1. Unintentional release of antibiotics associated with nutrients recovery from source-separated human urine by biochar
- Author
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Sayeda Ummeh Masrura, Tammy L. Jones-Lepp, Puangrat Kajitvichyanukul, Yong Sik Ok, Daniel C.W. Tsang, and Eakalak Khan
- Subjects
Environmental Engineering ,Sewage ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,General Medicine ,General Chemistry ,Nutrients ,Pollution ,Trimethoprim ,Anti-Bacterial Agents ,Kinetics ,Charcoal ,Environmental Chemistry ,Humans ,Adsorption ,Water Pollutants, Chemical - Abstract
The use of biochar to recover nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater especially source-separated human urine is attractive from both economic and environmental standpoints. The widespread use of pharmaceuticals has raised concerns as they are not fully metabolized and ended up in human urine. The objective of this study is to examine adsorption of antibiotics (azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, and tetracycline) and nutrients (ammonium and phosphate) in source-separated human urine by biochar and subsequent desorption. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted using biochar prepared from oak wood (OW) and paper mill sludge (PMS) to elucidate the effects of adsorption time, pH, and adsorbent dose. The desorption of adsorbed nutrients and antibiotics was also investigated. While the nutrient adsorption was more favorable by the PMS biochar, antibiotic adsorption was more prolific by the OW biochar. Hydrogen bonding and π-π interaction were identified as potential adsorption mechanisms. Experimental results agree with the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second order models (except the OW biochar for the kinetics). The findings suggest that biochar can adsorb both nutrients (43.30-266.67 mg g
- Published
- 2021