Evaluation of Tetracycline antibiotic removal from water by activated carbon synthesized from water hyacinth

Abstract

   In recent years, antibiotics, especially Tetracycline (TC), have increasingly become a contaminant of concern in the aquatic environment. TC is widely used in medicine, agriculture, and aquaculture. After use, a large amount of TC is not fully metabolized and is released into the environment through wastewater, livestock waste, and other sources. The presence of TC in water can harm beneficial microorganisms and disrupt the ecological balance. Long-term exposure to antibiotics in the environment can promote the development of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains and may threaten human health. Therefore, to contribute to reducing the amount of antibiotics in the water environment, this study was conducted to evaluate the ability of activated carbon derived from water hyacinth to treat the antibiotic TC. The study presents the synthesis of activated carbon from water hyacinth biomass using a pyrolysis method combined with chemical activation with 1.5M KOH and Cobalt(II) sulfate (CoSO₄) as a precursor. The resulting activated carbon was applied to remove the antibiotic Tetracycline from aqueous solutions. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis showed that the activated carbon has a well-developed porous structure with a specific surface area of 630.46 m²/g at an activation temperature of 600°C. Adsorption experiments were performed to evaluate the influence of factors such as pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, and initial TC concentration. The maximum TC adsorption capacity reached approximately 108.2 mg/g under optimal conditions, indicating the significant adsorption capability of the synthesized activated carbon. This research demonstrates the potential of water hyacinth as an effective and sustainable alternative raw material for producing activated carbon.