Removal of antibiotics from water by adsorption/biosorption on adsorbents from different raw materials

The present chapter aimed to analyze and compare the behavior of carbon materials, both commercial (activated carbons) and prepared in our laboratories (sludge-derived materials and activated carbons from petroleum coke) with different chemical and textural characteristics in the adsorption of tetracyclines and nitroimidazoles from water. This behavior was analyzed in both static and dynamic regimes and using ultrapure water, surface water, groundwater, and urban wastewater. We also assessed the influence of the solution chemical nature (pH and ionic strength) on the adsorption of these pharmaceutical contaminants analyzing the adsorbent-adsorbate interaction types and evaluating the effectiveness of the combined use of microorganisms and activated carbon (bioadsorption) in these adsorption processes. Additionally, the mass transport mechanisms controlling the overall adsorption rate of these adsorbate-adsorbent systems were investigated in depth, and relationships between textural and chemical characteristics of these adsorbent materials with kinetic and diffusion parameters were reported. © Springer International Publishing AG 2017.

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