Abstract

The continuous entrance of antibiotics into the environment has caused various potential problems, including increased resistance in microorganisms. The current study was conducted to investigate the usage of single-walled carbon nanotubes for the removal of Penicillin G from aqueous environments. The efficiency of single-walled carbon nanotubes in the removal of Penicillin G was examined in terms of the effect of influential parameters in the adsorption process, including pH (3-9), adsorbent dose (0.05-0.9 g/L), initial concentration of penicillin G (20-150 mg/L), and contact time (10-180 min). Isotherm models and adsorption kinetics were also studied. The optimal conditions were examined and applied to a drinking water sample from Kerman City. The maximum removal efficiency rates of Penicillin G were 96.2 for the synthetic sample and 90.6 for the drinking water sample under the optimal conditions of pH = 3, adsorbent dose = 0.7 g/L, and contact time = 30 min. The adsorption of Penicillin G by the single-walled nanotubes followed the Langmuir isotherm (R-2 = 0.99). Kinetic studies indicated a greater correlation with pseudo-second-order kinetics with a correlation coefficient of R-2 = 0.99. The application of single-walled carbon nanotubes can be valuable as a very effective adsorbent with a relatively high efficiency of 90.6 in the removal of Penicillin G from aqueous environments.