Continuous flow adsorption of ciprofloxacin by using a nanostructured chitin/graphene oxide hybrid material

Monolayer Adsorption of Ciprofloxacin on Magnetic Inulin/Mg-Zn-Al Layered Double Hydroxide: Advanced Interpretation of the Adsorption Process

In this study, magnetic inulin/Mg-Zn-Al layered double hydroxide (MILDH) was synthesized for the adsorption of ciprofloxacin. The application of various analytical techniques confirmed the successful formation of MILDH. For the optimization of controllable factors, Taguchi design was applied and optimum values were obtained as equilibrium time─100 min, adsorbent dose─20 mg, and ciprofloxacin concentration─30 mg/L. The highest capacity of the material was recorded as 196.19 mg/g at 298 K. Langmuir model (R2 = 0.9669-0.9832) fitted best as compared to the Freundlich model (R2 = 0.9588-0.9657), concluded the monolayer adsorption of ciprofloxacin on MILDH. Statistical physics model M 2 was found to fit best to measured data (R2 = 0.9982-0.9989), indicating that the binding of ciprofloxacin took place on two types of receptor sites (n1 and n2). The multidocking mechanism with horizontal position was suggested on the first receptor site (n1 < 1), while multimolecular adsorption of ciprofloxacin lying vertically on the second receptor site (n2 > 1) at all temperatures. The adsorption energies (E1 = 22.79-27.20 kJ/mol; E2 = 18.00-19.46 kJ/mol) illustrated that the adsorption of ciprofloxacin onto MILDH occurred through physical forces. Best fitting of the fractal-like pseudo-first-order kinetic model (R2 = 0.9982-0.9992) indicated that the adsorption of ciprofloxacin happened on the MILDH surface having different energies. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis further confirmed the adsorption mechanism of ciprofloxacin onto MILDH.

Chitin/calcite composite extracted from shell waste as a low-cost adsorbent for removal of tetracycline and ciprofloxacin: Effects and mechanisms

Recently, water contamination caused by the misuse of antibiotics has become a growing concern. In this study, an economical chitin/calcite composite (CCA) was extracted from crab shell waste, and the effects and mechanisms of its removal of ciprofloxacin (CIP) and tetracycline (TC) from aqueous solution were investigated. The functional groups of chitin and the metal phase of calcite gave CCA the ability to remove antibiotics. Experiments on kinetics, isothermal adsorption, thermodynamics, co-removal, and reusability were conducted to systematically explore the adsorption performances of CCA toward antibiotics. The pseudo-second-order (FSO) and Langmuir models suited the data obtained from experiments best and displayed a good fit for the chemisorption and a certain homogeneity of adsorption sites. At 25 °C, the maximum adsorption capacities (Qmax) toward CIP and TC were 228.86 and 150.76 mg g-1, respectively. The adsorption mechanisms of CCA with TC and CIP are pH dependent since pH can affect the surface charge of CCA and the form in which CIP and TC are existing. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) demonstrated that the keto-O and carboxyl groups of CIP and the carbonyl, hydroxyl, and amido groups of TC could be responsible for the binding with the calcite and the functional groups of chitin through surface complexation, cation bridge and hydrogen bonding.

Waste-Based Ceramsite for the Efficient Removal of Ciprofloxacin in Aqueous Solutions

Ciprofloxacin (CIP), a compound with bioaccumulation toxicity and antibiotic resistance, is frequently detected in water at alarming concentrations, which is becoming an increasing concern. In this study, a low-cost ceramsite was developed from industrial solid wastes through sintering to remove CIP from wastewater. The effects of adsorbent dosage, initial pH, contact time, initial CIP concentration, and temperature were explored. More than 99% of CIP (20-60 mg/L) was removed at around pH 2-4 by the ceramsite. The kinetic data fitted well with the pseudo-second-order model, revealing that chemisorption was the main rate-determining step. The isotherm data was better described by the Freundlich model, suggesting that CIP was removed by the formation of multiple layers on the heterogeneous surface. Moreover, the removal efficiency was practically higher than 95% during five regeneration cycles, when different regeneration methods were used, including calcination, HCl, and NaOH washing, indicating that the ceramsite exhibited outstanding reusability in removing CIP. The primary mechanism of CIP removal by the ceramsite was found to be the synergism of adsorption and flocculation, both of which depended on the release of Ca²⁺ from the ceramsite. In addition, strong Ca-CIP complexes could be formed through surface complexation and metal cation bridging between Ca²⁺ and different functional groups in CIP.

