Removal of vancomycin from water by adsorption using sawdust Lekan Abudu 1 , Hamed R. Sadabad 2 , Arnscheidt J 2 , Tretsiakova-McNally S 3 , O’Hagan B 4 , Adeyemi D.K 1 , Oluseyi T 5 , Adams L.A 5 , Coleman H.M 6 1 Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Lagos, Nigeria, 2 School of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Ulster University, 3 Belfast School of Architecture and Built Environment, Ulster University, 4 School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, 5 Department of Chemistry, University of Lagos, Nigeria, 6 School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, Ulster University The occurrence of antibiotic residues in the aqueous environment raised serious concerns about human health and the ecosystem. It has been estimated that about 1.27 million people died from antibiotic resistance in 2019 1 . Lignocellulosic materials have shown potential as an alternative low-cost material for the removal of antibiotics in water 3 . This study examined the use of mahogany ( Swietenia mahagoni ) sawdust for the adsorption and removal of vancomycin from water. Vancomycin is an antibiotic which urgently requires an alternative as priority pathogens like Enterococcus faecium are becoming resistant 2 . The sawdust was sourced from mahogany trees (Lagos, Nigeria). The sawdust was washed, dried, and ground to particles with sizes ranging from 38-850µm before undergoing a pre-treatment with 30% w/v sulfuric acid. Adsorption experiments were conducted with vancomycin hydrochloride dissolved in water with a concentration of 10 µg/ml and its level was measured using HPLC fitted with a UV-detector. The average particle size for both the untreated & treated sawdust were 8.003± 5.610µm and 4.124±1.209µm respectively. The acid treatment decreases particle size but increases surface area per weight, thereby improving the adsorption capacity of the treated sawdust. The zeta potential values of both the untreated and treated mahogany sawdust particles were -14±1.2mV and 20.4±2.12mVrespectively, indicating that the surface charges for both adsorbents are negative. The increase in the zeta potential is also due to the treatment of the material with sulfuric acid, which causes the breakage of some intermolecular bonds and leads to the presence of more negatively charged functional groups on the surface. The material was characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Adsorption studies show that both untreated and treated mahogany sawdust can reduce the concentration of vancomycin in water by more than 40% and within 5 minutes of contact between the adsorbent and the antibiotic. The optimal contact time was found to be 30 minutes for the untreated sawdust, and there was a decrease in the uptake as the adsorbent dosage increases from 0.1 g to 1g per 25ml. Adsorption studies showed the waste material was effective for the adsorption of vancomycin from water and that the treated sawdust was more efficient. References 1. Murray, Christopher JL, et al. "Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis." The Lancet 399.10325 (2022): 629-655 WHO, Global Priority List of Antibiotic-resistant bacteria to guide research, discovery and development of new antibiotics, 25 th February 2019. Akinsanmi, Oluwashina, et al. "Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance: Adsorption of meropenem and ciprofloxacin on lignocellulosic substrate from sawdust." European Wastewater Management Conference . 2019.
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