Adsorption of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics by Wastewater Sludge Biochar: Role of the Sludge Source

• DOI: 10.1007/s11270-012-1370-7
• Publication Date: 2012-11-23T09:03:23Z
• Authors: Hong Yao; Jian Lu; Jun Wu; Zeyu Lu; P. Chris Wilson; Yan Shen
• Keywords: Sewage sludge

Adsorption of fluoroquinolone antibiotics using sludge-derived biochar made of various wastewater sludges was investigated. The sludge-derived biochar had relatively large Brunauer–Emmet–Teller specific surface areas that were beyond 110.0 m2 g−1 except the biochar made from the sludge collected from traditional sludge drying bed. The mesopore capacity was more than 57 % of the total pore capacity of all sludge-derived biochar except that made from the sludge dried through traditional sludge drying bed technique. High adsorption capacity of sludge-derived biochar was observed with a highest adsorption capacity of 19.80 ± 0.40 mg g−1. High correlation between the adsorption capacity of sludge-derived biochar and the volatile content in the sludge source was observed. The Freundlich model (r 2 values were in the range of 0.961–0.998) yielded the best fit with the experimental data of all the produced biochar. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics were readily adsorbed onto sludge-derived biochar. These findings suggest a new approach for the pollution control of fluoroquinolone antibiotics using low-cost sludge-derived biochar.