Towards sustainable environmental remediation: Ceftriaxone adsorption by titania derived from red mud

In a world grappling with numerous challenges, including resource depletion, water shortages, soil pollution, and an escalating energy demand, it becomes imperative to leverage waste materials that hold potential benefits for such applications. One such waste material is red mud, a primary by-product of the aluminium production industry derived through the Bayer process. This by-product engenders significant environmental issues, notably water and soil pollution, owing to its high alkalinity. In response to this, the current study outlines the utilization of a red mud sample for the extraction of valuable metal oxides, specifically titania (TiO2). This extracted TiO2 aims to facilitate the adsorption of Ceftriaxone, a commonly discharged antibiotic in water systems. This work undertakes a comparative analysis evaluating the efficacy of commercially available TiO2 against that extracted from the red mud sample in removing Ceftriaxone from model and tap water samples. The impregnation effect using two transition metals; iron and copper was investigated in the present study, details of which will be delineated in the subsequent sections. Additionally, the catalytic and photocatalytic efficiencies of one of these composites are investigated in this study.