A “classic” material for capture and detoxification of emergent contaminants for water purification: The case of tetracycline

Emerging pollutants are well-known chemicals without regulatory status that produce a significant environmental impact reaching aquatic and land ecosystems with a negative effect in the provision of ecosystem services. The aim of this work is the removal of tetracycline, through adsorption processes, from water by using alginate/chitosan microbeads enriched with TiO2. Through the photodegradation of the tetracycline, the recycle of the adsorbent is proposed under proper experimental conditions of work. While, by changing the ionic strength, a cleaner and low-cost approach is also presented to recover by desorption the adsorbed pollutant. The adsorption efficiencies observed for chitosan/alginate/TiO2 composite materials indicate them as suitable for environmental applications, in the perspective of sustainable development and innovations in this field. Further, a detailed physical and chemical investigation is discussed assessing the kinetics and the isotherms of adsorption, along with the thermodynamic parameters.