Name

Seaweed as a sustainable and affordable adsorbent for the removal of Vancomycin in wastewaters

Speakers

Dr Dr Heather Coleman

Authors

Erwin Onyekachukwu, Heather Nesbitt, Svetlana Tretsiakova-McNally, Heather Coleman, Ulster University, UK

Description

Seaweed feasibility and circular economy integration involves repurposing it as a sustainable material for adsorbing pharmaceutical contaminants. Its porous cellulose structure enables bio-based adsorbents for contaminant removal, reducing environmental impact. Adsorption offers a sustainable alternative to conventional wastewater treatment techniques. Recent publications have reported the presence of vancomycin in wastewaters at levels ranging from 0.0009 to 0.0437 mg/L in WWTP influent (Giebułtowicz et al., 2020; Tran et al., 2016) and up to 0.0085 mg/L in WWTP-treated effluent (Dinh et al., 2017). This study utilizes seaweed particle size of 180 – 250 µm, pre-treated with 2M sulphuric acid. An HPLC technique will be used to determine the concentration of vancomycin in water to evaluate adsorption parameters such as pH, contact time and temperature. Furthermore, appropriate techniques were utilized to evaluate seaweed characteristics such as functional groups, surface morphology, particle size distribution and isoelectric point. For particle size distribution, the treated seaweed has a lesser particle size and a higher surface area compared to the raw seaweed. Furthermore, the time results show that both seaweed samples have adsorption efficiency above 90%, with the raw seaweed having a removal rate of 97% compared to the treated seaweed at 94%.

Time

-

Location Name

Ludlow Concourse

Track

Posters