Cited by 30Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removalPharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental ImpactsEnvironmental remediation with nanomaterials

Microporous carbon derived from waste plastics for efficient adsorption of tetracycline: Adsorption mechanism and application potentials

Bian, Shiyu, Cai, Zhuoyu, Xing, Weinan, Zhao, Chunyu, Pan, Yuwei, Han, Jiangang, Wu, Guangyu, Huang, Yudong·2025·Environmental Research

Abstract

In recent years, the accumulation of waste plastics and emergence plastic-derived pollutants such as microplastics have driven significantly the development and updating of waste plastic utilization technology. This study prepared the porous carbon (PC-1-KOH) material directly from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in waste plastic bottles using KOH activation and molten salt strategy for efficient removal of antibiotic tetracycline (TC). The maximum removal efficiency of TC was 100.0% with a PC-1-KOH weight of 20 mg. In addition, the TC removal efficiency stayed over 80.0% within the rage of pH of 3-9 and different water bodies. The adsorption process was described by the Pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm, suggesting that the adsorption of TC was predominantly chemical in nature and occurred on a homogeneous surface. The pores filling, hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking interactions and electrostatic interaction are the main mechanisms of TC adsorption. This work demonstrates a sustainable approach to converting plastic waste derived materials into functional materials for effective pollution removal and environmental remediation.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.envres.2025.120785

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  • Bian et al. prepared porous carbon (PC-1-KOH) from waste PET bottles using KOH activation and a molten salt strategy for tetracycline adsorption.

    “Similarly, Bian et al. directly used polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from waste plastic bottles as a raw material.Employing KOH activation and a molten salt strategy, they prepared porous carbon (PC-1-KOH) material for tetracycline adsorption in the environment [116] .”
  • Adsorption mechanism analysis revealed that the process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Langmuir isotherm model, indicating chemisorption and monolayer adsorption.

    “Adsorption mechanism analysis revealed that the process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Langmuir isotherm model, indicating chemisorption and monolayer adsorption.”
  • Under pH 4, initial tetracycline concentration of 20 mg/L, and PC-1KOH dosage of 20 mg, the tetracycline removal rate reached 100%.

    “Under conditions of pH = 4, initial TC concentration of 20 mg/L, and PC-1KOH dosage of 20 mg, the tetracycline removal rate reached 100%.”

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Authors
Bian, S., Cai, Z., Xing, W., Zhao, C., Pan, Y., Han, J., Wu, G., & Huang, Y.
Affiliations
  • Nanjing Forestry University (CN)
  • Shandong First Medical University (CN)
  • Changzhou Institute of Technology (CN)
  • Guangxi University (CN)
  • Harbin Institute of Technology (CN)
Corresponding author
Wu, Guangyu
Venue
Environmental Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2025-03
Volume
268
Pages
120785
ISSN
0013-9351 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4406255753
Cited by
30
References
70
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 18
FWCI
7.62
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Environmental Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Natural Science Research of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China (23KJB610010)
  • Guangxi Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Resource Processing and Process Intensification Technology, Guangxi University (2023K004)
  • Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20230410)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (22478195)
  • Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2023QB140)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Environmental remediation with nanomaterials
Keywords
tetracycline adsorption, polyethylene terephthalate, waste plastic recycling, microporous carbon, KOH activation, molten salt activation, antibiotic removal, adsorption mechanism, π-π stacking, hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, water treatment
MeSH terms
Adsorption, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Carbon, Kinetics, Plastics, Polyethylene Terephthalates, Tetracycline, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Porosity

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