Adsorption of tetracycline, ofloxacin and cephalexin antibiotics on boron nitride nanosheets from aqueous solution

Abstract

Due to their ability to treat infections, antibiotics are being used in large quantities for human, animals and plants. Although they treat diseases well, they pose serious environmental risk as a result of non-consumption of a large fraction in metabolism. These unmodified antibiotics have been found to pollute surface, ground and drinking water. Against this backdrop, we report the synthesis of large surface area boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSS) and their application as adsorbent for removal of tetracycline (TC), ofloxacin (OFL) and cephalexin (CFX) from water. The synthesized adsorbent has been characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), zeta potential, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)and surface area analysis. The largest specific surface area (SBET = 1801.9 m2 g−1) of the synthesized sheets was obtained by optimizing the mixing time. The effect of pH, dose and contact time has been investigated to obtain the optimum parameters for maximum adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacities of BNNSs have been found to be 346.66 mg g−1 (TC), 72.50 mg g−1 (OFL) and 225.0 mg g−1 (CFX). This superior adsorption behavior demonstrates the potential of BNNSs for commercial applications for potable and waste water treatment.