kinetics and isotherm models described the process well.