Synthesis of alkyl-functionalized magnetic for fluoroquinolones removal: Adsorption performance and mechanism studies in single and binary systems

Comparative overview of advanced oxidation processes and biological approaches for the removal pharmaceuticals

Nowadays, pharmaceuticals are the center of significant environmental research due to their complex and highly stable bioactivity, increasing concentration in the water streams and high persistence in aquatic environments. Conventional wastewater treatment techniques are generally inadequate to remove these pollutants. Aiming to tackle this issue effectively, various methods have been developed and investigated on the light of chemical, physical and biological procedures. Increasing attention has recently been paid to the advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) as efficient methods for the complete mineralization of pharmaceuticals. Their high operating costs compared to other processes, however, remain a challenge. Hence, this review summarizes the current and state of art related to AOPs, biological treatment and their effective exploitation for the degradation of various pharmaceuticals and other emerging molecules present in wastewater. The review covers the last decade with a particular focus on the previous five years. It is further envisioned that this review of advanced oxidation methods and biological treatments, discussed herein, will help readers to better understand the mechanisms and limitations of these methods for the removal of pharmaceuticals from the environment. In addition, we compared AOPs and biological treatments for the disposal of pharmaceuticals from the point of view of cost, effectiveness, and popularity of their use. The exploitation of coupling AOPs and biological procedures for the degradation of pharmaceuticals in wastewater was also presented. It is worthy of note that an integrated AOPs/biological system is essential to reach the complete degradation of pharmaceuticals; other advantages of this hybrid technique involve low energy cost, an efficient degradation process and generation of non-toxic by-products.

Biochar of Spent Coffee Grounds as Per Se and Impregnated with TiO2: Promising Waste-Derived Adsorbents for Balofloxacin

Biochars (BC) of spent coffee grounds, both pristine (SCBC) and impregnated with titanium oxide (TiO₂@SCBC) were exploited as environmentally friendly and economical sorbents for the fluroquinolone antibiotic balofloxacin (BALX). Surface morphology, functional moieties, and thermal stabilities of both adsorbents were scrutinized using SEM, EDS, TEM, BET, FTIR, Raman, and TG/dT analyses. BET analysis indicated that the impregnation with TiO₂ has increased the surface area (50.54 m²/g) and decreased the pore size and volume. Batch adsorption experiments were completed in lights of the experimental set-up of Plackett-Burman design (PBD). Two responses were maximized; the % removal (%R) and the adsorption capacity (q_e, mg/g) as a function of four variables: pH, adsorbent dosage (AD), BALX concentration ([BALX]), and contact time (CT). %R of 68.34% and 91.78% were accomplished using the pristine and TiO₂@SCBC, respectively. Equilibrium isotherms indicated that Freundlich model was of a perfect fit for adsorption of BALX onto both adsorbents. Maximum adsorption capacity (q_max) of 142.55 mg/g for SCBC and 196.73 mg/g for the TiO₂@SCBC. Kinetics of the adsorption process were best demonstrated using the pseudo-second order (PSO) model. The adsorption-desorption studies showed that both adsorbents could be restored with the adsorption efficiency being conserved up to 66.32% after the fifth cycles.