Sustainable functionalized smectitic clay-based nano hydrated zirconium oxides for enhanced levofloxacin sorption from aqueous medium

Ali Maged; Ahmed M Elgarahy; Nils H Haneklaus; Ashok Kumar Gupta; Pau-Loke Show; Amit Bhatnagar

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131325

Sustainable functionalized smectitic clay-based nano hydrated zirconium oxides for enhanced levofloxacin sorption from aqueous medium

J Hazard Mater. 2023 Jun 15:452:131325. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131325. Epub 2023 Mar 31.

Authors

Ali Maged¹, Ahmed M Elgarahy², Nils H Haneklaus³, Ashok Kumar Gupta⁴, Pau-Loke Show⁵, Amit Bhatnagar⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Separation Science, LUT School of Engineering Science, LUT University, Sammonkatu 12, FI-50130 Mikkeli, Finland; Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Suez University, P.O. Box 43518, El Salam, Suez Governorate, Egypt. Electronic address: Ali.Maged@suezuni.edu.eg.
² Egyptian Propylene and Polypropylene Company (EPPC), Port Said, Egypt; Environmental Chemistry Division, Environmental Science Department, Faculty of Science, Port Said University, Port Said, Egypt.
³ Institute of Chemical Technology, Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, Leipziger Straße 29, 09599 Freiberg, Germany; Td Lab Sustainable Mineral Resources, University for Continuing Education Krems, Dr. Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria.
⁴ Environmental Engineering Division, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, 721302 Kharagpur, India.
⁵ Department of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University, Shakhbout Bin Sultan St, Zone 1, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Department of Sustainable Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering, SIMATS, 602105 Chennai, India.
⁶ Department of Separation Science, LUT School of Engineering Science, LUT University, Sammonkatu 12, FI-50130 Mikkeli, Finland.

PMID: 37058839
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131325

Abstract

In this study, the functionalized smectitic clay (SC)-based nanoscale hydrated zirconium oxide (ZrO-SC) was successfully synthesized and utilized for the adsorptive removal of levofloxacin (LVN) from an aqueous medium. The synthesized ZrO-SC and its precursors (SC and hydrated zirconium oxide (ZrO(OH)₂)) were extensively characterized using various analytical methods to get insight into their physicochemical properties. The results of stability investigation confirmed that ZrO-SC composite is chemically stable in strongly acidic medium. The surface measurements revealed that ZrO impregnation to SC resulted in an increased surface area (six-fold higher than SC). The maximum sorption capacity of ZrO-SC for LVN was 356.98 and 68.87 mg g^-1 during batch and continuous flow mode studies, respectively. The mechanistic studies of LVN sorption onto ZrO-SC revealed that various sorption mechanisms, such as interlayer complexation, π-π interaction, electrostatic interaction, and surface complexation were involved. The kinetic studies of ZrO-SC in the continuous-flow mode indicated the better applicability of Thomas model. However, the good fitting of Clark model suggested the multi-layer sorption of LVN. The cost estimation of the studied sorbents was also assessed. The obtained results indicate that ZrO-SC is capable of removing LVN and other emergent pollutants from water at a reasonable cost.

Keywords: Adsorption mechanism; Clay; Cost estimation; Fixed-bed Column; Levofloxacin.