Remediation of pharmaceutical pollutants using graphene-based materials - A review on operating conditions, mechanism and toxicology

Graphene is a high surface area special carbon compound with exceptional biological, electronic and mechanical properties. Graphene-based materials are potential components used in water treatment on different modes and processes. Ibuprofen and ciprofloxacin are two commonly found pharmaceutical contaminants discharged into water bodies from industrial, domestic and hospital sources. Their concentration levels in water bodies are reported in the range of 1 μg/L to 6.5 mg/L and 0.050-100 μg/L respectively. Their toxic effects pose very high risk to the inhabiting organisms. Their ability to resist biodegradation and capacity to bioaccumulate makes the conventional methods less effective in removal. In the present article, treatment of these compounds via three methods, adsorption, photocatalytic degradation and electro-fenton reactions using graphene-based materials along with the methods adopted for synthesis and treatment are reviewed. The uptakes obtained by graphene-derived adsorbents are presented along with the optimal operating conditions. Studies reported complete removal of ibuprofen from wastewater was achieved at 7 pH for 60 min using graphene membrane as adsorbent and uptake of 99% of ciprofloxacin was exhibited for graphene nanoplates/boron nitrate aerogel at a pH of 7 and 60 min. The reduced graphene oxide surface exhibits higher affinity to light adsorption which leads to the formation of photo generated electrons. The future perspectives for improved applications of graphene-based materials and the research gap currently existing are highlighted.

Efficient removal of antibiotics from water resources is a public health priority: a critical assessment of the efficacy of some remediation strategies for antibiotics in water

This review discusses the fundamental principles and mechanism of antibiotic removal from water of some commonly applied treatment techniques including chlorination, ozonation, UV-irradiation, Fenton processes, photocatalysis, electrochemical-oxidation, plasma, biochar, anaerobicdigestion, activated carbon and nanomaterials. Some experimental shortfalls identified by researchers such as certain characteristics of degradation agent applied and the strategies explored to override the identified limitations are briefly discussed. Depending on interactions of a range of factors including the type of antibiotic compound, operational parameters applied such as pH, temperature and treatment time, among other factors, all reviewed techniques can eliminate or reduce the levels of antibiotic compounds in water to varying extents. Some of the reviewed techniques such as anaerobic digestion generally require longer treatment times (up to 360, 193 and 170 days, according to some studies), while others such as photocatalysis achieved degradation within short contact time (within a minimum of 30, but up to 60, 240, 300 and 1880 minutes, in some cases). For some treatment techniques such as ozonation and Fenton, it is apparent that subjecting compounds to longer treatment times may improve elimination efficiency, whereas for some other techniques such as nanotechnology, application of longer treatment time generally meant comparatively minimal elimination efficiency. Based on the findings of experimental studies summarized, it is apparent that operational parameters such as pH and treatment time, while critical, do not exert sole or primary influence on the elimination percentage(s) achieved. Elimination efficiency achieved rather seems to be due more to the force of a combination of several factors.

Chitin-biocalcium as a novel superior composite for ciprofloxacin removal: Synergism of adsorption and flocculation

The ubiquitous present antibiotics in aquatic environment is attracting increasing concern due to the dual problems of bioaccumulation toxicity and antibiotic resistance. In this study, a low-cost chitin-biocalcium (CC) composite was developed by a facile alkali activation process from shell waste for typical antibiotics ciprofloxacin (CIP) removal. Response surface methodology (RSM) was utilized to optimize synthesis methodology. The optimized CC products featured superior CIP removal capacity of 2432 mg/g at 25 °C (adsorption combined with flocculation), rapid adsorption kinetics, high removal efficiency (95.58%) and wide pH adaptability (under pH range 4.0-10.0). The functional groups in chitin and high content of biocalcium (Ca²⁺) endowed CC abundant active sites. The kinetic experimental data was fitted well by pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion model at different concentrations, revealing the removal was controlled by chemisorption and mass transport step. From the macroscopic aspect, flocs were produced with the increase of CIP concentration during the reaction, adsorption combined with flocculation were related to the CIP removal. From the microcosmic aspect, the superior removal performance was attributed to cation bridging, cation complexation among biocalcium-CIP and hydrogen bond between functional groups of chitin and CIP.

Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials for the Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Wastewater: A Critical Review

The removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater is critical due to their considerable risk on ecosystems and human health. Additionally, they are resistant to conventional chemical and biological remediation methods. Two-dimensional nanomaterials are a promising approach to face this challenge due to their combination of high surface areas, high electrical conductivities, and partially optical transparency. This review discusses the state-of-the-art concerning their use as adsorbents, oxidation catalysts or photocatalysts, and electrochemical catalysts for water treatment purposes. The bibliographic search bases upon academic databases including articles published until August 2021. Regarding adsorption, high removal capacities (>200 mg g−1) and short equilibrium times (<30 min) are reported for molybdenum disulfide, metal-organic frameworks, MXenes, and graphene oxide/magnetite nanocomposites, attributed to a strong adsorbate-adsorbent chemical interaction. Concerning photocatalysis, MXenes and carbon nitride heterostructures show enhanced charge carriers separation, favoring the generation of reactive oxygen species to degrade most pharmaceuticals. Peroxymonosulfate activation via pure or photo-assisted catalytic oxidation is promising to completely degrade many compounds in less than 30 min. Future work should be focused on the exploration of greener synthesis methods, regeneration, and recycling at the end-of-life of two-dimensional materials towards their successful large-scale production and application.

Enhancement of hydrothermal carbonization of chitin by combined pretreatment of mechanical activation and FeCl3

In this work, a combined mechanical activation and FeCl₃ (MA + FeCl₃) method was applied to pretreat chitin to enhance the degree of hydrothermal carbonization. MA + FeCl₃ pretreatment significantly disrupt the crystalline region of chitin and Fe³⁺ entered into the molecular chain, resulting in the destruction of the stable structure of chitin. The chemical and structural properties of hydrochars were characterized by EA, SEM, FTIR, XRD, XPS, ¹³C solid state NMR, and N₂ adsorption-desorption analyses. The results showed that the H/C and O/C atomic ratios of HC-MAFCT/230 (the hydrochar derived from MA + FeCl₃ pretreated chitin with hydrothermal reaction temperature of 230 °C) were 0.96 and 0.34, respectively. Van Krevelen diagram indicated that the hydrothermal carbonization of chitin underwent a series of reactions such as dehydration, decarboxylation, and aromatization. HC-MAFCT/230 had abundant oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functional groups. HC-MAFCT/230 exhibited a porous structure, with the specific surface area of 128 m² g^-1, which was a promising carbon material.

Potential of carbohydrate-conjugated graphene assemblies in biomedical applications

Graphene displays various properties like optical, electrical, mechanical, etc. resulting in a large range of applications in biosensing, bio-imaging, medical and electronic devices. The graphene-based nanomaterials show disadvantages like hydrophobic surface, degradation of biomolecules (proteins and amino acids) and toxicity to the human and microbes by permeating into the cells and thus, limiting the use in the biomedical field. Conjugation of carbohydrates like chitin, cyclodextrins and cellulose with graphene results in thermal stability, oxygen repulsive ability, fire-retardant and gelling properties with better biodegradability, biocompatibility and safety leading to the formation of environment-friendly biopolymers. This article delivers an overview of the molecular interaction of different carbohydrates-derived from natural sources like marine, plants and microbes with graphene nanosheets to extend the applications in tissue engineering, surgical materials, biosensing and novel drug delivery for prolonged action in the treatment of breast and hepatic cancers.

Preparation of a Three-Dimensional Porous Graphene Oxide-Kaolinite-Poly(vinyl alcohol) Composite for Efficient Adsorption and Removal of Ciprofloxacin

Because of the widespread presence of antibiotics in water, soil, and other environments, they pose great potential risks to the environment, threatening human and animal health. In this study, graphene oxide-kaolinite homogeneous dispersion was prepared by simple liquid phase exfoliation. The three-dimensional (3D) porous graphene oxide-kaolinite-poly(vinyl alcohol) composites were prepared by the cross-linking of poly(vinyl alcohol) and the formation of ice crystals during the freezing-drying process. Three influencing factors [adsorbent dosage, ciprofloxacin (CIP) initial concentration, and time] of CIP adsorption and removal were systematically analyzed by the response surface method. The order of significance for response values (CIP removal rate) was adsorbent dosage > CIP initial concentration > time. The 3D porous material showed good adsorption capacity of CIP, the theoretical maximum adsorption capacity was 408.16 mg/g, and it had good recyclability. By Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, it was found the composite adsorbs CIP by hydrogen bonding and π-π interaction. In conclusion, the graphene oxide-kaolinite-poly(vinyl alcohol) porous composite is a good candidate for efficient antibiotic wastewater treatment.

