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Porous maghemite–sepiolite–silica xerogel sorbent for broad-spectrum removal of antibiotics, micro/nanoplastics and dye
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Scientists created a low-cost, magnetic sponge-like material that can pull antibiotics, microplastics, nanoplastics, and dye out of water, removing up to 99% of these contaminants, even in real-world water samples. Because it's magnetic, it can be easily collected and reused up to five times, offering a practical way to clean up water supplies that could otherwise expose people to drug residues and plastic particles linked to health concerns.
Emerging contaminants (ECs), including antibiotics and micro/nanoplastics, pose increasing risks to aquatic ecosystems due to their persistence, toxicity, and bioaccumulation. Herein, we report a cost-effective, magnetically responsive MAG-SEP-XER sorbent constructed from natural sepiolite fibers, maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃), and silica xerogel. When compared with conventional passive adsorbents, MAG-SEP-XER integrates broad-spectrum adsorption, magnetic recovery, and micro-motor-assisted dynamic decontamination, enabling efficient removal of tetracycline (TETRA), ciprofloxacin (CIPRO), microplastics, and nanoplastics with efficiencies up to 99%. In batch tests, 20 mg of MAG-SEP-XER removed 75-96.5% of TETRA and 79-82% of CIPRO within 120 min at 5 ppm, while higher dosages enabled near-complete removal of 98-99%. The maximum adsorption capacities reached 4.4, 4.12, 180, and 80 mg/g for TETRA, CIPRO, microplastics, and nanoplastics, respectively. Further, MAG-SEP-XER also achieved 70-99% removal in real water samples and retained appreciable performance after five adsorption-desorption cycles. Moreover, as a magnetically actuated hybrid wireless micro-motor, MAG-SEP-XER enabled dynamic MB decontamination with 80-90% removal efficiency. This work demonstrates a scalable, efficient approach for mitigating multiple ECs, highlighting its potential for real-world water treatment applications.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.