Removal of an antibiotic, tetracycline hydrochloride, by adsorption onresin Amberlite RC 120.

The study of the fate of drug residues in the environment is becoming an important issue in the field of environmental toxicol. There is a high consumption of the therapeutic class of antibiotics. Some investigations reported the presence of low amts. of drug mols. in ground water. Tetracycline adsorption on a synthetic resin was examd. in this work. The implementation of the resin Amberlite IR 120 requires the knowledge of its maximal adsorption capacity, of the mechanisms involved at the interface, as well as the adsorption rate. The results dealing with equil. showed a monolayer retention of tetracycline by the resin for concns. ranging from 50 to 500 mg/l. Examn. of the effects of granulometry and agitation allowed to show that phys. and chem. mechanisms had similar rates. Internal and external diffusions, as well as surface reactions are both involved with equal prominence in the global process of antibiotic fixation on the resin Amberlite IR 120. [on SciFinder(R)]