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Optimizing composite microplastics for antibiotics removal in water: An eco-friendly solution

Sustainable Environment 2025 Score: 38 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
David Azanu, Nasser Dia, James Darmey, David Adu-Poku, Kwame Effrim Tabbicca, Ebenezer Ebo Yahans Amuah, Sampson Kofi Kyei, Alikalifa Sanogo

Summary

Researchers investigated the adsorption of antibiotics ciprofloxacin and flucloxacillin onto PET and HDPE microplastics, characterizing the particles via FTIR, SEM, and EDX and fitting isotherm models to show that microplastics can serve as carriers of antibiotic pollutants in aquatic environments.

Microplastics (MPs) have the potential to adsorb and transport organic pollutants in aquatic environments. This study investigated the removal of antibiotics ciprofloxacin (CIP) and flucloxacillin (FLU) from water using microplastics made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The microplastics were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Isotherm models, including Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Jovanovic, were assessed to determine which best fit the sorption data. The equilibrium time for sorption was 30 minutes. Temkin and Jovanovic models showed the best fit for sorption equilibrium data on ciprofloxacin and flucloxacillin, respectively, with R2 values above 0.92 and 0.77, indicating efficient adsorption of ciprofloxacin and flucloxacillin. The heat of adsorption decreased linearly with increased surface coverage, while Jovanovic’s model suggested mechanical interactions between the adsorbate and adsorbent. The study found that the sorption capacity decreases with increasing pH, possibly due to electrostatic interactions, and the adsorption shape resembled a type 2 sinusoidal curve. In conclusion, this study highlights the potential of composite microplastics (PET and HDPE) as low-cost adsorbents for removing ciprofloxacin and flucloxacillin from water. It provides a sustainable solution to antibiotic pollution and plastic waste management.

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