In recent years, antibiotic contamination has been detected in canals and rivers at an alarming rate. Antibiotics are compounds that are difficult to biodegrade or are not handled thoroughly. Among them, the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SMX) is one of the five most widely consumed sulfonamide drugs and the most widely prescribed antibiotic. SMX is commonly found in wastewater from wastewater treatment plants and surface water. In high concentrations, antibiotics can affect human health and aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, the treatment of antibiotic contamination is an urgent issue. Adsorption is a potential method for the treatment of antibiotic contamination. Currently, the team is studying and evaluating the ability of SMX adsorption by synthetic materials such as graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO) or natural materials such as biochar derived from water hyacinth, watermelon rind, peanut shell, bamboo…
Figure. Structure of sulfamethoxazole (SMX)
Author: MSc. Le Thi Hong Diep
