Optimisation of ciprofloxacin removal by using polymer inclusion membrane and its multivariate analysis with half‐fractional factorial design

Abstract

AbstractBACKGROUNDIn this study, the use of polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) to attenuate the recalcitrant contaminant of ciprofloxacin (CIP) in an aquatic system is presented. Poly(vinyl)chloride (PVC) was used as the base polymer, bis−2‐(Ethylhexyl) phosphate (B2EHP) as the carrier, and dioctyl phthalate (DOP) as the plasticizer. Optimisation of the experiment was conducted using multivariate analysis of half‐fractional factorial design, focusing on parameters like pH of the source solution, the source solution's concentration, carrier composition, the concentration of the receiving solution, and extraction time.RESULTSIt was found that PIMs with the composition of PVC 45%: B2EHP 25%: DOP 30% were the best suited for this purpose. The optimal removal efficiency of CIP was ˃99% at pH 6, 90% at pH 12, and 85% removal at neutral pH (7). After various optimisation steps, the method was applied to actual environmental wastewater and river samples with an average percentage removal efficiency of ˃97%.CONCLUSIONThis study has successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using PIMs for the removal of CIP antibiotics. Hence, it may be considered a practical treatment approach for other pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic system. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).