Water remediation by micelle-clay system: case study for tetracycline and sulfonamide antibiotics

Water Res. 2006 Jul;40(12):2369-74. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2006.04.008. Epub 2006 Jun 9.

Abstract

Removal of tetracycline and sulfonamide antibiotics from water by micelles pre-adsorbed on montmorillonite was studied. Micelles of benzyldimethylhexadecylammonium (BDMHDA) were used. Batch experiments demonstrated that the micelle-clay complexes (1% w/w) removed 96-99.9% of antibiotics from their water solutions containing from 5 to 50 mg/L of pharmaceuticals. Column filters (25 cm) made of a mixture of quartz sand and BDMHDA micelle-clay complex at 100:1 w/w ratio removed 94-99.9% of above pharmaceuticals from initial solutions containing 10mg/L and 89% of sulfamethizole from an initial solution containing 10 microg/L of this antibiotic. These filters were also very efficient in the removal of antibiotics in the presence of dissolved soil organic matter removing 89-99% of tetracycline and sulfamethizol from initial solutions containing 10 mg/L of antibiotic in the presence of 8 mg/L of humic acid, or 9 mg/L of fulvic acid. These data indicate that micelle-clay complexes are very efficient for water purification from tetracycline and sulfonamide antibiotics.

MeSH terms

  • Aluminum Silicates*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry*
  • Clay
  • Micelles*
  • Sulfonamides / chemistry*
  • Tetracycline / chemistry*
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / isolation & purification*
  • Water Purification / methods*

Substances

  • Aluminum Silicates
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Micelles
  • Sulfonamides
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • Tetracycline
  • Clay