Ali Aghababai Beni

Development of a PVA–hydroxyapatite composite adsorbent immobilized on a porous polyester substrate for efficient and recyclable removal of antibiotic contaminants from pharmaceutical wastewater.

Antibiotic contamination in pharmaceutical wastewater poses environmental and public health risks. This study synthesized a nanocomposite ceramic adsorbent from clay, cow bone powder (hydroxyapatite nanoparticles), and human hair for antibiotic removal. The adsorbent exhibited high mechanical strength (3.6 bar), chemical stability, and a large surface area (171.32 m² g⁻¹). Characterization (FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, BET) confirmed successful nanoparticle incorporation. In a vertical fixed-bed column, optimal removal occurred at pH 7, 25 g adsorbent, 25 °C, and 40 min contact time. Adsorption was endothermic, following pseudo-first-order and intraparticle diffusion models. The adsorbent retained >90% efficiency after 142 regeneration cycles, proving its durability and cost-effectiveness.

Petroleum hydrocarbons in refinery wastewater are considered the main cause of pollution. Wastewater from oil refineries contains large amounts of oil and fat in the form of suspended particles, light and heavy hydrocarbons, phenol, and other dissolved organic substances, which cause environmental pollution if they are discharged into the environment without treatment. Usually, conventional methods of treating petroleum wastes have a lot of costs; due to the existence of sufficient area for the construction of solar distillation ponds and suitable sunlight, as well as a large number of sunny days near the equator, the solar distillation method can be used. Membrane bioreactors based on biological decomposition and biological transformation of oils and waste oil materials have provided new solutions for the biological treatment of these wastewater. In addition to these methods, Fenton’s advanced oxidation methods, electrochemical coagulation method, and membrane filtration method are mentioned in this chapter.