Highly Efficient Adsorption of Tetracycline Using Chitosan-Based Magnetic Adsorbent

A sustainable carbon aerogel from waste paper with exceptional performance for antibiotics removal from water

In this work, a sustainable 3D carbon aerogel (AO-WPC) is prepared from waste paper (WP), and used for efficient antibiotics removal from water. The AO-WPC aerogel shows good mechanical property and can recover after 100th of 30 % compression strain. The specific surface area of AO-WPC aerogel is up to 654.58 m2/g. More importantly, this aerogel reveals proper pore size distribution, including micro sized macropores between carbon fibers and intrinsic nano scale mesopores (11.86 nm), which is conducive to remove antibiotics from water. Taking tetracycline (Tc) as an example, the maximum adsorption capacity and adsorption rate of AO-WPC for Tc are as high as 384.6 mg/g and 0.510 g/(mg‧min), respectively, which exhibits significant advantages over most of the recent absorbents, and the adsorption toward Tc reveals good resistance to various environmental factors, including pH, various ions, and dissolved organic matter (DOM). Moreover, good thermal stability enables the AO-WPC aerogel to be regenerated through simple burning, and the adsorption capacity of Tc only decreases by 10.4 % after 10 cycles. Mechanism research shows that hydrogen bonding and π-π electron-donor-acceptor (EDA) interaction play the important role in the adsorption. The excellent mechanical property and adsorption performance imply good practical prospect of the AO-WPC aerogel.

Optimization of graphene polypyrrole for enhanced adsorption of moxifloxacin antibiotic: an experimental design approach and isotherm investigation

The presence of antibiotics in water systems had raised a concern about their potential harm to the aquatic environment and human health as well as the possible development of antibiotic resistance. Herein, this study investigates the power of adsorption using graphene-polypyrrole (GRP-PPY) nanoparticles as a promising approach for the removal of Moxifloxacin HCl (MXF) as a model antibiotic drug. GRP-PPY nanoparticles synthesis was performed with a simple and profitable method, leading to the formation of high surface area particles with excellent adsorption properties. Characterization was assessed with various techniques, including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). Box-Behnken experimental design was developed to optimize the adsorption process. Critical parameters such as initial antibiotic concentration, nanoparticle concentration, and pH were investigated. The Freundlich isotherm model provided a good fit to the experimental data, indicating multilayer adsorption of MXF onto the GRP-PPY-NP. As a result, a high adsorption capacity of MXF (92%) was obtained in an optimum condition of preparing 30 μg/mL of the drug to be adsorbed by 1 mg/mL of GRP-PPY-NP in pH 9 within 1 h in a room temperature. Moreover, the regeneration and reusability of GRP-PPY-NP were investigated. They could be effectively regenerated for 3 cycles using appropriate desorption agents without significant loss in adsorption capacity. Overall, this study highlights the power of GRP-PPY-NP as a highly efficient adsorbent for the removal of MXF from wastewater as it is the first time to use this NP for a pharmaceutical product which shows the study's novelty, and the findings provide valuable insights into the development of sustainable and effective wastewater treatment technologies for combating antibiotic contamination in aquatic environments.

Magnetite nanoparticles: an emerging adjunctive tool for the improvement of cancer immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a groundbreaking field, offering promising and transformative tools for oncological research and treatment. However, it faces several limitations, including variations in cancer types, dependence on the tumor microenvironments (TMEs), immune cell exhaustion, and adverse reactions. Magnetic nanoparticles, particularly magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs), with established pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics for clinical use, hold great promise in this context and are now being explored for therapeutic aims. Numerous preclinical studies have illustrated their efficacy in enhancing immunotherapy through various strategies, such as modulating leukocyte functions, creating favorable TMEs for cytotoxic T lymphocytes, combining with monoclonal antibodies, and stimulating the immune response via magnetic hyperthermia (MHT) treatment (Front Immunol. 2021;12:701485. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.701485). However, the current clinical trials of MNPs are mostly for diagnostic aims and as a tool for generating hyperthermia for tumor ablation. With concerns about the adverse effects of MNPs in the in vivo systems, clinical translation and clinical study of MNP-boosted immunotherapy remains limited. The lack of extensive clinical investigations poses a current barrier to patient application. Urgent efforts are needed to ascertain both the efficacy of MNP-enhanced immunotherapy and its safety profile in combination therapy. This article reviews the roles, potential, and challenges of using MNPs in advancing cancer immunotherapy. The application of MNPs in boosting immunotherapy, and its perspective role in research and development is also discussed.

