Effect of humic acid on ciprofloxacin removal by magnetic multifunctional resins

A review on carbon-based biowaste and organic polymer materials for sustainable treatment of sulfonamides from pharmaceutical wastewater

Frequent detection of sulfonamides (SAs) pharmaceuticals in wastewater has necessitated the discovery of suitable technology for their sustainable remediation. Adsorption has been widely investigated due to its effectiveness, simplicity, and availability of various adsorbent materials from natural and artificial sources. This review highlighted the potentials of carbon-based adsorbents derived from agricultural wastes such as lignocellulose, biochar, activated carbon, carbon nanotubes graphene materials as well as organic polymers such as chitosan, molecularly imprinted polymers, metal, and covalent frameworks for SAs removal from wastewater. The promising features of these materials including higher porosity, rich carbon-content, robustness, good stability as well as ease of modification have been emphasized. Thus, the materials have demonstrated excellent performance towards the SAs removal, attributed to their porous nature that provided sufficient active sites for the adsorption of SAs molecules. The modification of physico-chemical features of the materials have been discussed as efficient means for enhancing their adsorption and reusable performance. The article also proposed various interactive mechanisms for the SAs adsorption. Lastly, the prospects and challenges have been highlighted to expand the knowledge gap on the application of the materials for the sustainable removal of the SAs.

Super capacity of ligand-engineered biochar for sorption of malachite green dye: key role of functional moieties and mesoporous structure

This study synthesized a new thiomalic acid-modified rice husk biochar (TMA-BC) as a versatile and eco-friendly sorbent. After undergoing chemical treatments, the mercerized rice husk biochar (NaOH-BC) and TMA-BC samples showed higher BET surface area values of 277.1 m2/g and 305.8 m2/g, respectively, compared to the pristine biochar (BC) sample, which had a surface area of 234.2 m2/g. In batch adsorption experiments, it was found that the highest removal efficiency for malachite green (MG) was achieved with TMA-BC, reaching 96.4%, while NaOH-BC and BC exhibited removal efficiencies of 38.6% and 27.9%, respectively, at pH 8. The engineered TMA-BC exhibited a super adsorption capacity of 104.17 mg/g for MG dye at pH 8.0 and 25 °C with a dosage of 2 g/L. The SEM, TEM, XPS, and FTIR spectroscopy analyses were performed to examine mesoporous features and successful TMA-BC carboxylic and thiol functional groups grafting on biochar. Electrostatic forces, such as π - π interactions, hydrogen bonding, and pore intrusion, were identified as key factors in the sorption of MG dye. As compared to single-solution adsorption experiments, the binary solution experiments performed at optimized dosages of undesired ions, such as humic acid, sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant, NaCl, and NaSCN, reflected an increase in MG dye removal of 2.8%, 8.7%, 5.4%, and 12.7%, respectively, which was attributed to unique mesoporous features and grafted functional groups of TMA-BC. Furthermore, the TMA-BC showed promising reusability up to three cycles. Our study indicates that mediocre biochar modified with TMA can provide an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to commercially accessible adsorbents.

Heterogeneous porous biochar-supported nano NiFe2O4 for efficient removal of hazardous antibiotic from pharmaceutical wastewater

Due to the dual issues of antibiotic resistance and bioaccumulation toxicity, antibiotics are ubiquitously present in aquatic environments, and this is causing serious concern. Herein, novel nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) nanoparticles were successfully loaded onto activated biochar (BC) derived from banana peel (BP) to obtain magnetic nanocomposite (BC-NiFe2O4) as an effective biosorbent for the ciprofloxacin antibiotic (CIP) elimination from pharmaceutical effluent. A facile co-precipitation approach was utilized to construct the heterogeneous BC-NiFe2O4. The synthesized materials were systematically characterized using techniques such as XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, HR-TEM, BET, FTIR, and XPS. In addition, the magnetic measurements indicated the ferromagnetic behavior of the BC-NiFe2O4 sample. The influencing factors (i.e., pH, contact time, initial concentration, dose of adsorbent, ions interference, and solution temperature) of the adsorption process were also well studied. The adsorption capacity of the BC-NiFe2O4 heterostructure was 68.79 mg g-1 compared to the BC sample (35.71 mg g-1), confirming that the loading of magnetically NiFe2O4 nanoparticles onto the surface of porous biochar enhanced its stability and adsorption performance for CIP removal, wherein the metal-antibiotic complex has a significant effect for the removal of CIP. Moreover, the Langmuir adsorption isotherm and the pseudo-second-order model displayed a good fit for the experimental data. The values of △H° and △G° revealed that the adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous. The coordination affinities, π-π stacking, and H-bonding interactions play a more critical role in the adsorption mechanism that confirmed by FTIR and XPS analysis. To study the stability of BC-NiFe2O4 nanocomposites, desorption and recycling studies were investigated. The results revealed that after three cycles, no significant loss in removal efficiency was detected, reflecting the stability and reusability of the prepared BC-NiFe2O4 nanocomposite.

