Magnetic Chitosan for the Removal of Sulfamethoxazole from Tertiary Wastewaters
Domenico Pirozzi,
Alessandro Latte,
Abu Yousuf,
Francesco De Mastro,
Gennaro Brunetti,
Andrea EL Hassanin,
Filomena Sannino
Affiliations
Domenico Pirozzi
Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials and Industrial Production (DICMaPI), Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, University of Naples “Federico II”, Piazzale Tecchio, 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Alessandro Latte
Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials and Industrial Production (DICMaPI), Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, University of Naples “Federico II”, Piazzale Tecchio, 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Abu Yousuf
Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73069, USA
Francesco De Mastro
Department of Soil, Plant, and Food Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy
Gennaro Brunetti
Department of Soil, Plant, and Food Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70126 Bari, Italy
Andrea EL Hassanin
Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials and Industrial Production (DICMaPI), Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, University of Naples “Federico II”, Piazzale Tecchio, 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Filomena Sannino
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Università 100, 80055 Naples, Italy
Magnetic chitosan nanoparticles, synthesized by in situ precipitation, have been used as adsorbents to remove sulfamethoxazole (SMX), a sulfonamide antibiotic dangerous due to its capacity to enter ecosystems. The adsorption of SMX has been carried out in the presence of tertiary wastewaters from a depuration plant to obtain more realistic results. The effect of pH on the adsorption capacity significantly changed when carrying out the experiments in the presence of wastewater. This change has been explained while taking into account the charge properties of both the antibiotic and the magnetic chitosan. The composition of wastewaters has been characterized and discussed as regards its effect on the adsorption capacity of the magnetic chitosan. The models of Elovich and Freundlich have been selected to describe the adsorption kinetics and the adsorption isotherms, respectively. The analysis of these models has suggested that the adsorption mechanism is based on strong chemical interactions between the SMX and the magnetic chitosan, leading to the formation of an SMX multilayer.
