Removal of Erythromycin from Water by Ibuprofen-Driven Pre-Organized Divinyl Sulfone Cross-Linked Dextrin

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new method using cross-linked dextrin to efficiently remove the antibiotic erythromycin from water, surpassing standard removal thresholds.

Contribution

The novel approach uses ibuprofen to pre-organize dextrin during cross-linking, significantly enhancing sorption efficiency for erythromycin.

Findings

Polymers pDx1 and pDx5 achieved ERY Kd values of 13.3 × 10³ and 6.4 × 10³ L/kg, exceeding the 500 L/kg threshold.

Both polymers showed fast sorption kinetics and high selectivity for erythromycin.

The method expands the use of DVS cross-linked polysaccharides for sustainable wastewater treatment.

Abstract

Water recycling and reuse are cornerstones of water management, which can be compromised by the presence of pollutants. Among these, pharmaceuticals can overcome standard water treatments and require sophisticated approaches to remove them. Sorption is an economically viable alternative limited by the need for sorbents with a sorption coefficient (Kd) higher than 500 L/kg. The cross-linking of dextrin (Dx) with divinyl sulfone (DVS) in the presence of 1 mmol or 5 mmol of ibuprofen (IBU) yields the insoluble polymers pDx1 and pDx5 with improved affinity for IBU and high selectivity towards erythromycin (ERY) and ERY Kd higher than 4 × 103 L/kg, when tested against a cocktail of six drugs. Characterization of the polymers shows that both pDx1 and pDx5 have similar properties, fast sorption kinetics, and ERY Kd of 13.3 × 103 for pDx1 and 6.4 × 103 for pDx5, representing 26.6 and 12.0 times the 500 L/kg threshold. The fact that new affinities and improvements in Kd can be achieved by cross-linking Dx in the presence of other molecules that promote pre-organization expands the applications of DVS cross-linked polysaccharides as sustainable, scalable, and environmentally friendly sorbents with a potential application in wastewater treatment plants (WTPs).

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