Removal of the Amoxicillin antibiotic from aqueous matrices by means of an adsorption process using Kaolinite clay

With the h e lp of a Kaolinite clay adsorb e nt, this study examined the f e asibility of removing Amoxicillin antibiotic from aqu e ous solutions. The effects of various operational parameters which affect the elimination proc e ss were studied as adsorbent dosage (1-3 g.L -1 ), initial pH (3.0-8.5) and temperature (23-48 degrees C), in addition, the kinetics and adsorption isotherms were also evaluated by different mod e ls in order to evaluate the p e rformance and adsorption mechanisms of Amoxicillin. The results show that the equilibrium betwe e n the antibiotic and the Kaolinite clay was reach e d in 20 min, the maximum adsorption capacity of 26 mg.g -1 was achieved with an initial pH of 5.33, the amount absorb e d of the studied pollutant increased with contact time and initial antibiotic concentration, but decreased with adsorbent dosage and temperatur e . The kinetic studies indicat e d that the adsorption of Amoxicillin on Kaolinite clay can be very well fitted by a pseudo-first order kinetic model. The e quilibrium data were best described by a Freundlich, suggesting adsorption onto a heterogeneous Kaolinite clay surface, where the strong e st binding sites are occupied first. The adsorption capacity of Kaolinit e clay makes it a promising adsorb e nt for industrial applications and environmental protection. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of African Institute of This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ )