Utilizing a novel green ternary polymeric nanocomposite material to remove tetracycline antibiotic effectively from aqueous solutions

Highly efficient removal of tetracycline antibiotic residue from aqueous solution was demonstrated by a novel, cost effective and environmentally friendly adsorbent consisting in composite polymeric beads of sodium alginate, chitosan and polyvinyl pyrrolidone, doped with equal ratio of sulfonated graphene oxide and sulfonated titania, fabricated via simple blending method using calcium chloride as a crosslinker. The adsorption parameters of beads amount, initial tetracycline concentration, adsorption time and solution pH were investigated. Furthermore, adsorption time, beads amount, and the initial tetracycline concentration were optimized using the response surface methodology model. Pseudo-second-order kinetic equation was fitted to the adsorption process’ kinetics. It was discovered that the electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding, which primarily contribute to the noticeably enhanced adsorption ability, are the essential factors driving the adsorption mechanism. The maximum antibiotic adsorption capacity of the nanocomposite beads reached 357 mg/g.