13 Reigning Technologies and Their Challenges for Antibiotics …
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targeted molecules for the available adsorption surface/sites. Nature of the adsorbent, i.e., physicochemical, is a major influence on the rate of adsorption rate and its
capacity.
Some of these adsorbents require a pre-activation treatment and it may be chemical
or thermal activation in order to increase their surface areas and consequently, the
adsorption efficiency, and to improve the presence SFG. The absence of SFG leads
to a decrease in the adsorption process because the rate of chemical interaction is
dependent on the presence of SFG. Chemical interaction between adsorbent and
adsorbent is the main mechanism in adsorption processes. Hence, pre-activation
treatment is required to enhance the availability of SFG so that it help to increase the
chemical interactions, and thus the capacity of adsorption increases by increasing
the specific SFG, and sometimes it may lead to the negative influence on the process
depending on the SFG composition. The existence of anions/cations on the adsorbent
can enhance the capacity of ion exchange, as this is the most influencing mechanism
in the process of heavy metal contaminants removal.
The widely used adsorbents are granular ACs, but their high cost and difficult
to synthesize are the major disadvantages. Therefore, the interest in finding alternative adsorbents which can replace the AC is grown up, with the purpose of finding
new low-cost adsorbents, easy to generate or as by-products or waste materials from
industrial or agricultural productions. The low-cost adsorbent produced from agricultural waste and industrial waste, till now used in the decontamination of antibioticcontaminated water, is activated carbon produced from agricultural waste. Different
adsorbent materials and corresponding removal efficiencies are shown in Table 13.2.
The literature proves that the sorption techniques for the removal of antibiotics are
promising and economical technology, as they used various waste materials to produce low-cost adsorbent. This process is able to treat low as well as high concentration
contaminated liquid waste. However, this process is transferring the contaminants
from the liquid phase to the solid phase. The solid/sludge that is produced from this
process is easily treated by incineration. It is found from the previously published
research that there is a need to check the feasibility of the developed biochar/treatment
process and to have an emphasis on the pilot-scale model rather than the laboratory
experiment studies.
13.4.1.4 Membrane Techniques
These techniques come under the physical treatment process. Membrane techniques
are extensively used to treat contaminated wastewater. These techniques are a diffusion process applied where unwanted molecules and ions are removed from liquid waste generated from different components. In these processes, water is passed
through the semi-permeable membrane with the help of mechanical forces (pressure
is applied) so that unwanted substances retain over the surface and effluent must be
contamination free. This technique does not degrade the contaminant just retained
over the surface or just transference of new phase where the concentration of this
contaminant is more than the initial concentration. Size of the membrane varies from
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targeted molecules for the available adsorption surface/sites. Nature of the adsorbent, i.e., physicochemical, is a major influence on the rate of adsorption rate and its
capacity.
Some of these adsorbents require a pre-activation treatment and it may be chemical
or thermal activation in order to increase their surface areas and consequently, the
adsorption efficiency, and to improve the presence SFG. The absence of SFG leads
to a decrease in the adsorption process because the rate of chemical interaction is
dependent on the presence of SFG. Chemical interaction between adsorbent and
adsorbent is the main mechanism in adsorption processes. Hence, pre-activation
treatment is required to enhance the availability of SFG so that it help to increase the
chemical interactions, and thus the capacity of adsorption increases by increasing
the specific SFG, and sometimes it may lead to the negative influence on the process
depending on the SFG composition. The existence of anions/cations on the adsorbent
can enhance the capacity of ion exchange, as this is the most influencing mechanism
in the process of heavy metal contaminants removal.
The widely used adsorbents are granular ACs, but their high cost and difficult
to synthesize are the major disadvantages. Therefore, the interest in finding alternative adsorbents which can replace the AC is grown up, with the purpose of finding
new low-cost adsorbents, easy to generate or as by-products or waste materials from
industrial or agricultural productions. The low-cost adsorbent produced from agricultural waste and industrial waste, till now used in the decontamination of antibioticcontaminated water, is activated carbon produced from agricultural waste. Different
adsorbent materials and corresponding removal efficiencies are shown in Table 13.2.
The literature proves that the sorption techniques for the removal of antibiotics are
promising and economical technology, as they used various waste materials to produce low-cost adsorbent. This process is able to treat low as well as high concentration
contaminated liquid waste. However, this process is transferring the contaminants
from the liquid phase to the solid phase. The solid/sludge that is produced from this
process is easily treated by incineration. It is found from the previously published
research that there is a need to check the feasibility of the developed biochar/treatment
process and to have an emphasis on the pilot-scale model rather than the laboratory
experiment studies.
13.4.1.4 Membrane Techniques
These techniques come under the physical treatment process. Membrane techniques
are extensively used to treat contaminated wastewater. These techniques are a diffusion process applied where unwanted molecules and ions are removed from liquid waste generated from different components. In these processes, water is passed
through the semi-permeable membrane with the help of mechanical forces (pressure
is applied) so that unwanted substances retain over the surface and effluent must be
contamination free. This technique does not degrade the contaminant just retained
over the surface or just transference of new phase where the concentration of this
contaminant is more than the initial concentration. Size of the membrane varies from