title: Enhanced levofloxacin removal from water using zirconium (IV) loaded corn bracts.
abstract: The presence of antibiotics in the environment has attracted considerable attention due to their toxicity. In this study, agricultural waste corn bracts (CBs) modified by zirconium cations were utilized to remove levofloxacin (LEV) from wastewater. Zr-modified CBs exhibited a strong adsorption capacity (Qmax= 73 mg/g), and their desorption rate could reach 89% by simply adjusting the pH to 11. FTIR and XPS analyses indicated that the mechanism of LEV adsorption included the complexation between the ketone/carboxyl groups of LEV and the Zr atoms and the π-π electron-donor-acceptor interaction. Zr-modified CBs are economic, effective and nontoxic adsorbents. This material not only removes antibiotics from wastewater but also enables recycling and reuse of agricultural waste.
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China. shijing_cpu@163.com.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
authors.forename: Siyi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
authors.forename: Yachen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007700:Kinetics; D064704:Levofloxacin / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014867:Water; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003313:Zea mays; D015040:Zirconium
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014867:Water; D064704:Levofloxacin; D015040:Zirconium
keywords: Complexation; Corn bracts; Levofloxacin; Recycling; Zr; π-π interaction