MXene Membranes for the Isolation of Antibiotics

Antibiotic leakage into groundwater and into the natural environments has drawn attention due to their high hazard potential. This chapter addresses the application of three approaches to antibiotic remediation: adsorptive capture, catalytic degradation, and membrane separation. Currently, three main treatment methods are common to address antibiotics-polluted wastewater, namely physical adsorption, advanced oxidation, and polymeric nanofiltration. High aspect ratio MXene nanosheets might be restacked to form such regular galleries for the efficient separation of antibiotics-containing wastewater. Physical adsorption technology can remove antibiotics simply and efficiently from wastewater without forming new highly toxic by-products. Compared to the single filtration or batch e-Fenton process, the e-Fenton oxidation process integrated with a membrane separation technology shows better antibiotics removal efficiency and long-term operation performance. Membrane separation technology, which has a low carbon footprint, provides operation continuity and involves no chemical reactions, has shown promising application potential in antibiotics-contaminated wastewater treatment.