Carbon-based materials: adsorptive removal of antibiotics from water

The contamination generated by multiple antibiotics represents a general concern given its impact at the environmental level, mainly affecting the planet’s soil and water and impacting the development of numerous species. Additionally, a new problem has been triggered in terms of the development of antibiotic-resistance genes in various pathogenic microorganisms generating concern for the health sector in terms of the efficiency of antibiotics in the future. These actual problems and concerns demand efforts and actions to remove or eliminate these contaminants. Multiple alternatives to reduce the impact of antibiotics in water have been carried out, such as advanced oxidation, reverse osmosis, and membrane filtration. However, adsorption techniques have presented more favorable and viable results in which carbon-based materials are an efficient tool to remediate the environment that can take advantage of other alternatives due to their characteristics. This review presents different carbon-based absorptive materials such as biochar, carbon nanotubes, activated carbon, and graphene to remove these contaminants, given their characteristics and favorable results. However, process integration, production, and modification continue to be challenging and require more research and experimentation.