A Novel β-Resorcylic-HCHO Type Phenolic Composite for Effective Removal of Chlortetracycline Hydrochloride from Aqueous Solution
摘要
The escalating contamination of water resources by chlortetracycline hydrochloride (CTC) poses significant threats to human health and ecosystems, necessitating the development of effective adsorbents. This study presents a novel β-resorcylic-HCHO type phenolic composite (RPC) as an efficient and regenerable adsorbent for CTC removal under high-concentration conditions. The RPC, featuring abundant carboxyl (-COOH) and phenolic hydroxyl (-OH) groups, achieved a removal efficiency of 90.1% and an adsorption capacity of 69 mg/g under typical operational conditions (1 g RPC treating 15 mL of 5 mg/mL CTC solution at pH ≈ 6.0 and 298 K). The adsorption process was spontaneous and best described by pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Freundlich isotherm, indicating significant chemical interactions (ion exchange, electrostatic attraction) alongside physical contributions (π-π interactions, hydrogen bonding, and swelling-induced diffusion). Over 90% of adsorbed CTC was desorbed using a binary eluent (95% ethanol + 8% MgCl2, w/v). Importantly, the regenerated RPC retained over 85% of its initial capacity after five consecutive adsorption–desorption cycles, demonstrating superior regenerability compared to many reported adsorbents. Although its maximum adsorption capacity is moderate, RPC’s excellent reusability and robust performance under high-concentration conditions highlight its potential for treating antibiotic-contaminated wastewater, pending further techno-economic assessment for scale-up.