Kinetic and Thermodynamic Behavior on the Sorption of Clindamycin from an Aqueous Medium by Modified Surface Zeolitic Tuffs

Abstract

Clindamycin (CLD), an antibiotic derivate of lincomycin, is widely used; the presence of this drug in the wastewater and the environment could produce resistance in bacteria. In this work, the sorption of this drug by two surfactant-modified zeolitic tuffs was studied considering contact time, initial concentration, pH, and temperature. The kinetic behavior indicates that the equilibrium times were between 15 and 12 h for all materials, and the results were best adjusted to Ho and Mc Kay model. The highest adsorption was obtained with the hexadecyltrimethylammonium-modified zeolitic tuff from Oaxaca, Mexico (1.56 mg/g). The sorption isotherms obtained showed a linear behavior, indicating a partition mechanism. The thermodynamic parameters were determined from the isotherms at different temperatures and Van Ho equation; the processes are exothermic and not spontaneous. The best pH for the adsorption is between 8 and 11. The results show that the modified zeolitic tuffs are potential materials for the adsorption of CLD from water.