Abstract
Activated sludge, which is difficult and expensive to treat and dispose of, is a key concern in wastewater treatment plants. In this study, magnetic sludge biochar containing activated sludge and different sizes (14.3, 40.2 and 90.5 nm) of Fe3O4 nanoparticles was investigated as an effective adsorbent for tetracycline (TC) adsorption. Magnetic sludge-based biochar was prepared by a facile cross-linking method and characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and zeta potential analysis. The adsorption performances of TC on three kinds of adsorbents were investigated. Although 14.3 nm Fe3O4 nanoparticles could be inclined to aggregate and partially filled with pores of biochar, it turned out that magnetic sludge biochar with 14.3 nm Fe3O4 nanoparticles exhibited optimum performance for TC removal with adsorption capacity up to 184.5 mg g−1, due to the larger amounts of functional groups and the change of zeta potential. Furthermore, the adsorption kinetics of TC on three kinds of adsorbents were studied, which implied that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model exhibited the better fit for the entire sorption process.
Highlights
The extensive use of antibiotics has become a serious environmental problem, which could induce the destruction of water systems and even in soil [1,2]
The morphology of magnetic sludge biochar with different sized Fe3O4 particles was obtained by TEM, and the particle size was analysed using the Image J software
The surface and pore properties of as-prepared magnetic biochar were characterized by nitrogen adsorption–desorption test
Summary
The extensive use of antibiotics has become a serious environmental problem, which could induce the destruction of water systems and even in soil [1,2]. Fe3O4 glutaraldehyde sludge biochar size effect adsorption magnet magnetic separatation tetracycline. Schematic illustration of the synthesis of MS with different sized Fe3O4 particles and its adsorption properties of TC. Used antibiotics, tetracycline (TC) is the most widely used in aquaculture and pharmacy due to the relatively low costs [3,4]. TC has been detected in wastewater, surface and groundwater, and these trace amounts of TC could cause adverse consequences. TC has been proved to induce micro-bial resistance, resulting in the production of resistant bacteria and resistance genes, and seriously threatening human health [7,8]
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