Adsorption in a Fixed-Bed Column and Stability of the Antibiotic Oxytetracycline Supported on Zn(II)-[2-Methylimidazolate] Frameworks in Aqueous Media

PLoS One. 2015 Jun 9;10(6):e0128436. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128436. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

A metal-organic framework, Zn-[2-methylimidazolate] frameworks (ZIF-8), was used as adsorbent material to remove different concentrations of oxytetracycline (OTC) antibiotic in a fixed-bed column. The OTC was studied at concentrations of 10, 25 and 40 mg L(-1). At 40 mg L(-1), the breakthrough point was reached after approximately 10 minutes, while at 10 and 25 mg L(-1) this point was reached in about 30 minutes. The highest removal rate of 60% for the 10 mg L(-1) concentration was reached after 200 minutes. The highest adsorption capacity (28.3 mg g(-1)) was attained for 25 mg L(-1) of OTC. After the adsorption process, a band shift was observed in the UV-Vis spectrum of the eluate. Additional studies were carried out to determine the cause of this band shift, involving a mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of the supernatant liquid during the process. This investigation revealed that the main route of adsorption consisted of the coordination of OTC with the metallic zinc centers of ZIF-8. The materials were characterized by thermal analysis (TA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and infrared spectroscopy (IR) before and after adsorption, confirming the presence of OTC in the ZIF-8 and the latter's structural stability after the adsorption process.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adsorption
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry*
  • Organometallic Compounds / chemistry*
  • Oxytetracycline / chemistry*
  • Zinc Compounds / chemistry*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Organometallic Compounds
  • Zinc Compounds
  • Oxytetracycline

Grants and funding

The authors thank the Brazilian research funding agencies CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) and INCT-INAMI (the National Institute of Science and Technology – Nanotechnology for Integrated Markers) for fellowships granted to J.F.S., and CAPES (Brazil Nanobiotec Network/Federal Agency for the Support and Improvement of Higher Education) for a fellowship granted to D.L.M. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.