Removal of antibiotics from aqueous solutions by nanoparticles: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Antibiotics, as one of the emerging pollutants, are non-biodegradable compounds and long-term exposure to them may affect endocrine, hormonal, and genetic systems of human beings, representing a potential risk for both the environment and human health. The presence of antibiotics in surface waters and drinking water causes a global health concern. Many researches have stated that conventional methods used for wastewater treatment cannot fully remove antibiotic residues, and they may be detected in receiving waters. It is reported that nanoparticles could remove these compounds even at low concentration and under varied conditions of pH. The current study aimed to review the most relevant publications reporting the use of different nanoparticles to remove antibiotics from aqueous solutions. Moreover, meta-analysis was conducted on the results of some articles. Results of meta-analysis proved that different nanoparticles could remove antibiotics with an acceptable efficiency of 61%. Finally, this review revealed that nanoparticles are promising and efficient materials for degradation and removal of antibiotics from water and wastewater solutions. Furthermore, future perspectives of the new generation nanostructure adsorbents were discussed in this study.