title: Enhancement of the adsorption capacity of the light-weight expanded clay aggregate surface for the metronidazole antibiotic by coating with MgO nanoparticles: Studies on the kinetic, isotherm, and effects of environmental parameters.
abstract: The synthesized MgO nanoparticles were used to coat the light-weight expanded clay aggregates (LECA) and as a metronidazole (MNZ) adsorbent. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR) techniques were employed to study the surface morphology and characteristics of the adsorbents. MgO/LECA clearly revealed the advantages of the nanocomposite particles, showing high specific surface area (76.12 m2/g), significant adsorption sites and functional groups. Between pH 5 and 9, the MNZ sorption was not significantly affected. Kinetic studies revealed that the MNZ adsorption closely followed the Avrami model, with no dominant process controlling the sorption rate. The study of the effects of foreign ions revealed that the addition of carbonate raised the MNZ removal efficiency of LECA by 8% and the total removal of MNZ by MgO/LECA. Furthermore, nitrate and hardness only marginally influenced the MNZ removal efficiency and their effects can be ranked in the order of carbonate>nitrate>hardness. The isotherm adsorption of MNZ was best fitted with the Langmuir model enlighten the monolayer MNZ adsorption on the homogeneous LECA and MgO/LECA surfaces. The maximum adsorption capacity under optimum conditions was enhanced from 56.31 to 84.55 mg/g for LECA and MgO/LECA, respectively. These findings demonstrated that the MgO/LECA nanocomposite showed potential as an efficient adsorbent for MNZ removal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Research Center for Health, Safety and Environment (RCHSE), Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Ebrahim Mohammadi
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Kalhori
authors.affiliation: Isra University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Amman, Jordan.
authors.forename: Tariq J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Al-Musawi
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Research Center, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Esmaeil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ghahramani
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Western University, London, ON, Canada; College of Science and Management, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kazemian
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Research Center for Health, Safety and Environment (RCHSE), Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Mansur
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zarrabi
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000538:Aluminum Silicates / Q000737:chemistry*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000077215:Clay; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods*; D007700:Kinetics; D008277:Magnesium Oxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D000538:Aluminum Silicates; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008795:Metronidazole; D008277:Magnesium Oxide; D000077215:Clay
keywords: Adsorption; Foreign ions; Isotherm; Kinetic; Metronidazole; Nano