Composite magnetic materials for effective removal of drugs and pesticides

Contamination of water with pharmaceutical substances and pesticides represents a serious ecological problem that threatens the environment and the health of people and animals. Traditional water treatment methods often fail to effectively remove these toxic pollutants. Using magnetic composites with a CeO2 active layer represents a breakthrough technology that offers an effective solution to this problem. Our magnetite/CeO2-based magnetic composite materials are advanced materials that combine the unique properties of magnetite (Fe3O4) and cerium dioxide. Magnetite is known for its magnetic nature, allowing easy separation from water using a magnetic field. Cerium dioxide, on the other hand, excels with its large surface area and reactive adsorption capacity, which increases its effectiveness in removing harmful substances. Our research has shown that these prepared composite materials exhibit high adsorption capacity in the removal of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (herbicide) and cephalexin (beta-lactam antibiotic) compared to other materials, which show lower adsorption capacity and are difficult to separate after use. The extent of coverage of the magnetic core by the active layer was only 20% CeO2 while maintaining high adsorption capacity. Our materials can be prepared from commercially available raw materials, reducing the cost of producing these composite materials.

J. Ederer, P. Ryšánek, L. Vrtoch, V. Neubertová, J. Henych, O. Životský, P. Janoš, S. Adamec, Z. Kolská, Magnetite/ceria-based composites for effective adsorption of pharmaceuticals and pesticides in water. Journal of Water Process Engineering 63 (2024) 105446.

Odkaz na článek: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2024.105446

The archive of other published articles can be found here