Effect of dissolved humic acids and coated humic acids on tetracycline adsorption by K2CO3-activated magnetic biochar

Humic acids (HAs) widely exist in water environment, and has an important impact on the adsorption of pollutants. Herein, HAs (both dissolved and coated) was employed to assess the effect on the removal of the organic contaminant tetracycline (TC) by K₂CO₃ modified magnetic biochar (KMBC). Results showed that low concentration of dissolved HAs promoted TC removal, likely due to a bridging effect, while higher concentration of dissolved HAs inhibited TC adsorption because of the competition of adsorption sites on KMBC. By characterization analysis, coated HAs changed the surface and pore characteristics of KMBC, which suppressed the TC removal. In a sequential adsorption experiment involving dissolved HAs and TC, the addition of HAs at the end of the experiment led to the formation of HAs-TC ligands with free TC, which improved the adsorption capacity of TC. TC adsorption by KMBC in the presence of dissolved HAs and coated HAs showed a downward trend with increasing pH from 5.0 to 10.0. The TC adsorption process was favorable and endothermic, and could be better simulated by pseudo-second-order kinetics and Freundlich isotherm model. Hydrogen bonds and π-π interactions were hypothesized to be the underlying influencing mechanisms.

Effects of electrolytes and fractionated dissolved organic matter on selective adsorption of pharmaceuticals on terephthalic acid-based metal-organic frameworks

In this study, we investigated the synergetic effects of coexisting electrolytes and dissolved organic matter (DOM) on Carbamazepine (CBZ) and Ciprofloxacin (CIP) adsorption on the 1D flexible structure of MIL-53(Al) and 3D rigid structure of UiO-66(Zr). The effects of electrolytes on the adsorption of CBZ and CIP on 1D flexible framework of MIL-53(Al) were more significant than those observed from the 3D framework of UiO-66(Zr). The presence of sulfate, nitrate, and phosphate anions indicates high potential to promote the adsorption of CBZ and CIP onto MIL-53(Al) and UiO-66(Zr) because of the decrease of solubility and strengthening of electrostatic interactions by substitution of oxo-anions at the metal complex node via covalent bonding. The lower hydration energy of the potassium ion enhanced CBZ adsorption on MIL-53(Al), while the higher hydration energy of calcium and magnesium ions reduced the adsorption capacity of CBZ and CIP on MIL-53(Al) and UiO-66(Zr). CBZ interacted with fractionated humic acid better than CIP. High-density carboxylic and aromatic functional groups on humic acid ensured that only humic acid larger than 1KDa was adsorbed by MIL-53(Al). Tryptophan-like and humic acid-like DOM were both detected in real hospital effluent, and their effects on CIP and CBZ adsorption onto MIL-53(Al) were investigated. The presence of tryptophan did not affect CBZ adsorption on MIL-53(Al) (except when coexisting with calcium ions). Conversely, tryptophan interfered with CIP adsorption. The presence of humic acid lower than 1KDa promoted the adsorption of CBZ and CIP by increasing the breathing effect of MIL-53(Al)'s 1D flexible framework. The presence of humic acid with molecular size greater than 1KDa enhanced both CBZ and CIP adsorption via a multilayer adsorption mechanism.

Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Hybridized CeO2@SiO2 Nanoparticles Based on Rice Husk and Their Application in Antibiotic Removal

This work aims to synthesize a core-shell material of CeO₂@SiO₂ based on rice husk as a novel hybridized adsorbent for antibiotic removal. The phase structures of CeO₂@SiO₂ and CeO₂ nanoparticles that were fabricated by a simple procedure were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, while their interfacial characterizations were performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, and ζ-potential measurements. The removal efficiency of the antibiotic amoxicillin (AMX) using CeO₂@SiO₂ nanoparticles was much greater than that using SiO₂ and CeO₂ materials in solutions of different pH values. The optimum conditions for AMX removal using CeO₂@SiO₂ including contact time and adsorbent dosage were 120 min and 5 mg/mL, respectively. The maximum AMX removal using CeO₂@SiO₂ reached 100% and the adsorption capacity was 12.5 mg/g. Adsorption isotherms of AMX onto CeO₂@SiO₂ were fitted by Langmuir, Freundlich, and two-step adsorption models, while the adsorption kinetics of AMX achieved a better fit by the pseudo-second-order model than the pseudo-first-order model. The electrostatic and nonelectrostatic interactions between the zwitterionic form of AMX and the positively charged CeO₂@SiO₂ surface were controlled by adsorption. The effects of different organics such as humic acid, ionic surfactants, and pharmaceutical substances on AMX removal using CeO₂@SiO₂ were also thoroughly investigated. The high AMX removal efficiencies of about 75% after four regenerations and about 70% from an actual water sample demonstrate that CeO₂@SiO₂-based rice husk is a hybrid nanomaterial for antibiotic removal from water environments.

A novel graphene oxide decorated with halloysite nanotubes (HNTs/GO) composite used for the removal of levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin in a wide pH range

A novel HNTs/GO composite used for the removal of levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin in a wide pH range.

New applications of quinone redox mediators: Modifying nature-derived materials for anaerobic biotransformation process

Due to their wide-distribution, high-biocompatibility and low-cost, nature-derived quinone redox mediators (NDQRM) have shown great potential in bioremediation through mediating electron transfers between microorganisms and between microorganisms and contaminants in anaerobic biotransformation processes. It is obvious that their performance in bioremediation was limited by the availability of quinone-based groups in NDQRM. A sustainable solution is to enhance the electron transfer capacity and retention capacity by the modification of NDQRM. Therefore, this review comprehensively summarized the modification techniques of NDQRM according to their multiple roles in anaerobic biotransformation systems. In addition, their potential applications in greenhouse gas mitigation, contaminant degradation in anaerobic digestion, contaminant bioelectrochemical remediation and energy recovery were discussed. And the problems that need to be addressed in the future were pointed out. The obtained knowledge would promote the exploration of novel NDQRM, and provide suggestions for the design of anaerobic consortia in biotransformation systems.

An analysis of the versatility and effectiveness of composts for sequestering heavy metal ions, dyes and xenobiotics from soils and aqueous milieus

The persistence and bioaccumulation of environmental pollutants in water bodies, soils and living tissues remain alarmingly related to environmental protection and ecosystem restoration. Adsorption-based techniques appear highly competent in sequestering several environmental pollutants. In this review, the recent research findings reported on the assessments of composts and compost-amended soils as adsorbents of heavy metal ions, dye molecules and xenobiotics have been appraised. This review demonstrates clearly the high adsorption capacities of composts for umpteen environmental pollutants at the lab-scale. The main inferences from this review are that utilization of composts for the removal of heavy metal ions, dye molecules and xenobiotics from aqueous environments and soils is particularly worthwhile and efficient at the laboratory scale, and the adsorption behaviors and effectiveness of compost-type adsorbents for agrochemicals (e.g. herbicides and insecticides) vary considerably because of variabilities in structure, topology, bond connectivity, distribution of functional groups and interactions of xenobiotics with the active humic substances in composts. Compost-based field-scale remediation of environmental pollutants is still sparse and arguably much challenging to implement if, furthermore, real-world soil and water contamination issues are to be addressed effectively. Hence, significant research and process development efforts should be promptly geared and intensified in this direction by extrapolating the lab-scale findings in a cost-effective manner.

