With increasing pressure on water resources in arid regions globally, treated municipal wastewater is receiving greater interest as an alternative irrigation water source. Trace levels of a range of antibiotics in treated wastewater represent a possible threat to environmental and human health if applied to agricultural systems by potentially fostering antibiotic resistance. Biochar represents a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly material for further purification of treated wastewaters and mitigation of potential environmental risks from antibiotic resistance. However, biochar performance as an adsorbent is based upon feedstock and treatment dependent properties. In this study, we aim to better understand the influence of feedstock and treatment (e.g., pyrolysis temperature, acid/base modification) on biochar physicochemical properties and the adsorption characteristics of antibiotic mixtures. More specifically, the characteristics of biochars created from rice husk and dairy manure modified by acid or base modification as well as date palm leaf and pistachio shell biochars produced at three pyrolysis temperatures will be presented. Three antibiotics including sulfamethoxazole, sulfapyridine and trimethoprim are tested with those biochars. The relationship between these characteristics and the antibiotic adsorption behavior is discussed. Preliminary results suggest adsorption is largely influenced by surface area, charge considerations and relative surface functional group composition. This indicates that these metrics could potentially be used to screen, predict and optimize biochars for antibiotic removal from treated wastewater. This work will help guide future biochar synthesis efforts for the selected removal of pharmaceuticals from treated wastewater streams by identifying which feedstocks and modifications result in desirable adsorption properties.

Biochar feedstock and modification influences on physicochemical properties: Implications for antibiotic adsorption from treated wastewater streams

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