Removal of Trace Plant Antibiotics from Water Systems by Adsorption: A Review

Plant antibiotics in water are considered an emerging issue due to their interference with human health. Antibiotics protect crops from diseases; however, low levels of antibiotics are found in wastewater due to their incomplete removal. Several treatment methods are available, but with limitations such as high operation and maintenance costs and the formation of toxic by-products. Antibiotic removal by adsorption is an alternative method, being a low-energy process with simple operation, mainly if used with carbonaceous adsorbents. Antibiotic removal was fit to a wide variety of isotherm and kinetic models, with the Freundlich isotherm as the most employed one. This paper aims to review the use of the adsorption process in the removal of plant antibiotics from water systems.