A Hybrid {Silk@Zirconium MOF} Material as Highly Efficient AsIII-sponge

Exposure of humans to Arsenic from groundwater drinking sources is an acute global public health problem, entailing the urgent need for highly efficient/low-cost Arsenite (As^III) up-taking materials. Herein we present an innovative hybrid-material, ZrMOF@SF_d operating like an “As^III-sponge” with unprecedented efficiency of 1800 mg As^III gr⁻¹. ZrMOF@SF_d consists of a neutral Zirconium Metal-Organic Framework [ZrMOF] covalently grafted on a natural silk-fiber (SF_d). ZrMOF itself exhibits As^III adsorption of 2200 mg gr⁻¹, which supersedes any -so far- known As^ΙΙΙ-sorbent. Using XPS, FTIR, BET-porosimetry data, together with theoretical Surface-Complexation-Modeling (SCM), we show that the high-As^ΙΙΙ-uptake is due to a sequence of two phenomena:[i] at low As^III-concentrations, surface-complexation of H₃AsO₃ results in As^III-coated voids of ZrMOF, [ii] at increased As^III-concentrations, the As^III-coated voids of ZrMOF are filled-up by H₃AsO₃via a partitioning-like mechanism. In a more general context, the present research exemplifies a mind-changing concept, i.e. that a “partitioning-like” mechanism can be operating for adsorption of metalloids, such as H₃AsO_3, by metal oxide materials. So far, such a mechanism has been conceptualized only for the uptake of non-polar organics by natural organic matter or synthetic polymers.

An easy and unique design strategy for insoluble humic acid/cellulose nanocomposite beads with highly enhanced adsorption performance of low concentration ciprofloxacin in water

In this work, two plant wastes were reused to fabricate the homogeneous 3D micro-nano porous structured humic acid/cellulose nanocomposite beads (IHA@CB) embedded with insoluble humic acid (IHA) particles. The subtle synthesis method attributed to the homogenous distribution of IHA particles in the cellulose matrix and improved the adsorption performance of IHA@CB for low concentration ciprofloxacin in water. Physical and chemical properties of the beads were characterized by SEM, EDX, XRD, FTIR, and the adsorption process of ciprofloxacin was studied by isotherm, kinetic and dynamic adsorption experiments. The maximum adsorption capacity of IHA@CB on CPX reached 10.87 mg g^-1 under 318 K. The dynamic experiments were conducted by adjusting bed height, flow rate, initial concentration and pH values, and the regeneration experiments proved the adsorbent exhibited good repeatability. The adsorption mechanism was revealed that CPX was adsorbed by IHA@CB mainly through cation exchange.

Differential adsorption of zwitterionic PPCPs by multifunctional resins: The influence of the hydrophobicity and electrostatic potential of PPCPs

Zwitterionic pharmaceuticals and personal care products can interact with adsorbents in different ways due to their various properties. In this work, the effects of hydrophobicity and electrostatic potential were explored through the adsorption of ciprofloxacin (CPX) and tetracycline (TC) onto multifunctional resins. Nonionic surface interaction was dominant for the adsorption on high-surface-area resin GMA10. Thereinto, hydrophobic and π-π interaction dominant for hydrophobic CPX and hydrophilic TC, respectively. Electrostatic interaction played an important role for high-anion-exchange-capacity resin GMA90. Upon their adsorption onto GMA50 resin, the relatively separated positive and negative electrostatic potentials of CPX^+- due to the greater distance (∼12.33 Å) between the anionic and cationic groups led to electrostatic attraction and interaction (Ea = 8.64 ± 0.31 kJ/mol) and the vertical orientation of molecule on the surface. However, TC^+-0 displayed nonionic surface interaction (Ea = 7.96 ± 0.14 kJ/mol) due to its relatively neutral electrostatic potential arising from the adjacent functional groups. Hence, the surface of GMA50 was covered with TC^+-0 molecules adsorbed parallel to the surface, thereby restricting TC^+-0 adsorption. Coexisted with monovalent salts, CPX adsorption was facilitated due to the salting-out effect. By contrast, the salting-out effect for TC was extremely weak, and TC adsorption was restrained due to the competitive adsorption of salts.

