Amide-functionalized cellulose derived from sugarcane bagasse for efficient removal of amoxicillin and moxifloxacin...

Antibiotics like amoxicillin (AMX) and moxifloxacin (MOX) are discharged into water bodies, posing risks of antibiotic resistance in humans. Effective removal of antibiotics from wastewater is crucial due to existing methods' inefficiencies or high costs. The adsorptive removal of AMX and MOX was investigated by polyacrylamide-grafted cellulose (PAM-g-cellulose). Sugarcane bagasse was treated with 10 % HCl (acid hydrolysis), 10 % NaOH solution (alkali hydrolysis), followed by bleaching with sodium chlorate, glacial acetic acid, and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Then, the bleached cellulose pulp was grafted with acrylamide monomer using Fenton's reagent (FeSO₄/H₂O₂) as redox reagent. The PAM-g-cellulose was characterized by Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-rays diffraction analysis, and elemental analysis. The effect of concentration, adsorbent dosage, contact time and pH on antibiotics' adsorption were evaluated to find out the optimum values of these parameters. The following parameters were ideal for AMX and MOX adsorption onto PAM-g-cellulose: concentration of 20 mg/L, adsorption time of 60 min, and adsorbent dosage of 0.1 g/L. The maximum adsorption capacities (qmax) obtained under optimized experimental condition were 473.46 mg/g and 435.38 mg/g for AMX and MOX respectively. Owing to low cost and high efficiency, amide functionalized cellulose obtained from sugarcane bagasse could be used as an alternative adsorbent to expensive commercial adsorbents for the removal of antibiotics and other pollutants from water.