Kinetic Studies on Penicillin G Removal from Aqueous Environments by Cupric Oxide Nanoparticles

Background & Aims of the Study: Antibiotics are pharmaceutical compounds which are stable in the environment and their discharge without treatment can cause pollution of the environment. The current study aimed to assess the efficicacy of cupric oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) as another kind of adsorbent for the removal of penicillin G (PG) from its aqueous media, as well as kinetic analysis of PG removal. Materials and Methods: In the present study, batch experiments were conducted on a laboratory scale. During the process of adsorption, the optimum conditions (including contact time, initial PG concentration, initial pH, and dosage of CuO-NPs) were determined. The sorption data was fitted into the pseudo-first-order (PFO), pseudo-second-order (PSO), Bhattacharya-Venkobachar, and intraparticle diffusion models. Results: As evidenced by the obtained results, the maximum removal efficiency for PG (83%) was measured at pH 6, CuO-NPs dose of 1 g/L,  PG concentration of 25 mg/L and the contact time of 60 min with adsorption capacity (qe) of 15 mg/g. The sorption data were more adequately fitted into the PSO model. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, CuO-NPs are efficient for PG removal; therefore, they can be employed for PG reduction from the environment.