Investigation of multiple adsorption mechanisms for efficient removal of ofloxacin from water using lignin-based adsorbents

Two series of lignin (LN)-based adsorbents, namely, cross-linked lignin (LNEs) with different crosslinking densities and carboxymethyl cross-linked lignin (LNECs) with various degrees of carboxymethyl substitution, were prepared to remove ofloxacin (OFL), a popular fluoroquinolone (FQ) antibiotic, from water. LNEs and LNECs exhibited satisfactory performance in OFL adsorption. Both of them had high adsorption capacity (the maximum contribution of 0.828 mmol/g), good anti-interference to some inorganic salts, and efficient regeneration and reuse performance. The crosslinking density and degree of carboxymethyl substitution strongly affected the content and distribution of oxygen-containing groups in these LN-based adsorbents, which played important roles in OFL adsorption. The pH dependencies of the adsorption performance of LNEs and LNECs indicated the involvement of multiple adsorption mechanisms, including hydrogen bond, electrostatic attraction, π-π electron-donor-acceptor interactions, and negative charge-assisted hydrogen bond. Different mechanisms were dominant under various pH levels, in a near neutral pH, the synergistic effect of electrostatic attraction and π-π interaction allows LINEs and LINECs to reach maximum adsorption capacity. Five FQs with similar structures and their two sub structural analogs were compared in terms of adsorption behavior and electrostatic potential by density functional theory using quantum chemical calculation. FQs with secondary amino groups and low π electron cloud density readily bound to LN-based adsorbents. Hence, LNEs and LNECs were efficient and environment-friendly adsorbents.

Optimization adsorption of norfloxacin onto polydopamine microspheres from aqueous solution: Kinetic, equilibrium and adsorption mechanism studies

Polydopamine microspheres (PDMPs) synthesized by a facile solution oxidation method were adopted as a potential adsorbent for the removal of Norfloxacin (NOR) from aqueous solution. The morphologies and properties of PDMPs were characterized using TEM, SEM, FTIR and pH_PZC. Parameters effects such as contact time, initial pH, initial concentration and ionic strength on the adsorption capacity of NOR onto PDMPs were studied. To maximize NOR removal from liquid phase, Box-Behnken experimental design (BBD) combined with response surface modeling (RSM) was employed based on the 17 preliminary experiments at 308 K. Optimum contact time, initial NOR concentration and initial pH value were found to be 97 min, 303 mg·L^-1 and 6.6, respectively, the corresponding NOR removal capacity was found to be 307 mg·g^-1. Batch adsorption experiments under the optimal conditions were conducted to investigate kinetics, thermodynamics and adsorption isotherm. Kinetic analysis confirmed that the kinetic data were well described by Pseudo-second order model. The experimental equilibrium data were well fitted by Langmuir, Redlich-Peterson, Koble-Corrigan and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. Thermodynamic parameters such as Gibbs free energy, enthalpy and entropy were calculated and the results indicated that the NOR adsorption onto PDMPs was spontaneous and endothermic. The adsorption process may be attributed to the electrostatic interaction, the formation of hydrogen bonds or π-π stacking interactions among the polydopamine (PDA) and NOR molecule.

Ciprofloxacin-metal complexes -stability and toxicity tests in the presence of humic substances

The co-contamination of ciprofloxacin (CIP) with metal ions results in alteration of CIP mobility, antimicrobial activity and distribution/development of the antibiotic-resistance genes. In this study, the stability of five CIP-Me complexes [Me = Al(III), Co(II), Cu(II), Fe(III), Mg] was investigated in the presence of humic substances (HS) at two temperatures 18 ± 2 °C and 4 ± 1 °C for seven days period. The most stable complexes were CIP-Al, CIP-Cu, and CIP-Co with the stability constants (K) at 18 °C 35.5 ± 1.4 11.5 ± 1.5 and 11.7 ± 1.5 respectively. At lower temperature (4 °C), the stability constants decreased: 1-fold for CIP-Al, 14-fold for CIP-Co and 2-fold for CIP-Cu. The presence of humic substances decreased the stability of complexes. The chemical reactions of Fe³⁺ in water at circumneutral pH resulted in stability alteration. The formation of CIP-Mg complexes at lower temperatures and in the presence of HS was limited. In ultrapure water, CIP-Me complexes exhibit higher toxicity towards Gram-negative Enterobacter aeruginosa (ranged between 0.125 and 0.5 μg/ml). However, the presence of HS reduced the antimicrobial activity of CIP-Me complexes by at least 2-fold. Gram-positive representative, Bacillus subtilis was not affected by the presence of metal ions and/or HS. The toxicity toward B. subtilis for the complexes was equal to toxicity of CIP alone (MIC = 0.25 μg/ml). This suggested the different susceptibility to CIP and its complexes.