Removal of ciprofloxacin from aqueous solution by rabbit manure biochar

Biochar was prepared from rabbit faeces at 400°C, 500°C, 600°C, and 700°C, respectively (labelled RFB₄₀₀, RFB₅₀₀, RFB₆₀₀, and RFB₇₀₀, respectively), and was characterized by elemental analysis, BET, SEM and FTIR. The adsorption factors, kinetics, isothermal adsorption and thermodynamics of the adsorption properties were investigated in batch experiments. The results showed that RFB possessed a large specific surface area and was rich in pore structure, and the aromaticity and stability increased with the pyrolysis temperature of the biochar. When the solution pH was 11, adsorption achieved equilibrium at approximately 180 min. The kinetic data were well-represented by the pseudo-second-order model, indicating that the adsorption rate was jointly controlled by liquid film diffusion, surface adsorption and intra-particle diffusion. The results of isothermal adsorption and thermodynamics showed that the adsorption behaviour of CIP (ciprofloxacin) onto RFB was better fitted with the Langmuir model, and the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. FTIR studies showed that RFB was rich in oxygen-containing functional groups and that hydrogen bonds and π-π bonds were closely related to the adsorption process. This work showed that the rabbit faeces-derived biochar has promise as an effective adsorbent to remove ciprofloxacin from wastewater.

Controllable Drug Release Behavior of Polylactic Acid (PLA) Surgical Suture Coating with Ciprofloxacin (CPFX)-Polycaprolactone (PCL)/Polyglycolide (PGA)

Polylactic acid (PLA) surgical suture can be absorbed by human body. In order to avoid surgical site infections (SSIs), the drug is usually loaded on the PLA suture, and then the drug can release directly to the wound. Because the different types of wounds heal at different times, it is needed to control the drug release rate of PLA suture to consistent to the wound healing time. Two biopolymers, polyglycolide (PGA) and polycaprolactone (PCL), were selected as the carrier of ciprofloxacin (CPFX) drug, and then the CPFX-PCL/PGA was coated on the PLA suture. The degradation rate of drug-carrier can be controlled by adjusting the proportion of PCL/PGA, which can regulate the rate of CPFX drug release from PLA suture. The results show that the surface of PLA suture, coating with PCL/PGA, was very rough, which led to increased stitching resistance when we were suturing the wound. These materials, such as the PLA suture, the PCL/PGA carriers and the CPFX drug, were just physically mixed rather than chemically reacted, which was very useful for ensuring the original efficacy of CPFX drug. With the increasing of PCL in the carriers, both the breaking strength and elongation of these un-degraded sutures increased. During degradation, the breaking strength of all sutures gradually decreased, and the more PCL in the coating materials, the longer effective strength-time for the suture. With the increasing of PCL in the drug-carrier, the rate of drug releasing became lower. The drug release mechanism of CPFX-PCL/PGA was a synergistic effect of drug diffusion and PCL/PGA carrier dissolution.

Removal of aqueous fluoroquinolones with multi-functional activated carbon (MFAC) derived from recycled long-root Eichhornia crassipes: batch and column studies

Fluoroquinolones (FQs) occur broadly in natural media due to its extensive use, and it has systematic effects on our ecosystem and human immunity. In this study, long-root Eichhornia crassipes was reclaimed as a multi-functional activated carbon (MFAC) to remove fluoroquinolones (FQs) from contaminated water. To get insight into the adsorption mechanism, multiple measurements, including FTIR and XPS analyses, were employed to investigate the adsorption processes of ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin as well as the experiments of effect of exogenous factors on adsorption performances. The results confirmed that the adsorption of FQs by MFAC was mainly attributed to the electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bond interaction, and electronic-donor-acceptor (EDA) interaction. In addition, the kinetics and thermodynamics experiments demonstrated that the MFAC possessed great adsorption performance for FQs. According to the Langmuir model, the saturated adsorption capacities exceeded 145.0 mg/g and 135.1 mg/g for CIP and NOR at 303.15 K, respectively. The column experiments were conducted to explore the application performance of MFAC on the advanced treatment of synthetic water at different flow rates and bed depths. The adsorption capacity of CIP on MFAC was estimated by the Thomas models and the bed-depth service time (BDST) models, reaching 127.56 mg/g and 11,999.52 mg/L, respectively. These results also provide a valid approach for the resource recycling of the redundant long-root Eichhornia crassipes plants. Graphical abstract.

