Waste PET Plastic-Derived UIO-66(Zr)-MOF Adsorbent for Dispersive Solid Phase Extraction and Removal of Penicillin Antibiotics Water Systems

The extensive use or misuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics such as penicillins and their existence in various water bodies is still one of increasing global concern due to their persistent nature, which could potentially lead to human health and environmental risks. Recycling or upcycling plastic waste to value-added products such as metal-organic frameworks (MOF) to solve other environmental problems, such as water pollution, has received more attention. As a result, UiO-66(Zr)-MOF derived from recycled waste PET bottles (PET-derived UiO-66(Zr)-MOF) was investigated for enrichment and removal of amoxicillin (AMX) and penicillin G (PNG) in water bodies. The synthesised adsorbent was characterised using different analytical characterisation techniques. UiO-66(Zr)-MOF produced the maximum adsorption capacities of 139 and 147 mg/g for AMX and PNG, respectively. Freundlich and pseudo-second-order kinetics models best explained the adsorption process. The dispersive micro-solid phase extraction (D-μ-SPE) of the target analytes was performed using a high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). The effectiveness of the developed method was confirmed by its remarkable analytical performances, such as limits of detection (0.19–0.21 µg/L) while the linear range was 0.6–1000 µg/L. The feasibility and applicability of the validated UiO-66(Zr)-MOF-D-μ-SPE/HPLC-DAD method were confirmed by applying it in real water analysis. The AMX and PNG were detected in wastewater samples in the ranges of 1.51–4.71 µg/L and 0.195–1.19 µg/L for influent and effluent. The spike recoveries ranged from 89.9% to 101%, while the precision (intraday and interday) of the method was less than 5%.