Ultrahigh selective adsorption of zwitterionic PPCPs both in the absence and presence of humic acid: Performance and mechanism

Since zwitterionic PPCPs could be combined with humic acid (HA) leading to certain contaminants residue in aqueous solution, adsorbents with much stronger binding with zwitterionic PPCPs were needed to avoid this phenomenon. Through comparison of serial magnetic carboxyl modified hypercrosslinked resins including MA10, MA30, MA40 and MA70, MA50 was found to exhibit ultrahigh selective adsorption of zwitterionic PPCPs including tetracycline and quinolone antibiotics due to the remarkable synergistic effects generated from cation exchange interaction and non-ion exchange interaction. To figure out the effect of HA, other five adsorbents including hypercrosslinked resin Q100, aminated hypercrosslinked resin GMA50, anion exchange resin MIEX, wood-based activated carbon F400D and coal-based activated carbon Norit were chosen as comparison to MA50 in adsorption performance of tetracycline (TC) and ciprofloxacin (CPX). It turned out that the percentage of CPX or TC combined with HA in aqueous solution varied greatly for studied adsorbents. There existed serious false-positive adsorption during the adsorption process by some commercial adsorbents such as MIEX and F400D, while MA50 exhibited relatively lower false-positive adsorption, ensuring the maximum safety of effluents. Breakthrough tests showed that MA50 had significant advantages in PPCPs removal at environment concentration, indicating its potential in application for real water.

Preparation of Permanent Magnetic Resin Crosslinking by Diallyl Itaconate and Its Adsorptive and Anti-fouling Behaviors for Humic Acid Removal

In this research, a series of permanent magnetic anion exchange resins (MAERs) were prepared by polymerizing glycidyl methacrylate monomer and crosslinking diallyl itaconate (DAI) and divinylbenzene. The properties and performances of these novel MAERs were systematically characterized and evaluated for humic acid (HA) adsorption by batch experiments. With the increase of DAI content from 0 to 15%, the moisture of MAERs was elevated from 50.23% to 68.53%, along with the adsorption capacity increasing from 2.57 to 3.14 mmol g^-1. As the concentrations of co-existing cation (Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺) increased, the adsorption amounts of HA dropped drastically at first and increased a little at high cation concentrations. Although ion exchange was the primary mechanism for HA adsorption, other physical interactions and electrostatic attraction between HA molecules and newly formed oxonium group also played significant roles for HA adsorption. The MAERs could be efficiently regenerated by a mixture of NaCl/NaOH solution (10%/1%), and notably, the MAER-3 with the highest DAI content displayed unapparent loss of adsorption capacity during twenty-one successive adsorption-desorption cycles. These results suggested a novel resin adsorbent for its excellent performances on adsorption, regeneration, and sedimentation in water treatment for natural organic matter removal.

Novel magnetic carboxyl modified hypercrosslinked resins for effective removal of typical PPCPs

A series of novel magnetic carboxyl modified hypercrosslinked resins were successfully prepared via a sequence of suspension polymerization, hydrolysis and post-crosslinking reactions. The serial resins possessed both high cation exchange capacity and high specific surface area with MA-10 having the supreme specific surface area of 1238.65 m²/g and MA-70 having the largest exchange capacity of 6.45 mmol/g. The serial resins exhibited excellent adsorption capacity of typical PPCPs including chloramphenicol, atenolol, ibuprofen and tetracycline, which were neutral, cationic, anionic and zwitterionic respectively in natural water. The adsorption of chloramphenicol and ibuprofen was dominated by the hydrophobic and π-π Electron-Donor-Acceptor (EDA) interactions, while as to atenolol, the electrostatic interaction dominated the adsorption process. Especially, MA-50 was found to have the largest adsorption amount and the longest equilibrium time of zwitterionic tetracycline compared with other resins, the mechanism of which needed further investigation. Breakthrough tests showed that the serial resins had significant advantages over granular activated carbon F400D in contaminants removal for all of the four target pharmaceuticals. Batch experiments proved that the serial resins possessed strong anti-pollution ability and excellent regeneration property, which made it possible for the practical application in future water treatment.