A review of graphene-based nanomaterials for removal of antibiotics from aqueous environments

Antibiotics as emerging pharmaceutical pollutants have seriously not only threatened human life and animal health security, but also caused environmental pollution. It has drawn enormous attention and research interests in the study of antibiotics removal from aqueous environments. Graphene, an interesting one-atom-thick, 2D single-layer carbon sheet with sp² hybridized carbon atoms, has become an important agent for removal of antibiotic, owing to its unique physiochemical properties. Recently, a variety of graphene-based nanomaterials (GNMs) are reported to efficiently remove antibiotics from aqueous solutions by different technologies. In this review, we summarize different structure and properties of GNMs for the removal of antibiotics by adsorption. Meanwhile, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), such as photocatalysis, Fenton process, ozonation, sulfate radical and combined AOPs by the aid of GNMs are summarized. Finally, the opportunities and challenges on the future scope of GNMs for removal of antibiotics from aqueous environments are proposed.

Magnetic nanosorbents with siliceous hybrid shells of alginic acid and carrageenan for removal of ciprofloxacin

Water contamination with antibiotics is a serious environmental threat. Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is one of the most frequently detected antibiotics in water. Herein, silica-based magnetic nanosorbents prepared using three seaweed polysaccharides, alginic acid, κ- and λ-carrageenan, were developed and evaluated in the uptake of ciprofloxacin. The sorbents were firstly characterized in detail to assess their morphology and composition. A systematic investigation was conducted to study the adsorption performance towards CIP, by varying the initial pH, contact time and initial CIP concentration. The maximum adsorption capacity was 464, 423 and 1350 mg/g for particles prepared from alginic acid, κ- and λ-carrageenan respectively. These high values indicate that these materials are among the most effective sorbents reported so far for the removal of CIP from water. The kinetic data were consistent with the pseudo-second-order model. The CIP adsorption on λ-carrageenan particles followed a cooperative process with sigmoidal isotherm that was described by the Dubinin-Radushkevich model. The high charge density of λ-carrageenan and the propensity of CIP molecules to self-aggregate may explain the cooperative nature of CIP adsorption. The sorbents were easily regenerated in mild conditions and could be reused in CIP removal up to 4 times without a significant loss of adsorptive properties.

Novel alginate particles decorated with nickel for enhancing ciprofloxacin removal: Characterization and mechanism analysis

The extensive occurrence of antibiotics (such as ciprofloxacin) in aqueous environment had raised severe concerns due to their impacts on humans and the ecosystem. In this study, a novel nickel alginate particles adsorbent had been successfully developed by combining an alginate matrix with nickel ion through immobilization and crosslinking technology and then was applied for the batch adsorption study of ciprofloxacin to evaluate its potential performance. The as-prepared adsorbent exhibited excellent adsorption performance at the condition of the pH 7 and 328.15 K, and the results indicated that the maximum adsorption capacity was 135.18 mg g^-1. The isotherm and kinetic studies were well fitted to the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models, respectively. A thermodynamics analysis displayed that the ciprofloxacin adsorption process was endothermic, feasible and spontaneous. The as-prepared adsorbent before and after adsorption was characterized through SEM, EDX and XPS analyses, and the particle size of the as-prepared adsorbent was roughly 914 µm. Hydrogen bond, the cation bonding bridge and n-π electron-donor-acceptor interaction might be the driving force of the ciprofloxacin adsorption process. This study demonstrated that this as-prepared adsorbent was a promising and efficient material for the ciprofloxacin adsorption from the aqueous solution.

In situ synthesis of ZnO–GO/CGH composites for visible light photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

A novel ZnO–GO/CGH composite was prepared using an in situ synthesis process for photodegradation of methylene blue under visible light illumination. The chitin–graphene composite hydrogel (CGH) was used to provide uniform binding of the nano ZnO–GO composite to the hydrogel surface and prevent their agglomeration. GO provides multi-dimensional protons and electron transport channels for ZnO with a flower-like structure, which possessed improved photo-catalytic activity. SEM analysis indicates that the hydrogel has good adsorption properties with rougher surfaces and porous microstructure, which enables it to adsorb the dyes effectively. Under synergetic enhancement of adsorption and photo-catalysis, catalytic activity and nano ZnO–GO/CGH recycling improved greatly. Synthesized nano ZnO–GO/CGH showed high dye removal efficiency of 99%, about 2.2 times that of the pure chitin gel under the same condition. This suggests the potential application of the new photocatalytic composites to remove organic dyes from wastewater.

A novel ZnO–GO/CGH composite was prepared using an in situ synthesis process for photodegradation of methylene blue under visible light illumination.