Name

The effect of operational parameters on the efficiency of activated carbon for removal of antibiotic residues in water

Speakers

Dr Dr Heather Coleman

Authors

Heather Coleman, Hamed Rasouli Sadabad and Joerg Arnscheidt, Ulster University, UK

Description

Misuse of antibiotics and their presence in wastewater has led to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Adsorbent materials such as activated carbon (AC) have proven to be effective at removing antibiotics from water. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of operational parameters on the removal of antibiotics from water by two ACs. The influence of contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage, temperature and initial concentration of antibiotic were investigated. The physicochemical properties of the ACs were compared and linked to their adsorptive performance. The sorbents exhibited peak performance at a solution pH of 5. The highest removal efficiency was attained with 0.6g of Filtrasorb 400 at 24 hours, which achieved an almost complete removal of antibiotic. Temperature modification showed no statistically significant effect on vancomycin concentration of Norit-RB4W after 24 hours. However, Filtrasorb 400 showed a notable increase in removal efficiency with increasing temperature. Filtrasorb 400 demonstrated superior performance which was attributed to its particles consisting of higher mesopore content and width along with it’s larger BET surface area.

Time

-

Location Name

Ludlow Concourse

Track

Posters