Magnetic Chitosan for the Removal of Sulfamethoxazole from Tertiary Wastewaters

Magnetic chitosan nanoparticles, synthesized by in situ precipitation, have been used as adsorbents to remove sulfamethoxazole (SMX), a sulfonamide antibiotic dangerous due to its capacity to enter ecosystems. The adsorption of SMX has been carried out in the presence of tertiary wastewaters from a depuration plant to obtain more realistic results. The effect of pH on the adsorption capacity significantly changed when carrying out the experiments in the presence of wastewater. This change has been explained while taking into account the charge properties of both the antibiotic and the magnetic chitosan. The composition of wastewaters has been characterized and discussed as regards its effect on the adsorption capacity of the magnetic chitosan. The models of Elovich and Freundlich have been selected to describe the adsorption kinetics and the adsorption isotherms, respectively. The analysis of these models has suggested that the adsorption mechanism is based on strong chemical interactions between the SMX and the magnetic chitosan, leading to the formation of an SMX multilayer.

Removal of fluorouracil from aqueous environment using magnetite graphene oxide modified with γ-cyclodextrin

Fluorouracil (FU) is a widely utilized antineoplastic medication in the pharmaceutical industry for combating gastrointestinal cancers. However, its presence in wastewater originating from pharmaceutical facilities and hospital effluents has a potential effect on DNA, and cannot be efficiently eliminated through conventional treatment methods. Consequently, the adoption of advanced technologies becomes crucial for effectively treating such wastewater. Accordingly, this study investigated the efficiency of magnetite graphene oxide nanocomposite functionalized with γ-cyclodextrin for removing fluorouracil from aqueous solutions. The magnetite graphene oxide nanocomposite functionalized with γ-cyclodextrin was synthesized via the hydrothermal method. Next, the effect of pH, temperature, adsorbent content, and contact time on the fluorouracil removal efficiency was explored. Ultimately, the experimental data were matched against Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherms and Kinetic models. Accordingly, the efficiency of the absorbent used was dependent on the pH, contact time, temperature, and initial concentration of the adsorbent. The results indicated that the maximum removal efficiency for fluorouracil was achieved within the contact time of 45 min and adsorbent content of 0.020 g. In addition, the optimal pH for removing the medicine was 7. The conditions of the adsorption process followed Langmuir isotherm with correlation coefficients of 0.992 and a quasi-second kinetic model with a correlation coefficient of 0.999, with the maximum adsorption capacity of the adsorbent synthesized for the evaluated medicine estimated as 190.9 mg/g. The results showed that the magnetite graphene oxide nanocomposite functionalized with γ-cyclodextrin could be used as an effective and available adsorbent for removing fluorouracil from pharmaceutical wastewater.

Preparation of Chitosan-Modified Bentonite and Its Adsorption Performance on Tetracycline

In this study, chitosan-modified bentonite was synthesized using the coprecipitation method. When the Na₂CO₃ content was 4% (weight of soil) and the mass ratio of chitosan to bentonite was 1:5, the adsorption performance of the chitosan/bentonite composite was best. The adsorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurement. Various characterization results demonstrate that chitosan successfully entered the bentonite interlayer and increased layer spacing but did not modify bentonite's laminar mesoporous structure, and the -CH₃ and -CH₂ groups of chitosan appeared on chitosan-modified bentonite. Tetracycline was used as the target pollutant in the static adsorption experiment. The adsorption capacity was 19.32 mg/g under optimal conditions. The adsorption process was more consistent with the Freundlich model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating that it was a nonmonolayer chemisorption process. The adsorption process is a spontaneous, endothermic, entropy-increasing process, according to thermodynamic characteristics.

