Carbon-based materials as adsorbent for antibiotics removal: Mechanisms and influencing factors

With the development of the removal of organic pollutants in the soil and water environment, antibiotics have been considered as emerging pollutants and received considerable attention among the scientific community. Thus, there is a need for an effective, economical, fast, operational feasible and environmental-friendly technology to remove antibiotics. Adsorption technology would be one of the most promising option on the basis that it best meets the criteria we set out above. From the most primitive activated carbon to the most innovative modified biochar, carbon-based materials have played a significant role in the adsorption process of antibiotics all the time. This paper reviews the adsorption behavior of some representative antibiotics (e.g., chloramphenicols, sulfonamides, tetracyclines, flouroquinolones) over various carbonaceous materials (i.e., activated carbon, carbon nanotubes, graphene, and biochar). Nevertheless, in addition to the structural characteristics and adsorption capacities of carbon-based materials, a special emphasis was placed on the underlying adsorption mechanisms and roles of different influencing factors in the adsorption process. Moreover, the knowledge gaps and research challenges have been highlighted, including design and optimization of the carbonaceous materials for antibiotics adsorption.