Abstract
Tetracyclines (TCs) are the most widely used antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of livestock diseases, but they are toxic to humans and have frequently been detected in water bodies. In this study, the physical and chemical properties of the zirconium-based metal organic framework (MOF) UiO-66 and its NH2-functionalized congener UiO-66-NH2 were investigated along with batch TC adsorption tests to determine the effect of functionalization on TC removal. TC removal was highest at pH 3 and decreased with increasing pH. Pseudo-1st and pseudo-2nd-order kinetic models were used to study the adsorption equilibrium times, and Langmuir isotherm model was found to be more suitable than Freundlich model. The maximum uptake for UiO-66 and UIO-66-NH2 was measured to be 93.6 and 76.5 mg/g, respectively. Unexpectedly, the TC adsorption capacity of UiO-66-NH2 was observed to be lower than that of UiO-66. Density functional theory calculations revealed that the pore structures are irrelevant to TC adsorption, and that the –NH2 functional group could weaken the structural robustness of UiO-66-NH2, causing a reduction in TC adsorption capacity. Accordingly, robust MOFs with zirconium-based metal clusters can be effectively applied for the treatment of antibiotics such as TC in water.
Highlights
Water is vital to all living things
The widespread emergence of antibiotics has led to serious health and environmental problems stemming from the resistance of pathogenic bacterial microorganisms to the antibiotics, the toxicity of these antibiotics to microorganisms in the aquatic environment, and the resulting endocrine disruption of organisms [8,9,10]
The metal organic structures UiO-66 and UiO-66-NH2 were synthesized to evaluate their performance as adsorbents for the removal of antibiotic TCs in water
Summary
Water is vital to all living things. With rapid industrial development, increasing amounts of contaminants are being released into the aquatic environment at high concentrations. Water contamination has become a worldwide issue in recent decades. During this period, various industrial pollutants, including antibiotics, have frequently been found in both aquatic and soil environments due to the excessive use of medicines required for preserving human and animal health. Various industrial pollutants, including antibiotics, have frequently been found in both aquatic and soil environments due to the excessive use of medicines required for preserving human and animal health These contaminants significantly impair the water quality [1,2]. The increased and long-term use of antibiotics has contributed to the acceleration of environmental pollution. The widespread emergence of antibiotics has led to serious health and environmental problems stemming from the resistance of pathogenic bacterial microorganisms to the antibiotics, the toxicity of these antibiotics to microorganisms in the aquatic environment, and the resulting endocrine disruption of organisms [8,9,10]
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