Removal of tetracycline antibiotic using cerium oxide nanoparticles and determination by HPLC

The presence of antibiotics in the environment threatens the health of humans and animals, seriously. In this respect, this study applies cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2NPs) as an adsorbent to remove tetracycline (TC) from aqueous solutions and investigates the effects of various parameters on the adsorption reaction. The studied parameters include pH‚ electrolyte concentration‚ TC concentration, amount of the adsorbent, flow rate of the solution, and the presence of several coexisting ions. According to the obtained results, the CeO2NPs are quite efficient for removal of TC at room temperature. Furthermore, adsorption of TC onto the CeO2NPs is fast and the corresponding isotherms fit the Langmuir model, perfectly. The proposed adsorption method is successfully employed to remove TC from various aqueous solutions including surface and drinking water samples.