Effective adsorptive removal of amoxicillin from aqueous solutions and wastewater samples using zinc oxide coated carbon nanofiber composite

James Madimetja Chaba, Philiswa N. Nomngongo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

66 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study reports the removal of amoxicillin from environmental water matrices using zinc oxide coated carbon nanofibers composite as an adsorbent. The structural and surface properties of zinc oxide coated carbon nanofiber composite were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersion x-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The factors (sample pH and dosage) influencing the adsorption experiments were optimised using central composite design. Freundlich, Langmuir and Flory-Huggin isotherm models were used to study the adsorption isotherms. The results obtained revealed that the maximum adsorption capacity was up to 156 mg g −1 . The kinetic studies demonstrated that the adsorption process was best described by pseudo-second-order model and the equilibrium data followed Langmuir isotherm model. The optimised batch method was then applied for the removal of amoxicillin in real wastewater samples. In addition, the zinc oxide coated carbon nanofibers nanocomposite was found to reusable up to fifteen cycles.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)143-149
Number of pages7
JournalEmerging Contaminants
Volume5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Keywords

  • Adsorption
  • Amoxicillin
  • Isotherms
  • Kinetics
  • Wastewater
  • ZnO@CNF nanocomposite

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Toxicology
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Effective adsorptive removal of amoxicillin from aqueous solutions and wastewater samples using zinc oxide coated carbon nanofiber composite'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this