Drawing the guy being at the wrong place, at the wrong time away: escorting ciprofloxacin off the aquepus medium by means of gas bubble flotation

Abstract

The water source of aquaculture activities, animal feeds, and consumer products is contaminated by the presence of antibiotics, particularly Ciprofloxacin (CIP). Wastewater treatment facilities are not distinctly designed to remove pharmaceuticals. This contamination evidently becomes a threat to the health of humans and animals. The objective of this project was to study the removal of CIP from wastewater, by using gas bubble flotation, to minimize CIP residues entering the environment. The amount of CIP before and after this treatment were quantified by using a Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometer. The method involved measuring the absorbance of the carbonyl group (C=O) peak at 1627 cm-1. Results illustrate a successful removal of CIP from the water, with removal extents 61.99%. Furthermore, the usage of the natural surfactant Vernonia amygdalina, to remove CIP from water, instead of using SDS, also achieved a positive result as 67.26% of antibiotics were removed. Keywords: Ciprofloxacin, gas bubble flotation, FT-IR