Preparation and characterization of chitosan-curdlan composite magnetized by zinc ferrite for efficient adsorption of tetracycline antibiotics in water

Tetracycline (TC) antibiotic-related water pollution directly threatens human health and ecosystems. Here, a zinc ferrite/chitosan-curdlan (ZNF/CHT-CRD) magnetic composite was prepared via a co-precipitation method to be used as a novel, green adsorbent for TC removal from water. Benefiting from a multitude of functional groups, CRD was first crosslinked with CHT and then magnetized with ZNF to provide an easy separation from the solution with an external magnetic force. The successful synthesis and magnetization of the composite were verified with different characterization techniques. The effect of solution pH and composite dosage was carefully evaluated. The optimum solution pH and composite dosage were 6 and 0.65 g/L, respectively, with complete TC removal. The adsorption process by the magnetic composite followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm models. The maximum adsorption capacity determined from the Langmuir model was 371.42 mg/g at 328 K. Thermodynamic parameters indicated endothermic and spontaneous adsorption. Meanwhile, the composite could be readily separated from the aqueous solution thanks to its magnetic property. Then, it was regenerated with acetone and ethanol to be reused for five more successive cycles. Interestingly, the prepared adsorbent was highly stable and performant in removing TC, maintaining approximately 90 % of its first-cycle adsorption capacity. The adsorption mechanism was primarily attributed to electrostatic and hydrogen bonding attractions. Overall, the currently developed adsorbent could be a more favorable, efficient, and cost-effective candidate than other magnetic chitosan-based composites. These features make it applicable for treating water contaminated with various pharmaceutical pollutants with high separation efficiency and easy recovery under successive adsorption-desorption cycles.

The Impact of Tetracycline Pollution on the Aquatic Environment and Removal Strategies

Antibacterial drugs are among the most commonly used medications in the world. Tetracycline is a widely used antibiotic for human and animal therapy due to its broad-spectrum activity, high effectiveness, and reasonable cost. The indications for treatment with tetracycline include pneumonia, bone and joint infections, infectious disorders of the skin, sexually transmitted and gastrointestinal infections. However, tetracycline has become a serious threat to the environment because of its overuse by humans and veterinarians and weak ability to degrade. Tetracycline is capable of accumulating along the food chain, causing toxicity to the microbial community, encouraging the development and spread of antibiotic resistance, creating threats to drinking and irrigation water, and disrupting microbial flora in the human intestine. It is essential to address the negative impact of tetracycline on the environment, as it causes ecological imbalance. Ineffective wastewater systems are among the main reasons for the increased antibiotic concentrations in aquatic sources. It is possible to degrade tetracycline by breaking it down into small molecules with less harmful or nonhazardous effects. A range of methods for physical, chemical, and biological degradation exists. The review will discuss the negative effects of tetracycline consumption on the aquatic environment and describe available removal methods.

Efficient Uptake of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme II Inhibitor Employing Graphene Oxide-Based Magnetic Nanoadsorbents

This paper reports a high efficiency uptake of captopril (CPT), employing magnetic graphene oxide (MGO) as the adsorbent. The graphene oxide (GO) was produced through an oxidation and exfoliation method, and the magnetization technique by the co-precipitation method. The nanomaterials were characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, Raman, and VSM analysis. The optimal condition was reached by employing GO·Fe3O4 at pH 3.0 (50 mg of adsorbent and 50 mg L−1 of CPT), presenting values of removal percentage and maximum adsorption capacity of 99.43% and 100.41 mg g−1, respectively. The CPT adsorption was dependent on adsorbent dosage, initial concentration of adsorbate, pH, and ionic strength. Sips and Elovich models showed the best adjustment for experimental data, suggesting that adsorption occurs in a heterogeneous surface. Thermodynamic parameters reveal a favorable, exothermic, involving a chemisorption process. The magnetic carbon nanomaterial exhibited a high efficiency after five adsorption/desorption cycles. Finally, the GO·Fe3O4 showed an excellent performance in CPT removal, allowing future application in waste management.