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Oxytetracycline Sorption Onto Iraqi Montmorillonite, M. M. Barbooti, Haiyan Su, Pravin Punamiya, Dibyendu Sarkar

Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This paper assesses the use of certified Iraqi montmorillonite clay as a potential sorbent for the removal of oxytetracycline (OTC) from aqueous solutions. The clay is characterized by a cation exchange capacity of 0.756 meq g-1 and a zero point charge at pH 8.7. Aqueous solutions of OTC were equilibrated with montmorillonite under various experimental conditions, such as OTC concentration, pH and clay content, for 24 h at fixed ionic strength. Two forms of montmorillonite were evaluated: regular and iron-modified form. The effect of pH was minor on OTC adsorption. Kinetic study revealed that the sorption follows a pseudo-second-order model. …