Synthesis and Characterization of Graphitic Carbon Based Adsorbent Photocatalyst Hybrids (APH) for Enhanced Removal of Tetracycline from Water

Abstract

Antibiotics are one of biggest cause in polluting water. Due to human consumption of antibotics,30-92 % of active compounds of antibiotics are excreted and enters into sewage of residential system. This implies that city sewage plants are full of such medicines. Antibiotics are also used to treat the animals which secret them on land and eventually they get into water bodies like river etc. Finally aquatic environment get full of such medicines. Resistance bacteria gene then get evolve and develop resistance against low dose of medicines which is posing threat to human health. E.coli bacteria has developed antibiotic resistance gene TC which is well known and well used antibiotic. Therefore there is concern about effective remediation and treatment of TC. Various methods such as membrane, ozone and bioactive methods have been used for treatment of this pharmaceutical. Adsorption cum phohtocatalysis is emerging technique in which nanoadsorbent material degrades the TC without use of any secondary treatment. In present study, a novel photoadsorbent has been developed by hydrothermal and insitue method. SEM, XRD, FTIR, XPS and TEM suggest successful synthesis of photoadsrobent. UV-VIS spectrophotometry is used to determine degradation performance of photoadsorbetn. 98 % of TC has been degraded by this method which can open new pathways of technology to effective remediation of antibiotic in aquatic environment.